A five-year-property tax that would increase funding for the Eugene Public Library is on the May ballot. It expands on previous voter-passed levies to support library services.
Measure 20-381 would raise a projected $4.3 million over five years for the library, which has taken budget cuts from the city in the last couple of years.
Dana Fleming, Director of the Eugene Public Library Foundation, said that means this levy is crucial to keep library services.
“This will be guaranteed funding for five years,” she said. “And it's just a really good way for the residents in the city to say ‘This is what we want, we’ll vote for and say yes to. And we will use this library.’”
The levy funding would maintain the library’s open hours. And it would fund an additional children’s librarian with a focus on literacy. It will also bring back a popular program called ‘Story Time 2-go’. And it would provide more money for the youth collection for children 0-5.
With cuts to local schools and low literacy scores for Oregon children, Fleming said literacy tools are needed in the Eugene community.
“Everything that we can do to help boost that early literacy effort, I think, is worth that investment,” Fleming said.
The levy would also fund two lending kiosks where library patrons could return books and pick up books they’ve placed on hold. The first is slated for the Churchill neighborhood.
“The thing about these kiosks that’s so great is they’ll expand services with very little staff,” Fleming said. “Much cheaper than a branch library.”
The Eugene Public Library’s existing levy was approved by voters at almost 77% in the 2020 election. That levy expires June 30. It’s the only funding source that supports the library’s hours, new books, and materials, Fleming said.
If voters choose not to renew the levy, Fleming said there would likely be reductions in staff and open hours.
“You’ll see some changes at the library if this levy does not pass,” she said. “It’s pretty crucial to being able to sustain the level of services and the level of things it does in our community.”
The levy would cost 19 cents per $1000 assessed value of a home, up from the current 15 cents. It would cost an estimated $54 per year for an average homeowner.
