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Residents urge council to preserve Cottage Grove Library amid budget shortfall
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Cottage Grove City Council to protect library hours and staff after the city disclosed a budget shortfall; speakers described the library as essential for technology access, literacy programs and community connection and asked for transparent budgets and community-driven solutions.
A steady stream of residents urged the Cottage Grove City Council on March 23 to preserve services at the Cottage Grove Library after budget discussions indicated a shortfall.
Tim Cavinee (Ward 3) opened the public-comment period urging councilors to keep the library open and stressing its role as a provider of free technology, Wi‑Fi and programs for job seekers and low‑income families. "Cottage Grove Library is one of the primary providers of free technology for those who cannot afford it at home," Cavinee said.
Several other speakers told personal stories about the library’s community function. Mark Demsowski recalled childhood library experiences and warned that closing the library would be “a big mistake.” Alex Dreier and Vanessa Moya Lopez described how library programs helped new parents, supported early literacy and created community ties; Dreier said the library is not a budget line but a community resource. Friends of the Library volunteers and longtime users cited statistics—thousands of visits, active library cards and hundreds of programs—to argue that the library is foundational social infrastructure.
Speakers asked the council for greater transparency about the budget shortfall and urged officials to treat the library as a community priority. Several commenters recommended the council engage citizens in developing solutions rather than making unilateral cuts.
Councilors acknowledged the public concern. Councilors and staff said the budget gap resulted from accounting errors identified during recent audits and that follow-up information would be made available to council members; no final decision to cut library funding was recorded in the meeting. Several councilors encouraged residents to meet with staff and to participate in future budget discussions rather than expect immediate on‑the‑spot solutions.
The public-comment period ran about 30 minutes on general matters and another 30 minutes on action items; library remarks were a dominant theme during that time.
