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Residents urge commissioners to honor library-support clause in county charter, ask for lease extension
Summary
Public commenters asked Josephine County commissioners to uphold Section 14.5 of the county charter, extend the library lease for at least five years at a favorable rate, and allow time for fundraising and construction of a new Grants Pass library; commissioners said lease negotiations are underway.
Several residents told Josephine County commissioners during public comment that the county must honor a library-support provision in the county charter and take near-term steps to secure library operations and a building site.
Michelle Templar, speaking for JOCO Citizens for Responsible Government, read language from the county charter specifying library support and asked the board to extend the Grants Pass library lease for at least five years at a rate that accounts for previously redirected levy funds and existing maintenance investments. “Quote, section 14.5, library support. The board shall provide for the support and maintenance of the main library and library branches, amended November 1992, end quote,” Templar read.
Templar and Nancy Lester, a Grants Pass resident and volunteer, stressed the library’s community role and provided usage statistics: Templar said the system sees “more than 10,000 items checked out on any given day” and volunteers logged “more than 21,000 hours” last year. Lester noted child poverty rates and described robust summer-reading participation: in the program’s first week 555 readers signed up and 77,500 minutes were recorded toward a 300,000-minute goal.
Lester urged the commissioners to conclude lease negotiations quickly and asked them to support interim terms that would allow the library foundation time to seek grants and donations for a new Grants Pass building. “So we’re depending on you, Chris, to conclude the lease negotiations quickly and all of you to approve the lease. And remember, a dollar a year for 5 years and the word feasibility,” Lester said.
Commissioner Barnett and other commissioners responded that negotiations and outreach have been ongoing and that county staff and commissioners are working to accelerate a lease extension or agreement. Barnett said he has been in contact with library leadership and issued a press release indicating cooperation to move the matter forward.
No formal board action on library funding or a lease extension was recorded at this meeting.
