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Residents urge budget committee not to cut St. Helens library hours or staff
Summary
Multiple residents, library-board members and volunteers told the budget committee that cuts to library staffing and hours would remove critical programs, cost state funding eligibility, and harm families and seniors. Library leaders said volunteers supplement but cannot replace professional staff.
Dozens of residents and library volunteers told the St. Helens budget committee on May 15 that proposed cuts to the public library’s staff or hours would harm children, seniors and small businesses and could make the facility ineligible for state funding.
Ellen Jacobson, a library-board member and volunteer, said the library provides services that “support entrepreneurs, provide safe development, socialization opportunities for kids and teens, support individual development, and foster connections.” She added that volunteers — roughly 30 individuals who logged more than 950 hours last year — “are not employees” and cannot replace trained staff required under Oregon law.
Library Director Suzanne Bishop explained that increases in materials-and-services costs are driven largely by subscriptions and online database fees, cataloging and a near-term need to replace a security system. Bishop said the library still expects six full-time-equivalent positions (a mix of full and part-time staff) in the proposed budget; some increases in the materials-and-services line reflect one-time replacement costs.
Speakers said library programs act as informal childcare and after-school support during school furloughs and that the makerspace and youth programming reduce juvenile exposure to crime. “We need to rely on our library to offer a lot of public services that we don’t get any other way,” said Alana Gilston, who said she has used the makerspace for projects and civic engagement.
Kathy Payne, the city’s human-resources coordinator and city recorder, noted the city maintains the building under an agreement with the Columbia Learning Center board and that the city will assume ownership of the facility in 2035 under current arrangements.
The committee did not adopt any cuts to library staffing at the meeting. Members asked staff to review materials-and-services subscriptions to identify potential reductions and to return with revised numbers at the next session.
