The City Council on Monday night authorized the city administrator to execute a letter of understanding with the City of Oakland for library services for Fiscal Years 2026-28 with a one-time increase of 3% for a total amount of $360,985.
Piedmont’s approved FY2025-26 General Fund budget includes a $360,985 line-item expenditure for library services.
Background (from the city’s staff report)
The City of Piedmont has never operated a municipal library. As early as 1918, Piedmont residents began obtaining library services from neighboring Oakland. Throughout the years, Oakland has advanced the concept of Piedmont achieving parity on a per capita basis with Oakland’s General Fund appropriation for library services.Many Piedmont citizen led committees have examined existing library services and ways to secure similar services in the future. In 1996, a Piedmont Ad Hoc Library Study Committee report documented the relationship with Oakland as follows:
• For many years, library services were obtained from the City of Oakland for less than $5,000 per year, until 1970, when Oakland imposed a $7.50 per non-resident fee. Once paid, Piedmont residents received a $4.50 reimbursement from the City of Piedmont.
• In 1974, a formal agreement between the two cities lapsed and access to the Oakland Public Library was lost until some point in 1975, when a new agreement was signed. The terms included a fee of $37,000 and called for annual increases, until Piedmont paid the same per capita as Oakland.
• In 1984, a new library services agreement was reached for $110,000 in year one and annual increases of $10,000. This agreement was in place for 11 years.
• In 1999, a new agreement was reached. Payments to Oakland gradually increased over the next decade until FY 2007-08 when Piedmont paid $350,471.For the last 17 years, Piedmont has paid this amount with no change.
Report to City Council by the City Administrator on Jan. 5, 2026