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DRAFT
CITY OF
ASHLAND
August 7, 2007
Danny Jordan, County Administrator
10 South Oakdale, Rm. 214
Medford, OR 97501
Dear Mr. Jordan:
Thank you for your letter dated July 10,2007.
The City of Ashland firmly believes that a county-wide regional library system provides a higher quality service
for Ashland and Jackson County residents and will continue to work towards a county-wide library funding
solution.
Knowing that a long term funding solution will take time to develop and implement, the City of Ashland has
placed a measure on the September 18, 2007 ballot asking Ashland voters to approve a local option levy of up to
$.58 per $1000 assessed property value as interim funding to operate the Ashland public library through June of
2009.
Should the measure pass, we hope to open the Ashland library, with the help and cooperation of Jackson County,
in October of this year. Weare confident that a mutually acceptable intergovernmental agreement (IGA) detailing
the contractual services the City desires and which the County will provide to operate the Ashland Public Library
from October 2007 - June 2009 can be agreed upon in the next few weeks. The City intends to charge a library
card fee for non-Ashland residents who wish to use the Ashland library.
We have created a Citizen Library Advisory Ad Hoc Committee. One of the charges of this committee is to serve
as a liaison with the County Library Advisory Committee and to work in conjunction with the County and other
jurisdictions to identify long term library funding options and library governance options.
Any funding solutions that will require a vote of the people must be identified in the next several months in order
to prepare for the September or November 2008 ballot. Our hope is that a solution will be identified and
implemented in a timely manner so that the Ashland library remains open after our local option levy expires in
June of2009.
We appreciate the library challenges you and the County Commissioners face. Please know that we are
committed to a county-wide library solution and are willing and eager to work closely with the County
Commissioners, County staff and other jurisdictions to ensure residents will once again have access to library
facilities and services in Jackson County.
Sincerely,
Ashland City Council
John Morrison, Mayor
David Chapman
Alice Hardesty
Kate Jackson
Cate Hartzell
Eric Navikas
Russ Silbiger
CITY HALL
20 East Main Street
Ashland, Oregon 97520
www.ashland.or.us
Tel: 541-488-6002
Fax: 541-488-5311
TTY: 800-735-2900
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JACKSON COUNTY
oregol1
Administrator's Office
Danny Jordan
County Administrator
10 South Oakdale, Rm. 214
Medford, Oregon 97501
Phone: 541-774-6003
Fax: 541-774-6455
jordandl@jacksoncounty.org
www.jacksoncounty.org
July 10, 2007
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By
Dear Mayor, Council Members and Interested Parties:
I am writing to you concerning the closure of the public library in your community due to the failure
of Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act and
honor a long-standing commitment to rural counties. This failure meant a critical loss of $23 million
in discretionary funds and forced Jackson County to close its entire library system and make
significant cuts in other departments. Before I begin to discuss how to reopen our libraries, let me
bring you up-to-date on where we stand today with the Federal funding.
I expect you have heard the news that counties have been granted a one-year emergency
extension of funding from O&C and Federal Forestfunding. You might also be wondering what the
County intends to do with the money and how it will affect the budget. Unfortunately, we don't have
those answers yet. Although we believe some funding will come to the County, we are uncertain
about the level of funding Jackson County will ultimately end up with, and what portions of the
funding will be specifically dedicated to Roads, versus Title 11111I, versus discretionary spending.
We have been told that this one-year extension will give us "full funding." However, it took an
approximately $600 million appropriation from the Federal Government to deliver full funding during
FY 2006-2007. This new extension says "payments shall be made from any revenues, fees,
penalties, or miscellaneous receipts described in sections 102(b)(3} and 103(b)(2} of the Secure
Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (PL 1 06-393) , not to exceed $100
million." It goes on to appropriate $425 million to remain available until December 31, 2007, to be
used to cover any shortfall for payments made under this section from funds not otherwise
appropriated. Title 1/ and III are also extended.
It has been reported to us that Congress is working on an additional extension. However, it will
have a different formula due to pressure from those in other states who have been instrumental in
getting these current guarantees passed. They believe they should get a bigger portion of the
funding, and that Oregon has received way too big of a portion. At this point, nothing is decided,
but the future of O&C and Federal Forest funding doesn't look good.
We had to make many cuts to the County's budget in order to get down to a more sustainable
service level. The biggest cut was to the library system. It is apparent, after elections in November
of 2006 and again in May of 2007, that the citizens are not in favor of funding the entire library
system as it formerly existed, via a property tax increase, for many different reasons. Some have
asked, "Now that you know you're getting a one-year extension, why aren't the libraries open?" The
answer is, it would take about two months to get them operating again, because of the many
processes we will go through, including, but not limited to, recall of the employees, hiring and
training additional employees to make up for those who have found other jobs by now, and getting
the buildings ready for occupancy. Once we opened, we would be looking at shutting them down
within five to six months, and we would incur the cost of closing them again.
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Mayor/Council Members
July 10, 2007
Page -2-
Over the years, the citizens of Jackson County have made a tremendous investment in their public
libraries. In May 2000, voters passed a $38.9 million bond to rebuild all 15 public libraries in
Jackson County. We now have new or remodeled and expanded public libraries in 12
communities. The Phoenix Branch Library is currently under construction; the Shady Cove
renovation and expansion project will soon goto bid; and planning for the renovation and expansion
in Butte Falls is underway. You may ask why we are still building new libraries when there is no
money to operate them. The short answer is that we are compelled by law to complete the building
projects as directed by the voters when they passed the measure.
In addition to the buildings, we have a large investment in the Southern Oregon Library Information
System (SOLIS) consortium, a database and telecommunications network that provides the catalog
and circulation functions for the entire Jackson County Library system and the libraries of Rogue
Community College. Millions of dollars have also been invested in the collection of library materials
in the system and the inventory of equipment to operate it.
It is important that we protect these investments for the future. These large investments are best
utilized if the libraries remain as a system and can share in them together.
I know you likely agree that it is unacceptable for our public libraries to be closed. We need to find
a long-term solution for operating the libraries when we do open again and it is clear we are not
going to be able to do that without help from each of the local communities and jurisdictions.
We are in a continuous process of reviewing every option and idea being presented to re-open
libraries. As a place to begin discussion, enclosed you will find a range of costs for the County to
provide library service in your community. The base cost is for personnel and utilities to re-open
your library's doors for the hours it was open prior to closing. The personnel costs would restore
the level of staffing in your branch to their pre-closure level. This cost would only open the doors
with limited service and does not include the ability to check out library materials or a budget to
purchase new materials. The total expense per branch includes all services as they existed prior
to closure, including: full circulation functions; a budget for new materials; support for public access
Internet; system support for programs; administrative support; facilities maintenance; and outreach
services. I want to make it clear that the range of costs provided is only a starting point for
discussion. The County will work with you to determine the services within this range that are
supportable and sustainable by your community to meet the needs of your citizens for library
service.
In addition, the County is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to operate and administer the
Jackson County Library system. We will have responses to the RFP within the next six weeks.
A private company may be able operate the libraries at a lower cost. The costs of privatization will
be shared with cities and will give you another alternative for providing library service in your
community.
I am reaching out to all city councils and library stakeholders in Jackson County to work with me
to find a solution. It will take all of us working together to develop a plan for a permanent solution
to fund public library service.
I am aware that your local budgets are tight and you have not budgeted to provide library service
in your community. I also know that each library will have its own unique set of legal complexities
because of local building and land-use agreements. I believe we can overcome these obstacles
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Mayor/Council Members
July 1 0, 2007
Page -3-
and find solutions for re-opening each library. The solutions may not be the same for each
community, but by working together creatively, we can piece together different solutions that will
meet the needs of each community for library service.
I am committed to protecting the investment that the citizens of Jackson County have made in their
public libraries. That is why the County continues to fund the upkeep of the buildings, maintenance
of the SOLIS network, and support for the collection of materials.
I am asking you to respond to this letter with your position concerning the library in your community.
Does the city have an interest in opening/funding the library in the community? What alternative
uses, options and/or methods of operations might you propose to the Board of Commissioners for
consideration? I am asking for participation from each jurisdiction so that each jurisdiction has the
opportunity to provide input toward a suitable outcome, and so that the Board of Commissioners
may consider all possible options that are presented. I would appreciate a response within 30 days
so that we can continue with plans for a sustainable solution to funding public libraries in Jackson
County. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter; I hope it will stimulate ideas from you in
how, together, we can re-open our libraries.
Sincerely yours,
Enclosure
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