Malibu – City Council Approves Funds to Enhance Services at the Malibu Library

The Malibu City Council voted to approve the use of the 2019 Malibu Library Set Aside funds to continue and expand existing and new services and programs for the Malibu community during the March 11 Council meeting.
“The Malibu Library is at the heart of Malibu’s cultural and literary life, so I am proud of the incredibly valuable, diverse, and top-quality programs and services we have been able to develop at our beloved Library,” said Mayor Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner, who serves on the City’s Library Subcommittee. “We are making sure that the Library and its services and programs continue to meet the evolving needs of all of the people in the community.”
During the March 11 Council meeting, the Council voted to continue existing funding that provides extended library hours, a dedicated security guard, a full-time Teen Librarian, the Malibu Library Speaker Series program, and select programs throughout the County library system.
The Council also approved new funding allocations to hire an additional dedicated guard, extend the Speakers Series programming to western Malibu, enclose the Children’s Area in the Library and hire an Outreach Librarian to promote and expand program offerings.
The new initiatives were based on the results of the Library Needs Assessment approved by the Malibu City Council in fall 2018. The Library Needs Assessment was based on demographic trends, current service levels and extensive community input gathered through public meetings, an online survey, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews. It established service goals for the set aside funds for the coming years.
In 2008, the City and the County of Los Angeles Public Library signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set aside the difference between the City’s library portion of the property tax revenue and the Malibu Library expenses in a designated fund every year. The funds can only be used for Library services.
For more information on the 2019 Library Set Aside Funds, see the staff report at https://www.malibucity.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/3607?fileID=7630.
Submitted by Matt Myerhoff, Malibu Media Information Officer