ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS: THREE YEARS LATER, THE SILAS BRONSON LIBRARY IS A $2.9 MILLION INVESTMENT

The Waterbury Times| November 7, 2026

Three years after asking what it takes to operate Waterbury’s public library, The Waterbury Times revisits the numbers. The budget has grown, security funding has tripled, and the city’s educational challenges remain.

Waterbury- On October 11, 2023, The Waterbury Times published an article titled All About the Benjamins, questioning the City of Waterbury’s $2,085,473 appropriation for the Silas Bronson Library in its FY2024 municipal budget.

At the time, our question was straightforward: Why was Waterbury spending more than $2 million annually to operate its public library while the city’s school system continued struggling with staffing, resources, and academic performance?

We weren’t suggesting that Waterbury should close its library. Quite the opposite. The Silas Bronson Library has been a cornerstone of this community for generations.

But public money deserves public scrutiny, and three years later, the numbers give us another reason to revisit the discussion.

The library’s FY2027 adopted operating appropriation is now $2,445,713.

And when employee benefits allocated to the department are included, the city’s budget identifies a total of $2,909,234 earmarked for the library.

That’s approaching $3 million.

So, three years later, what exactly are Waterbury taxpayers getting for their investment?

THE NUMBERS: 2024 VS. 2027

Let’s start with what has changed.

In our original October 2023 article, we reported a FY2024 library appropriation of $2,085,473.

The city’s FY2027 adopted budget lists the following:

FY2026 adopted library appropriation: $2,202,454.
FY2027 adopted library appropriation: $2,445,713.
FY2027 employee benefits allocated to the library: $463,521.
FY2027 total amount earmarked for the department: $2,909,234.

Using the original 2023 article’s figure as the baseline, the FY2027 operating appropriation has increased by approximately $360,240, or 17.3%.

It’s important to distinguish the operating appropriation from the additional employee benefit allocation. The $2,445,713 is the department’s adopted operating budget. The $2,909,234 figure includes the city’s separately allocated employee benefits.

That’s a significant distinction when discussing what taxpayers actually spend.

And the city’s own budget documents provide a breakdown of where the money goes.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

According to the FY2027 adopted budget, the library’s largest expense is personnel.

The department’s budget includes:

Regular salaries: $1,678,958.
Part-time payroll: $90,000.
Service and maintenance contracts: $95,000.
Electricity: $90,000.
Security and safety services: $150,000.
Operations equipment: $225,000.

The department has 30 authorized positions, including librarians, administrative personnel, maintenance workers, and management.

In other words, this isn’t simply a building filled with books. It is a staffed municipal operation with personnel, maintenance, utilities, equipment, technology, and public services.

That information is important because taxpayers should understand what they’re funding before deciding whether the expenditure is justified.

But there’s another line item that deserves attention.

SECURITY FUNDING TRIPLES

In the FY2027 budget, the library’s security and safety services allocation increased from $50,000 to $150,000.

That’s an additional $100,000, representing a 200% increase.

The city’s adopted budget amendment specifically states that the additional funding is intended to implement security and safety improvements at the library.

The budget does not identify every improvement or explain precisely how the additional money will be spent.

That leaves several reasonable questions:

Will the additional funding provide more security personnel?
Are additional surveillance cameras or access-control improvements planned?
Are the funds intended to address incidents inside the building or around its exterior?
How many police calls for service have originated at the library over the past three fiscal years?
Will the city provide a public accounting of how the additional $100,000 is spent?

These aren’t unreasonable questions. When a department receives a substantial increase in a particular expenditure category, taxpayers deserve to know what that money accomplishes.

In September, The Waterbury Times also examined the library’s security funding and the questions surrounding safety at the facility.

The additional funding makes that discussion even more relevant.

WHAT DOES THE LIBRARY ACTUALLY PROVIDE?

Before anyone concludes that the library is simply an expensive community gathering space, let’s look at what the institution actually offers.

The city’s FY2027 budget describes the Silas Bronson Library as Waterbury’s only public organization dedicated specifically to free lifelong learning, literacy, and personal growth.

The library reports access to more than 275,000 physical resources, along with digital collections, downloadable materials, research assistance, computers, printing, internet access, educational programs, cultural activities, and meeting spaces.

It also operates the Bunker Hill Branch and a mobile library service that provides home delivery.

These are legitimate public services.

The library’s published FY2025 statistics provide a useful snapshot of its activity:ServiceFY2025Registered borrowers52,413Items circulated128,879Computer/Wi-Fi sessions33,015Reference services28,493Program attendance6,674

Unfortunately, the FY2025 budget report does not provide a library visitor count.

For comparison, the library recorded 155,600 visits in FY2024.

These numbers demonstrate that the library serves a substantial population and provides more than traditional book lending.

But they also raise another question: How does the city measure the effectiveness of these services, and what benchmarks does it use to determine whether its annual investment is producing meaningful results?

AND WHAT ABOUT WATERBURY’S SCHOOLS?

This was the heart of our original 2023 article, and it remains an important part of the discussion.

For FY2027, the Waterbury Board of Education requested $170,175,000.

The city’s adopted budget ultimately maintained the Department of Education appropriation at $158,375,000.

That means the adopted appropriation was $11.8 million below the school department’s request.

It is important to understand that this is the municipal appropriation, not the entire school system’s expenditure. Schools also operate with other funding sources, including grants and state and federal support.

Still, the difference between the requested amount and the adopted appropriation deserves attention.

And the academic numbers provide additional context.

According to the Connecticut State Department of Education’s 2024–25 District Profile and Performance Report, Waterbury’s English Language Arts Performance Index for all students was 53.2.

The statewide average was 64.7.

That’s an 11.5-point difference.

The report also showed Waterbury’s math performance index at 46.3, compared with the state average of 61.1.

These are performance index measurements, not percentages of students passing an examination. They provide a standardized way to compare academic performance across districts.

The results illustrate why literacy and educational resources should remain a priority in Waterbury.

Our original article used an average teacher salary of $61,688 to demonstrate how $1 million could theoretically cover approximately 16 teacher salaries.

That was an illustration, not a realistic calculation of the complete cost of hiring additional educators. Benefits, payroll expenses, and other employment costs must also be considered.

But the underlying question remains:

Could Waterbury do more to direct resources toward improving literacy and educational opportunities for its children?

SHOULD THE LIBRARY AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BE WORKING CLOSER TOGETHER?

Perhaps the discussion shouldn’t be about taking money away from one institution to give to another.

Perhaps it’s about making both institutions work harder together.

The library already has a relationship with Waterbury schools. Its budget identifies partnerships with Bridge to Success, school outreach activities, children’s programming, and efforts to register students for library cards.

The library also offers educational resources for parents, teachers, and students.

These are positive developments.

But could those partnerships be expanded?

Could the library offer additional structured reading programs for elementary school students? Could it provide more after-school literacy opportunities? Could the city measure how many Waterbury students participate in library-sponsored educational programming?

Could additional grants, private donations, nonprofit partnerships, and contributions from the Friends of the Library help support selected programs and reduce pressure on the municipal operating budget?

These are opportunities worth exploring.

The library should be a partner in improving Waterbury’s educational outcomes, not an institution operating independently of the challenges facing the school system.

THREE YEARS LATER, WE STILL HAVE QUESTIONS

The Silas Bronson Library opened its doors in 1870 with an original collection of 11,500 books.

More than 150 years later, it remains an important part of Waterbury’s identity.

Its existence is not the issue.

Its services are not the issue.

And residents who rely on the library for internet access, educational resources, employment assistance, research, and community programming should not be forgotten in this discussion.

But nearly $3 million in annual departmental funding is a substantial public investment.

Waterbury taxpayers deserve a clear understanding of how that money is spent, what services are delivered, and whether the city is getting measurable results.

We would like to see a more detailed public accounting of library expenditures, staffing levels, security expenses, program participation, outside funding, and educational partnerships.

We would also like to see the city establish measurable goals for the library’s contribution to community literacy.

Three years ago, we asked what it takes to operate a $2 million library.

Today, the question is even more relevant.

Is Waterbury getting the full value of its nearly $3 million investment in the Silas Bronson Library, and is that investment helping address the educational and community needs of the people it serves?

That’s not an attack on the library.

It’s a question of accountability.

And it’s a question Waterbury taxpayers have every right to ask.

Source Materials:

City of Waterbury — FY2026–2027 Board ofAldermen Adopted Budget. Pages 287–293 containthe library’s mission, performance information,expenditures, employee benefits, and staffing. Pages120–125 contain the overall budget information.Read the adopted FY2027 budget (PDF) .

2. Connecticut State Department of Education— Waterbury District Profile, 2024–25. Page6 contains the English Language Arts and mathperformance indices and statewide comparisons.Read the official education report (PDF) .

3. Silas Bronson Library — Official website. Libraryservices, administration, and contact information .

4. City of Waterbury — Office of Budget Control.Official municipal budget records .

5. The Waterbury Times — September 3,2026 security coverage. Is the Silas BronsonLibrary Safe? .

THE WATERBURY TIMES

Matters That Matter.

Originally published October 11, 2023, on our former NewsBreak publication. Updated November 7, 2026.