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Residents urge preservation of libraries, Amazon Pool and Sheldon Community Center amid proposed cuts
Summary
Public comment during the Eugene Budget Committee hearing stressed the local importance of the downtown library, Amazon Pool, Sheldon Community Center and other recreation services, with witnesses describing high demand and life‑saving or life‑changing services.
Hundreds of residents’ uses of Eugene’s libraries, pools and community centers were the focus of extended public comment at the Budget Committee meeting on May 14, as citizens told members that proposed reductions would remove essential summer programs, drop library hours and close community facilities relied upon by children, seniors and disabled residents.
Speakers described full programs, long wait lists for summer care and lines at Amazon Pool during heat waves. “These are vital services,” said Brianna Rolo, a sixth‑grade teacher and longtime Sheldon Community Center staffer. “Community centers, libraries and recreational areas…bring people together in such special ways that they should be prioritized in our city budget.”
Why it matters: Witnesses said the services provide child care, swim lessons and therapeutic exercise for seniors and disabled residents, and that access to free, noncommercial public space is especially important for low‑income and unhoused community members.
Key testimony - Jojo Breslin and others emphasized Cahoots in tandem with libraries and recreation, arguing alternatives to policing and hospitalization often rely on community services. - Parents and program staff said Sheldon summer camps fill within minutes and have long wait lists; Heather Jones described a program where her daughter receives childcare and said losing the center would cause significant hardship. - Several speakers emphasized that Amazon Pool provides lanes, lessons and senior aquatic exercise and that volumes spike during hot weather. “There is a line out the door every single time,” one speaker said about Amazon Pool.
Budget context and levy timeline City CFO Veil Miller reminded the committee that a voter‑approved library levy (approved 2020) raises $2,850,000 annually and expires June 30, 2026; staff said council must start work this fall if it wants a May 2026 ballot measure. The parks and recreation levy (approved May 2023) raises $5,300,000 per year and expires at fiscal year 2028.
Numbers and clarifications - Library levy: $2,850,000 annually; expires 06/30/2026 (CFO presentation). - Parks and recreation levy: $5,300,000 annually; current levy expires fiscal year 2028 (CFO presentation).
Ending Speakers urged committee members to use reserves, targeted cuts, or one‑time funding swaps to avoid service losses; a number of councilors said they would explore restoration options if new revenues emerged before final budget votes scheduled for May 28.
