Peterborough Public Library Staffing Reorganization

Peterborough, ON - Peterborough Public Library is implementing a staffing reorganization to reduce operating expenses by $120,000, as approved by City Council in the City’s 2025 Budget.

The Peterborough Public Library has 60 staff, including a CEO and a manager with all other staff being unionized, non-management staff.

The reorganization will result in a net reduction of one position. There will be three positions eliminated, and two new positions will be created, for the net reduction of one position. A fourth affected position will be maintained but restructured to expand its role.

Services will be maintained; however, they will be delivered in a different way to achieve the $120,000 in cost savings.

Children’s Library services and programming will continue to be provided.

The Draft 2025 Budget for the Peterborough Public Library included a 10.9% or $411,571 increase in the funding requirement for the Library, which would increase to $4,175,845 in 2025 from $3,764,273 in 2024.

A number of factors contributed to the estimated increase in costs, including technology costs associated with software licences and product subscription fees as well as the first year of operating the new library branch at the Miskin Law Community Complex.

All City departments were directed to provide options to reduce operating expenses in 2025 as a way to lower the required property tax increase.

There were two options for operating expense reductions put forward for the Peterborough Public Library as part of City Council’s 2025 Budget process:

• A $70,000 reduction that would reduce Library operating hours by four hours per week
• A $120,000 reduction that would be achieved through a Library staffing reorganization, that would include the elimination of two positions

Council did not choose the option to reduce Library operating hours.

Council did approve including the $120,000 reduction through a Library staffing reorganization, in the City’s 2025 Budget.

After further review of the planned staffing reorganization, the plan was updated to result in a net reduction of one position – not two positions as outlined in the Draft 2025 Budget.

Council approved various other options to reduce the property tax increase in 2025, such as ending the lifeguard service at Rogers Cove beach with lifeguard service being maintained at the nearby Beavermead Park beach, ending the maintenance of the ice for skating on the Trent-Severn Waterway next to the Lift Lock, reducing preventative maintenance of City facilities, reducing funding for advertising, and increasing the Peterborough Transit single ride fare by 25 cents.

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