The Forsyth County Public Library expects its total budget to increase 9 percent for the fiscal year beginning July 1 as it opens a fourth branch.

In a 5-0 vote Tuesday, the board approved a nearly $5.5 million budget that runs consecutive with the state’s fiscal year.

The library receives funding from both the state and county, which operate on fiscal and calendar years respectively.

State funding will increase less than a percent, from about $365,000 to $368,000, while county funding is expected to rise 9.5 percent, from about $4.2 million to about $4.6 million, according to figures presented by Anna Lyle, assistant director for support services.

“That’s pretty much entirely due to Post Road [branch opening] and these communications issues we talked about,” Lyle said.

The local branches will add bandwidth improvements that will be reimbursed by the Georgia Public Library System.

Funding from the county won’t be approved officially until October, but the library is already receiving support to open the fourth branch in the second half of this year.

The branch at Post and Kelly Mill roads will have some new staff members, primarily without benefits, and shift some personnel from existing libraries to minimize the budget increase.

The board also plans to request an extra $67,300 from the county to restore the service hours to 8:30 p.m. one weekday night at all four branches, Lyle said.

Hours were cut in 2010 to meet the drop in the county’s budget while opening Hampton Park library.

Board chairwoman Mary Helen McGruder said the return to longer hours one night a week seems “timely.”

“If the money’s not there,” she said, “then we will have tried.”