Residents push to save Salem Public Library ahead of looming budget cuts

This story was updated at 3:50 p.m. Tuesday

Salem budget meetings spurred outrage over the potential closure of the Salem Public Library.

Emails and comments filled the Salem City Council's inbox and social media, with many wondering if Oregon's capital city would soon be left without a public library.

Groups filled the council chambers Monday to urge the council to keep the library open and funded.

City officials stressed Monday that they were not proposing closing the library.

"I agree that the library is an incredibly important part of the cultural backbone of the city," Salem City Manager Keith Stahley said during Monday's meeting. "Closing it would be a terrible loss at this point. No one is proposing the library should close."

Discussions about budget options started last year .

The Salem Public Library announced the elimination of Sunday service three months ago at the downtown main branch, cutting West Salem service to two days and the reduction of hours at both locations to match staffing levels.

The reductions were anticipated to be the first of many cuts to city services due to the city's budget deficit and failure of the payroll tax .

City officials said in a report that the decision was made as a result of staffing limitations. Leaders have not hired people for most vacancies in anticipation of the revenue shortfall in the general fund.

City leaders said action would need to be taken before the June 30, 2024, deadline to address the $15 million General Fund shortfall expected in 2026.

"We cannot continue to deliver services at the same level without additional revenue in the next 18 months," Stahley said. "We will be forced to make some difficult decisions."

Scenarios discussed at Salem's city budget committee meeting

Two of four options — Option 3 "making no reductions to public safety" and Option 4 "funding all sheltering services" — would entail closing the main branch of the Salem Public Library this year and the Center 50+ next year.

The other options, such as the staff-recommended Option 1, include serious cuts, like cutting eight library positions, eliminating city funding for the microshelter villages for the homeless, and slashing the Center 50+, recreation and parks services and other sheltering services.

Avoiding reductions in public safety means no fire station reductions and no police position reductions. The tradeoff comes with the closure of the main library branch in fiscal year 2025, which starts on July 1, 2024.

The move would save $3.9 million. The closure of the Center 50+ would result in saving $1.2 million. Both savings are a fraction of the fire and police budgets, which accounted for $60.29 million for police and $48.69 million for fire in the FY 2024 general fund budget.

"City Council reviewed four possible options that would result in a balanced budget," city officials said in a statement. "While Options 2, 3 and 4 were presented in a City Council Work Session last year, the City Manager is basing his proposed 2025 Budget on Option 1."

During the March 21 meeting, Councilor Julie Hoy asked when she could put forth a motion to prioritize public safety funding. When asked whether closing the library would be an acceptable tradeoff for prioritizing public safety funding, she said it was lazy to let budget conversations devolve into pitting public safety against the library.

"I believe we need to completely change how we prioritize spending as a community, so that instead of people feeling disenfranchised once a decision is made, they can actually influence the decisions upstream," she said. "This is much bigger and involves doing the hard work to have a more inclusive process to help the residents of Salem feel like their voices matter and are being heard."

Councilor Virginia Stapleton said she did not foresee Option 3 getting enough votes to pass. She saw a more likely future with Option 1, which had across-the-board cuts for various departments.

Library services will not be spared in those cuts. It'll likely see a reduction in hours and services and more could be on the chopping block if the deficit is not resolved.

"The reality is that all our city services will be cut," she said.

Budget discussions spur public outcry over closing the library

The recent budget discussions and the looming decision date spurred public outcry over closing the library. People took to social media and urged others to attend the Monday Salem City Council meeting and write to their councilor and the mayor.

"A capital city without a library is tragic, embarrassing, and horrifying," one commenter wrote.

Local artist and library employee Kelsey Dawn Lamme included a call to action paired with her art.

"The public library for the capital city of Oregon being defunded and closed could cause normalization of public libraries being defunded across the nation, so it’s important we speak up," she said.

She spent the weekend pairing her art with information about the options presented during the meeting.

"Even with the best-case scenario currently discussed, the library will be reduced to minimum programming, services, and hours," she said. "The options presented are not acceptable. The SPL staff are what makes our library so amazing, and we can’t keep reducing an already severely understaffed library."

She said she would support a levy or tax district to fund the library.

The Freckled Bee owner Bee Decker called the option pathetic and ridiculous.

"The importance of library funding over police funding lies in investing in education, community development, and proactive measures for societal well-being," Decker said. "Libraries provide resources for learning, literacy, and access to information, fostering a more informed and engaged citizenry. This can lead to long-term benefits such as reduced crime rates, improved mental health, and increased economic opportunities, whereas solely relying on policing often addresses issues reactively rather than addressing root causes."

During the Monday meeting, Jane Miramontes said even considering closing the library or cutting back was unacceptable.

"If you go to the library on any given day, you'll see families sharing stories, kids playing in the Discovery Room, teens hanging out after school and getting help with homework and the adults using the free Wi-Fi and computers to do work and find jobs," Miramontes said.

"You'll notice it's not silent like in the movies. People are talking, laughing and building connections in a safe and welcoming environments," she said. "A public library is not just a building full of books. It is one of the few places that anyone could go to spend time and build connections without spending money."

Several current and former library employees spoke Monday night, highlighting current services at-risk like early literacy programs, free internet and book access for visitors and a safe place for teens and children.

Salem Public Library librarian Hannah Bostrom said the recent comments made during the budget meeting inspired the outpouring of public support.

Bostrom pointed out bond funds would still have to be paid if the library closed its doors. It would take years for the community and staff to recover from a closure.

"During a closure, we will be failing people of all ages, especially those most vulnerable in our community," she said.

State Librarian of Oregon Wendy Cornelisen urged the council to support and invest in the library.

"Salem has already shown that they, like people throughout Oregon and across the nation, value their libraries," she said. "In November of 2017, 63% of residents voted in favor of upgrading the main library."

Cornelisen offered the State Library's assistance in pursuing a special library district to obtain more stable funding.

More discussions, town halls before June vote to adopt the budget

Stapleton said she received about 200 emails concerned about the library closure over the weekend.

"I'm glad people are paying attention," she said. "The library is a vital part of our community."

She said she hopes people carry this passion into the budget discussions and the process for finding new revenue to address the budget deficit.

Budget discussions and deliberations will continue into April and May . In June, the Salem City Council will hold a public hearing and hold a vote to adopt the annual budget.

The city is also hosting Revenue Town Halls as part of its process in identifying new revenue sources.

The town halls will be held on:

• April 10, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: In-person at Baxter Hill Community Hall at 1780 Baxter Road SE
• April 16, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Virtual
• April 23, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: In-person at Center 50+ at 2615 Portland Road NE

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com , call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Residents push to save Salem Public Library ahead of looming budget cuts