Support Duncan Library During the FY27 Alexandria City Budget Cycle!
Friends of Duncan Library,
As you may be aware it's budget season here in Alexandria. The City Manager has released his proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 General Fund Operating Budget of $977.3 million, which represents an increase of 2.2% over the current year. The proposed budget funds the Library system at $10,204,743, which represents a 2% increase from FY26.
Our Council Members will spend the next seven weeks reviewing this proposed budget and gathering community feedback before suggesting their own additions (or deletions) and then adopting the final budget at the end of April. We have the opportunity to contribute to this process by submitting a budget comment in support of the library funding in the proposed budget!
To send a comment supporting library funding, click here and then complete and submit the form on that page.
You can use the following template for your comment:
Mayor Gaskins, Vice Mayor Bagley, and Members of Council,
I am a member of Friends of Duncan Library, andI am writing to ask you to prioritize funding for Alexandria's libraries in the FY 2027 budget and maintain, at a minimum, the funding recommendation in the city manager's proposed budget.
[Share a talking point about Duncan Library or the library system in general].
Our libraries matter to me because [share a personal anecdote about what you love about Duncan or public libraries in Alexandria more generally].
I'm grateful for your continued investment in our libraries, which will allow them to serve city residents of all ages and backgrounds and deliver programming that makes a positive impact on their lives.
Thank you for your service to our city,
[Your name]
Feel free to use any of the following talking points about Duncan Library:
In 2025 Duncan Library welcomed more than 144,000 visitors
Last year over 300,000 books were borrowed from Duncan
The Friends of Duncan Library membership is about 350 people
Last year FODL supported over 650 programs at the library including storytime for babies and infants, youth book clubs, an author consortium, after-school activities, Lego competitions, DIY craft classes, and Dungeons and Dragons for both teens and adults
Our programming served 30,000 participants in 2025
FODL supports the purchasing of additional copies of high demand books, which reduces hold times across the library system
FODL annually matches Duncan Library's funding from the city for purchasing new books
You are also welcome to include any of these talking points about the Alexandria Library system:
Number of programs hosted in 2025: 2,486
2025 program attendance: 90,653 visitors
Number of library visitors: 578,938
Number of registered borrowers: 147,573
Number of materials borrowed by customers in 2025: over 1 million
Number of passports processed: 4,354
Public library services satisfaction rate: 85.0%
For more information about the city's budget process, you can review the resources and information shared on the city website.
Thanks for your time and consideration, and for your ongoing support of Duncan Library!
- FODL Advocacy Committee