Library open hours are funded primarily from an apportionment of countywide property tax revenue and, in some locations, city revenues. Since FY 09-10, the countywide property tax apportionment provided a base service level of 35 open hours per week with cities having the option to purchase extra hours on an annual basis. Full-service libraries in unincorporated areas are open no more than the base county open hours since there is no city entity to provide funding for extra hours.  
  
In June 2020, the Library eliminated two-thirds of its substitute permanent-intermittent positions to address the anticipated loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction in substitute staff made it necessary for library administration to develop a more efficient staffing strategy. As a result, in July 2020 the 35 base open hour schedule was standardized across all library branches as a Tuesday through Saturday schedule, with branch locations offering seven hours open to the public each day. Under the new schedule, most Library branch staff shifts coincided and staffing subsequently could be moved to provide an optimal spread of coverage at all branch locations on any given day.  
  
Implementation of this strategy also led to staff working for two hours prior to opening at the 12 library branches in the County system that do not fund additional hours beyond the standardized, 35 base open hour schedule. While in the limited Front Door Service (FDS) mode during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff used these two hours to do the significant work required to prepare items for FDS appointments. With the reopening of Contra Costa library branches to the public in April 2020 and the shift from FDS to in-person service, this prep time is no longer necessary. Therefore, Contra Costa Library has determined that all library branches currently open for the county base of 35 hours per week (12 of the 26 libraries) can increase their hours open to the public to 40 hours each week (eight open hours per day, Tuesday through Saturday) by simply opening one hour earlier each day. This can be done at no extra cost to the County. To maintain equity throughout the system, the County also will increase the base service level to 40 hours per week for those branches in cities currently funding extra hours (10 of the 26 libraries). Contra County Library estimates that this will result in a cost to the Library Fund of approximately $847,700 in Fiscal Year 2021-22. The hours for the remaining four libraries in the County system (Crockett, Rodeo, Bay Point and Prewitt Libraries) will remain static, since they are not full-service libraries and their hours are limited for reasons other than budget.  
  
For Fiscal Year 2021-22, the Library also standardized the extra hour options offered to cities. Cities may fund 6, 12 or 16 extra hours per week. Each option has a set open hours schedule. This a more efficient and transparent way to provide extra hour estimates to cities and provides more consistent open hours for the public, who often use several library branches across the County. It will also create more consistent staffing schedules, which will contribute to a more efficient ease of operations.   
  
Attachment A reflects the proposed operating hours for the new 40 base open hours, as well as the change in open hours for libraries whose cities have opted to fund extra hours. If approved, these changes will be effective beginning July 1, 2021.