Buellton residents seeking more weekend access to the public library heard an update Thursday as the City Council discussed adding Sunday hours.

The new library, which reopened earlier this year in the former Willemsen Dairy house at 202 Dairyland Road, is closed on Thursday and Sunday. City Manager Scott Wolfe outlined three cost options for expanding the library’s weekly schedule. 

“We have had not one but two different surveys of library patrons to determine what the actual or perceived public demand for additional hours looks like,” Wolfe told the council. 

He said the combined findings of the surveys showed “clear interest” in providing Sunday hours, including from patrons who live on farms and ranches outside the city and often rely on Sunday as their only day to visit the library.

The results gave library staff enough direction to prepare three cost options, which range from $17,550 for minimal service to $73,350 for the highest-level staffing model.

Wolfe described the first option as a minimal service level. He said it would be a “bare bones” model with the doors open and someone available to assist patrons but no programming, with an estimated annual cost of $17,550.

The second option would provide a moderate level of service with expanded staffing support throughout the week. Wolfe said this model would allow the city to share time from a higher-level staff member on different days, not just Sundays, and would come with an estimated annual cost of $62,350.

A third option would provide an enhanced level of service on Sundays along with added programming and higher-level librarian support throughout the week. Wolfe said the cost for this model would range between $42,450 and $73,350 and explained that the amount would depend on how the Goleta Valley Library, which has managed the Santa Ynez Valley’s branches since 2018, structures staffing across the Buellton, Solvang and Goleta locations.

Wolfe told the council he expects to return in January 2026 with the three options “a little more fleshed out,” once Goleta finalizes its staffing plan for all three branches.

Several other community items were discussed during Thursday’s meeting.

Santa Ynez Valley Aquatics Project

During public comment, Lisa Palmer of the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation updated the council on fundraising for the regional community pool planned at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School.

She said Buellton’s earlier $450,000 commitment had prompted Solvang to raise its own contribution to $500,000, meeting the challenge Buellton issued three weeks prior.

Wolfe said the additional $50,000 needed to match Solvang’s total had already been approved in concept and was set to return for confirmation on Dec. 11.

During council comments, Councilman John Sanchez asked that the item come back as a discussion item, saying the council should consider increasing Buellton’s total to $550,000 “to beat them by 50.”

The council agreed to revisit the funding in December.

Arts and Culture Banners

The council unanimously approved $22,572 for Buellton.Art banners, a continuing Arts and Culture Committee project that recreation coordinator Allison Fiery said is meant to turn parts of the city into an “outdoor art gallery.” Community artwork printed on banners will be hung from streetlight poles along Industrial Way and Highway 246.

“The funds requested would help pay for 15 sets of banners, 60 pieces with four designs on each banner, featuring art elements from more than 70 community artists ages 5 to 80 that would be displayed for one year,” she said.

The project also includes community outreach to encourage local artist participation, according to Fiery.

Council members praised the visibility of the program and its community participation, and Mayor David Silva suggested inviting some of the featured artists to a future meeting so the council could recognize their work.

“I think that’d be a nice way for us to just get to know who’s participating,” he said. “You have to be very vulnerable to put your art out there.”

Silva also asked staff to consider placing recurring arts projects like the banners into a separate funding category so applicants do not have to reapply each year.

Tree Ordinances

Planning Director Andrea Keefer gave the council an overview of Buellton’s existing tree and landscaping rules, saying the city’s policies are spread across multiple documents and can be difficult for residents to find or understand. 

Council members said the framework feels too fragmented, and Councilwoman Carla Mead suggested that the city consolidate its standards into a single, easy-to-access landscaping document.

They also asked staff to explore clearer requirements, including canopy-shade expectations for new development and a review of the rule that exempts protected native tree removals within 50 feet of a home.

Following the discussion, the council held the first reading of Ordinance No. 25-07, which establishes rules for planting and maintaining trees on public property, designates the Planning Commission as the city’s Tree and Landscape Advisory Board, and gives the city authority to address trees on private property if they obstruct sidewalks or damage infrastructure. 

Wolfe said the ordinance was modeled in part on National Arbor Day Foundation standards tied to Tree City USA certification.

The council voted unanimously to approve the introduction and first reading and asked staff to bring back options for adding a requirement that the city replace any public tree it removes. The ordinance is scheduled to return before the council in December.