Eugene staff outline three library levy concepts; polling to begin in November

Joshua Bates, the executive director of Library, Recreation and Cultural Services for the city of Eugene, told the City Council on Oct. 27 that the current local option library levy will expire in June 2026 and staff are presenting three high-level service-and-cost concepts for a possible May 2026 ballot measure.

The concepts presented ranged from maintaining current services to adding early literacy programming and neighborhood access points. Bates said staff will conduct community polling through DHM Research in November and return to council with refined options in January 2026.

The three concepts presented were: a maintenance option to sustain current services, a package focused on early literacy and youth services, and an expansion that adds neighborhood kiosks and a system study. Angela Ocana, Eugene Public Library director, said Concept 1 aims to “maintain the library's current level of service while advancing the community's priorities of access, equity, and safety.” She described that option as preserving roughly the library’s current operating footprint, including about 160 service hours across the system and continued emphasis on digital access and device lending.

Concept 2, which staff titled Read, Learn, Thrive, would add investments in early learning — including one early literacy librarian, expanded story-time programs that go into preschools and daycares, and a stronger youth collection. Ocana said the library sees early literacy as “one of the most effective and equitable investments we can make,” and cited research on early literacy as a predictor of later school success.

Concept 3 would retain the earlier concepts’ services and add neighborhood-based access, including book vending kiosks and return units in parts of the city more than 10 minutes from a branch (staff highlighted West Eugene, River Road and South Eugene as initial sites). Ocana said kiosks integrate with the library catalog and circulation system and that peer libraries nationwide have used kiosks as a cost-effective way to expand reach.

Neil Lobringer, the city’s assistant finance director, gave the council a preliminary financial model and household cost estimates. Using staff modeling assumptions (a May election, a fixed-dollar levy, a 7% inflation assumption for FY27 and a 94% property tax collection rate), staff presented average annual cost estimates to a typical homeowner of about $43 under the maintenance option, $49 for the early literacy option and $56 for the expansion option. Lobringer noted staff will get updated assessor data in the coming weeks and return this winter with revised numbers.

Bates and Ocana asked the council for guidance on priorities and said polling results from DHM Research, scheduled to begin in November, will inform the final package presented for direction in January 2026.

Councilors asked several clarifying questions. Councilor Groves asked staff to provide more-comparable detail on differences between Eugene’s system and Salem’s; Ocana said Eugene’s main library is substantially larger and that Salem offers fewer hours and smaller facilities. Councilor Zelenka supported the early literacy and kiosk ideas, noting the incremental cost to households appeared modest. Councilor Keating asked about the Imagination Library (Dolly Parton’s program), and staff said the program in Eugene has been funded by donations and foundation support and that some state funding has recently helped reduce fundraising burdens; staff offered to return with enrollment numbers. Councilor Kaczynski and others said they want to see the results of the polling before deciding which levy amount to place on a ballot.

Staff emphasized the timeline: the existing levy expires in June 2026; staff plan polling in November and to return with refined options for council discussion in January 2026. Lobringer also flagged a property-tax “compression” rule that can reduce levy amounts on an individual parcel if combined taxing rates exceed Oregon’s statutory cap for general government, and said staff will update modeling when the assessor releases new data.

Next steps are polling, community outreach and returning to council in January 2026 with revised levy language, updated financial projections and staff recommendations.