Save Salem Public Library in Oregon!
NOVEMBER 2024 UPDATE:
The Budget Committee will meet on 11/13/24 at 6 pm in the Council Chambers at 555 Liberty St SE to continue discussing the five-year forecast amidst an ongoing budget shortfall.You can sign up to comment day-of in-person. You can also provide live virtual t opp /estimony by signing up on 11/13 between 8 am and 2 pm by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.At the last Budget Committee meeting, the City proposed Leadership Team Principles that "Cuts made to-date have eroded some service areas to the point that additional cuts would render the service ineffective" and that they'd prefer to "Do it well or don't do it at all." This seems targeted at community services like the library, parks, Center 50+, etc.This meeting comes two days after a City Council Meeting where Council will deliberate on raising utility fees and an $18,000 salary increase for City Manager Keith Stahley.October 2024:
A recent survey of prospective voters in Salem disliked options for a livability levy (library/parks/Center 50+) or a public safety levy (police/fire).Background:
The public library for Salem, the capital city of Oregon, was fighting budget options in spring 2024 that included losing 8 FTE come July 1, 2024. These options primarily affected Spanish-speaking staff and targeted diverse programming.Thanks to Mayor Chris Hoy, a motion was put forth to use temporary funding from the Transient Occupancy Tax to save the library at current operations until June 30, 2025. This saved the 3 Librarians and 3 Library Assistants their jobs for an additional year. Unfortunately, since then 3 Librarians have resigned.Photo by @kelseydawn.art and used with permission