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Library advisory panel urges council to plan for sustained funding amid rising demand
Summary
The Library Advisory Committee reported increased visits and program use and recommended the city explore options—including a local-option levy—to sustain current hours, materials and services amid countywide governance changes and recent facility work at a nearby library.
The Library Advisory Committee told the Tualatin City Council on March 23 that library use has grown while a nearby library is closed for renovations, and it urged the council to begin exploring stable funding options to preserve current hours, programs and materials.
Ashley Payne, chair of the Library Advisory Committee, reported a roughly 1.5-times increase in visits and marked gains in program attendance, maker-space usage and checkouts since the nearby library closed for a multi-month renovation. Committee members also cited recent facility improvements (LED lighting and accessible doors) and strong customer-service survey results (98% rated service excellent or good; average 4.5 out of 5).
The committee’s two formal recommendations were to reinforce the council’s prior commitment to protect library open hours and programs, and to begin exploring sustainable funding options — including maintaining a local option levy or identifying alternative sources — to prevent service reductions when county or state governance and funding structures shift. Committee members expressed concern that countywide governance changes (the transcript references a ‘governance project’) could leave gaps in library funding and urged the council to start contingency planning now.
Why this matters: Library services — especially programs, access to technology and the maker-space — serve as a de facto community center for many residents. Advisory members warned that without sustainable funding the library could lose services and patrons who depend on current programs.
Councilors asked for updates on the intergovernmental agreement under review and requested to receive draft agreement language as it becomes available. The committee said detailed funding projections and implementation steps are “not specified” in the presentation and offered to assist as the city explores options.
