Residents urge county to sign Grants Pass Library lease as commissioners say talks continue

Speakers at the Sept. 25 Josephine County Board of Commissioners meeting pressed the board to finalize a lease agreement with the Grants Pass Library, while commissioners responded that the county is negotiating and is not moving to evict the library.

The library district’s annual report, read into the record by Nancy Lester of Grants Pass, highlighted system use and programming. Lester said the district checked out “almost 300,000 physical books plus almost 62,000 electronic materials,” has “almost 26,000 active library cards,” and ran 523 children’s programs attended by more than 21,000 people. She also said the 2025 summer reading program engaged 883 participants who “collectively logged more than 535,000,” which she said is “over 8,900 hours of reading.”

Lester urged the commissioners to approve a lease the library agreed to in July, saying, “Please stop stonewalling and sign the lease that the library agreed to back in July.” Several other public commenters also objected to changes they said had been inserted into the lease at the last minute, and speakers described the timing and content of the amendment as undermining public confidence.

During public comment, Matt Spurlock asked whether the county gave written notice when, he said, the board voted on Jan. 6, 2025, to terminate the lease and whether the library “currently operate[s] with a lease as of today, 09/25/2025.” Spurlock also raised questions about county finances and about the Dimock property’s valuation and potential sale.

Commissioners addressed the library questions in the meeting. Commissioner Barnett said the county had a lease in place and stated the lease runs through “December 31, 2025.” Barnett also said he had voted to terminate the lease in January but told the public, “We’re not evicting the library,” and described ongoing negotiations intended to reach terms acceptable to both sides. Commissioner Smith said, “As far as I know, the lease has not been terminated,” and confirmed the county’s goal of complying with the charter while working through outstanding issues.

Other public speakers weighed in on funding and district governance. One commenter noted the library tax district collects 35 cents per $100 assessed valuation and said the library had about $1.2 million in reserves. Library programs and community outreach — story walks, summer reading, adult programs and other system events — were cited by supporters as evidence of the library’s community role.

No formal action on the library lease was recorded during the meeting. The board did approve its consent calendar by roll call later in the session.

The board invited residents to meet with commissioners outside the meeting to discuss specific questions and said department staff were handling grants and other administrative tasks while negotiations continued. The county also said library security measures are in place and that county and library leaders are continuing discussions.

Background: The library and the county have negotiated lease terms this year; speakers at the meeting referenced a lease draft from July and disagreed about whether new language about termination had been introduced after that agreement. Commissioners said they are working to balance community concerns and county obligations as negotiations continue.