Manassas library agreement set to expire, talks underway

Residents of Prince William County and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas all use libraries in the county as part of a shared-services agreement. Neither independent city has a library of its own.

The county government builds and manages the libraries, and the cities supplement funding, unlocking the door for city residents to use library services.

That agreement comes to an end on June 30, 2020. Representatives from the county library system, and Patrick Pate, and Laszlo Palko, the city managers of Manassas and Manassas Park, respectively, have held recent meetings on what to do about the expiring contract.

Manassas needs to make a decision on whether or not it wants to keep the current agreement in place, and to continue to use the closest library branch to it — Central Library on Mathis Avenue (located in the county, on land originally donated by Manassas Park) — or build a new library in its growing Downtown.

The latter option is something city leaders have been discussing for the past three years. One possible site: next to or at the Manassas Museum.

Pate said the meetings between the county and the cities are ongoing, and no decision has been made. He expects to engage his city council on the matter during next year’s budget session in the spring in hopes to reach a final decision before the contract expires.

A new 8,000 to 12,000 square foot library could cost as much as $8 million in 2019 dollars. Though it’s listed in Manassas’ capital improvement plan, the city, so far, has set aside zero dollars for the project.