REQUEST TO CLARIFY MISLEADING INFORMATION PROVIDED TO PUBLIC

[Karen Curtin]

Dear Orange County Commissioners:

At last night's public hearing on the budget you distributed a document titled Chapel Hill Public Library Funding Transition: Key Facts. In that document you state that the library’s total budget is $4,982,545. That number is very misleading since it includes both CHPL and Community Arts & Culture. The budget for CHPL, the actual recipient of county funding, is as follows (recently confirmed on the library’s website in an effort to eliminate public confusion):

CHPL total budget of $4,297,174

—operating budget of  $864,641

—personnel budget of $3,432,533 

Your document also references the 72% figure referenced on the Friends of Chapel Hill Public Library website as exclusive of “approximately $4 million” in personnel expenses when, again, that number for CHPL is only $3,432,533 - not the $3,902,678 that you are reporting for the combined budgets of CHPL and Community Arts & Culture. County funding for the CHPL operating budget this year is 72% of its operating budget of $864,641.

I respectfully request that you provide the public with the numbers for Chapel Hill Public Library, not combined with those for Community Arts & Culture. Thank you.

Karen Curtin
karen....@me.com

[Wil Glenn]

Good morning Karen,

Thank you for your email and for sharing the additional breakdown.

The information included in our handout was taken directly from the Town of Chapel Hill’s adopted budget document, which presents the Library and Community Arts & Culture within the same departmental budget category.

The budget document can be viewed here: https://www.chapelhillnc.gov/files/assets/town/v/1/bmd/documents/budgets/202526-adopted-budget.pdf#page=202

We understand your point regarding the distinction between Chapel Hill Public Library-specific costs and the broader departmental budget presentation used by the Town.

Thank you again for your feedback.

 

 

Wil Glenn

Community Relations Director

Orange County Government
Office Phone: 919.245.2302

Mobile Phone: 919.430.4900

Email: wgl...@orangecountync.gov

 

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From: Karen Curtin <karen....@me.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 4:39 AM
To: ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Cc: Karen Curtin <karen....@me.com>; info <in...@friendschpl.org>
Subject: REQUEST TO CLARIFY MISLEADING INFORMATION PROVIDED TO PUBLIC

 

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