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Multnomah County Library District releases FY2026 proposed budget, warns of structural operating pressures
Summary
Library Director Annie Lewis presented the Multnomah County Library District's proposed FY2026 budget, projecting constrained property tax growth, a forecasted structural deficit at current levy levels, and reduced ongoing expenses to balance the year while maintaining capital bond projects.
Annie Lewis, Multnomah County Library Director, presented the Multnomah County Library District’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget during the board’s April 24 meeting, describing a year of both facility openings and financial constraint.
"FY '26 will be a year of progress and celebration for the library," Lewis said, noting that multiple capital bond projects and renovated branches are nearing completion, including Albina, Northwest, Belmont, St. John’s and a new 95,000-square-foot East County Library in Gresham. Lewis said the district is adopting a new staffing plan to align services with expanded spaces.
The library faces a structural operating deficit as personnel and ongoing costs grow faster than property-tax revenues. Lewis said the district proposes to continue a levy rate of $1.22 per $1,000 of assessed value for FY2026 and that the district tax is expected to generate approximately $115,400,000 in FY26, with total projected revenues of $117,300,000 when combined with grants and interest. Ongoing expenses initially exceeded projected revenues, Lee said, and the library reduced ongoing expenses by $1,400,000 to balance the FY26 operating budget.
The proposed budget includes a $123,200,000 transfer to the Multnomah County library fund to support operations, uses a draw on fund balance for time-limited projects, and places $1,000,000 in contingency and $22,000,000 in reserve to address future structural pressures. Lewis said $4,900,000 is proposed to transfer into the Multnomah County Library District Capital Fund, which will total $76,700,000, including $3,500,000 to support the library capital bond program.
Katie Scheible, the library’s finance and facilities director, told commissioners the district proposed budget is online and that the library and county will return on May 8 seeking approval to transmit the budget to the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission by May 15, per Oregon budget law. Scheible said a May 29 work session will provide a full budget review for the board.
Public comment about library operations and related services came from Charles Johnson, who urged the board to consult frontline library staff about safety and service needs and noted the library’s informal role as a service access point for people experiencing homelessness.
Commissioner Shannon Singleton asked whether some programs originally proposed for staff realignment, including School Corps and Books2You, remain offset by other community providers; library staff responded those program adjustments were part of a staffing realignment intended to support new branch openings rather than direct budget shortfalls, and staff offered to follow up with details about school-district funding where appropriate.
The board received the district’s proposed budget for public review; a formal approval action and transmittal to the Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission is scheduled for May 8.
