Josephine County Commissioners approve amended lease letting library remain at 200 Northwest C Street

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 on Aug. 21 to approve a revised lease allowing the Josephine County Library to continue operating at 200 Northwest C Street.

The board approved the lease after amending Section 15 to remove the termination-for-convenience language proposed in the draft and replace it with the termination clause from the existing lease. Commissioner Smith voted in favor, Commissioner Barnett voted no, and Commissioner Black voted in favor, producing the 2-1 outcome.

The vote capped a lengthy public comment period in which dozens of residents spoke for and against the deal. Supporters called the library “a cornerstone of public education” and urged immediate approval. Opponents objected to the $1-per-year rent structure and what they called preferential treatment for the library district.

“Let's get this lease signed today,” Nancy Lester, a library supporter from Grants Pass, told the commissioners. Several other speakers urged the board to approve the lease so library services would not be interrupted.

Opponents raised fiscal concerns and questioned whether the county should require the library to pay more or the county to better protect taxpayer assets. “This is a very bad thing to do ... My tax dollars paid for that asset, and to give it away like you're willing to do is not right,” Ward Ockman said during public comment.

Commissioner Barnett, who led negotiations with library representatives, described the agreement as “a win‑win” reached after months of meetings and said the library would be responsible for maintenance and the roof under the negotiated terms. “They are gonna pay for the upkeep. They're gonna pay for the roof. I'm gonna make them pay for the roof. It's a deal, and it's fair,” Barnett said.

Commissioner Black registered strong reservations throughout deliberations, saying he saw “14 deficiencies” in the proposed lease and that the document, as drafted, “is not good for the citizens of Josephine County.” Black voted against earlier versions but ultimately supported the motion with the amended termination language.

Under the board's motion, the county will authorize the library to continue operations at 200 Northwest C Street and will wait for the library to sign and return the lease for final signatures by the commission. The board directed county staff and the property manager to monitor the property and to report if conditions of the lease are not met.

The final, approved motion amended the proposed lease by replacing the draft termination language with the termination clause that existed in the current lease. That amendment passed 2-1 before the board voted to approve the lease as amended.

Commissioners also emphasized decorum and the public process as they handled multiple rounds of public comment that preceded the formal hearing. The chair closed the public hearing and directed staff to process the signed lease when returned by the library.

A copy of the amended lease and the board order will be filed with county records once the library executes the document and returns it to the county for final signature.

Details from the meeting and the board's vote were recorded in the official meeting minutes and available from the Board of Commissioners' office.