Property owners in the City of Northville and Northville Township could soon weigh in on the Northville District Library's spending plan for the coming fiscal year.

The board of trustees placed a resolution scheduling a public hearing on the FY2027 operating budget on its Thursday, July 23 meeting agenda, alongside a draft timeline for a potential building expansion.

Board Chair Carol Doyle presided over the meeting at the library's Carlo Meeting Room, 212 W. Cady St. Based on the library's annual budget cycle, the public hearing is expected at the board's next regular meeting on Thursday, August 27, at 7 p.m. The board has followed this pattern each year since at least FY2023, holding the hearing and adopting the final budget at its August meeting.

The library's operating millage stood at 1.0796 mills for FY2025-2026, certified unanimously at the board's August 2025 meeting. The proposed FY2027 rate has not yet been made public.

Expansion planning moves forward

The July 23 agenda also included a review of a draft building expansion timeline. The expansion effort dates to August 2023, when the board approved a $67,000 feasibility study by Quinn Evans, and gained momentum after a community survey published in May 2026 drew 2,283 responses. That survey, conducted by The Ivy Group, found 71.1% of respondents support expanding the current building.

At its Thursday, May 28 meeting, the board directed Library Director Laura Mancini to contact Northville City Manager George Lahanas about acquiring part of the adjacent city green space for the project. A Plante Moran Realpoint space-needs assessment presented in February 2025 identified three viable options, with funding scenarios spanning 15 to 30 years.

The library's current building opened in 1996 and received a meeting-room addition in 2018.

How to weigh in

The board's Facilities Committee meets Wednesday, August 19, at 10 a.m., and the Finance Committee meets Tuesday, August 25, at 10 a.m. Both sessions precede the Thursday, August 27 regular board meeting.

Residents can attend the August 27 meeting at the Northville District Library, 212 W. Cady St., or call 248-349-3020.