Josephine County commissioners fail to approve library lease amendment as residents raise costs and program concerns

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 4 failed to approve a motion to accept the library lease as presented on Aug. 21 after a wave of public comments raised questions about potential costs and program impacts if the county moves planning and public health out of the library building.

The lease motion was made by Commissioner Barnett and did not pass. Commissioners had earlier approved the consent calendar by a 3–0 roll call vote; the board also recorded that pending administrative and personnel actions were approved without objection.

The dispute centers on whether the library district — and a pending Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Oregon State University Extension Services — should shoulder costs tied to the county’s facilities needs. Nancy Lester, a Grants Pass resident, told the board the two properties that make up the Dimock campus are listed at "$3,250,000," and she offered online estimates for renovation costs if planning and public health were moved from the library building. "At $50 a square foot basic repairs ... that would be about $850,000," Lester said. "More extensive renovations ... would be more like $300 a square foot. That would cost over $5,000,000." She added that a recent downtown visitor center renovation cost "$675,000 for a building 1 tenth the size of the library building."

Deb Berg, speaking later during public comment, warned of program impacts if the county does not sign an agreement with OSU Extension. "By not signing the library lease and the interagency or intergovernmental agreement for extension, that's what's happening," Berg said, adding that 4‑H clubs and volunteers require time for recruitment, background checks and training and that liability and insurance arrangements matter for youth programming.

Kirby Erickson, who said he watched the Aug. 19 department‑heads meeting, noted that the OSU Extension IGA (presented Sept. 2 by Jamie Davis) contains a section on termination. "She and [Janet] were discussing the funds ... and the fiscal year had ended on June 30," Erickson said. Erickson said Commissioner Bleck made a joke referencing a "Termination Clause" and raised concerns that changes were being proposed to what Barnett and Davis negotiated.

Commissioner Black, who presided over the meeting, told the public there is a 30‑day termination clause in the current library lease and that he has contacted county legal counsel to coordinate with the library’s counsel "on putting together a mechanism on how we can move forward with that task before us." "I brought it up before my colleagues ... that I would reach out to legal counsel on how to move forward with the library lease, and I'm in contact with him," Black said.

Board business earlier in the meeting included approval of minutes and routine items on the consent calendar. Commissioner Smith moved to accept the consent calendar and the board approved it 3–0 in a roll call of Commissioner Smith: Yes; Commissioner Barnett: Yes; Commissioner Black: Yes. Later in "other matters," Commissioner Barnett moved to approve the Aug. 21 library lease in its original form; the motion failed (second not recorded).

Several speakers also urged transparency about the county’s plans for the Dimock campus sale proceeds. Lester asked whether proceeds from a hypothetical sale were already reserved for other purposes and called for clearer, public accounting of how sale proceeds and repair costs would be used if departments relocate.

What happens next: Commissioners said they are consulting legal counsel and working with OSU Extension to resolve the outstanding termination‑clause language and other negotiation points. No formal new lease action was recorded at the Sept. 4 meeting.

Notes: The board also recorded that pending administrative and personnel actions were approved without objection during the "other matters" portion of the meeting.