Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
St. Helens library board warned of budget shortfall; 8-hour furloughs, fees and COLA cuts floated
Summary
City budget staff and library leaders told the St. Helens Public Library Board that a projected municipal deficit may force measures including an 8-hour-per-month furlough for staff, reductions to library hours and program cuts; board members were encouraged to submit comments to the budget committee.
St. Helens — St. Helens Public Library staff told the library board on May 12 that the city faces a substantial general-fund shortfall and that options being discussed to cover the gap include a $10–$42 monthly general services fee for property owners, reduction or elimination of cost-of-living adjustments and an 8-hour-per-month furlough applied to all staff.
Why it matters: library staff said the furlough scenario would require reducing open hours, cutting several youth and makerspace programs and processing fewer physical items, at a time when library use has risen. Board members were asked to submit written comments to the city budget committee and to attend the budget meeting in person if possible.
City budget context and options Library staff summarized information presented to the city’s budget committee by the finance director about a “substantial deficit, that needs to be, made up.” The finance…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
