After Douglas County voters this month rejected a ballot measure to establish a special library funding district, officials are seeking other ideas for how to keep the county’s 11 branch libraries open. There’s a public town hall Tuesday evening in Roseburg.
Douglas County Commissioners say there’s not enough general fund money to support the library system. The special taxing district would have increased property taxes but voters said no to that idea.
Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice says at this point there is no plan to close the 11 branch libraries. He wants to hear some ideas from the public on how to keep them open without general funds.
Boice: “During the campaigns both for and against the library district, there was a bunch of buzz around the community about other suggestions and things that might work and though we do have some ideas about how we could move forward we’re really interested in hearing from the public first.”
Boice says the county budget through the end of the fiscal year, June 30, funds library operations. But he says there might be a need to reduce hours and staffing.
The meeting is Tuesday night at 6:30 at the Douglas County Library Roseburg branch.
