KING WILLIAM — King William County will end up spending more than $1 million this year on its new library system, more than $400,000 above its annual fee to the regional system the Board of Supervisors ditched to save taxpayer dollars.

The Board of Supervisors agreed to take additional money from capital funds when it awarded a contractor $480,000-plus to convert county offices into a library for Upper King William on Aug. 25.

The board’s move to pull out of the Pamunkey Regional Library after eight decades sparked a grassroots campaign to retain the regional system. Supervisors claimed an independent library system would save money and denied they were pandering to conservatives who voiced concerns about the content of some of PRL’s books.

The Board of Supervisors’ decision this spring to hire the private company Library Systems & Services (LS&S) to run its libraries cut the annual payment for library services from over $602,000 under the PRL to just under $572,000 to LS&S. Although opening hours at West Point increased, the Upper King William branch on Sharon Road has been closed since June.

The board’s decision on Aug. 25 to pay a contractor over $480,000 to convert the former parks and recreation building into the Upper King William branch means the county will likely end up paying about $1.05 million on libraries this year before Internet services and new furniture are factored in. The new library is unlikely to open before 2026, leaving the county with a single branch in West Point for the rest of the year.

On Aug. 25, the board backed the lowest bid from Henderson Inc. with a contingency for the front doors, which may need to be replaced. The contractor is expected to be on the site by the middle of October or early November, with the project slated to last 3.5 months “if everything goes well,” said Cathy Stevens, who works in the county’s finance department.

The board unanimously agreed to award Henderson $480,684 plus a 5% contingency not to exceed $24,035 from the county’s capital improvement program construction fund.

Library renovation funds were not discussed when the CIP was approved during budget negotiations in the spring. The revamp cost is more than double a tentative figure former County Administrator Stacey Davenport gave at a public meeting at the West Point library in May.

Davenport referred to a $150,000 line item for the project but said she did not know the likely cost of renovations to the parks and recreation building. The $150,000 came from savings from the new West Point library that opened in 2024.

The Board of Supervisors initially voted to end its contract with PRL in July 2024 before backtracking and then reaffirming the decision. Supervisors said an independent library system would save money and be more efficient.

Payments to LS&S are slated to rise over the 10-year life of the contract.

The county has been dogged by financial issues for the last five years. It may have to hold another public hearing as the finance department deals with the fallout from its flawed budget for fiscal year 2026.

Interim Finance Director Julie Kaylor told the board on Aug. 25 that she has been working on “reconstructing the budget from a line item perspective.”

“The finance team has been working diligently to rebuild the adopted budget so as it accurately reflects board actions to date,” she said. “We are going to look at possibly amending or having to amend the budget,” she said.

Changes include stripping an annual payment of $30,000 to the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport.

“It may be necessary to advertise a public hearing to adopt proposed amendments,” Kaylor said. The board will schedule a hearing if changes exceed 1% of expenditures.

Kaylor requested additional pre-audit support, warning that failure to complete tasks such as reconciliations could delay the audit by the accountancy firm CLA, leading to increased findings and higher audit costs. The county had budgeted up to $167,000 for additional financial services.

“The best thing to do is pay for someone who knows how to do the job,” said Interim County Administrator Clarence Monday. He said few people are applying for vacant positions in King William’s finance department.

The board voted 3-1 to contact CLA to seek accountancy help before the audit. Robinson voted against the motion while Mary Sue Bancroft abstained.

David Macaulay, Davidmacaulayva@gmail.com

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https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/03/king-william-library-costs-could-top-1-million-by-years-end/