The Josephine County Board of Commissioners today postponed a vote on the new draft lease for the Grants Pass library building at 200 NW C Street, prolonging eight months of uncertainty for thousands of library users.
On January 6, the Josephine County Board of Commissioners unexpectedly voted to terminate the $1-per-year lease for the Grants Pass library branch — the community’s main library and the headquarters of the countywide library system — which has operated at its current location since 1959. Negotiations extended for months, with county officials citing internal departmental needs and the potential sale of unrelated county property as reasons for delay. On May 6, the commissioners appointed Commissioner Chris Barnett to serve as their lead negotiator, initiating a series of meetings with library representatives and legal counsel through July to develop new lease terms. Those terms were presented at the August 14 commissioner meeting during a public hearing.
The proposed lease is the product of many hours of meetings from May through July between Commissioner Chris Barnett, as the commissioners’ designee, and the library district’s leadership and legal counsel. The draft reflects a fair compromise, with the library agreeing to assume additional costs and responsibilities for landscaping, routine maintenance and repairs, and an amortized contribution toward the roof replacement. In return, the County would maintain its $1-per-year lease commitment for the next five years, with no option to terminate during that time.
“Our community has been in limbo for too long,” said Library Director Kate Lasky. “This agreement has been carefully negotiated, vetted, and is ready for approval. Every delay prolongs uncertainty for more than 27,000 cardholders — and the families they represent — who depend on this resource every day.”
Section 14.5 of the Josephine County Charter requires the Board of Commissioners to “provide for the support and maintenance of the main library and library branches.”
The Grants Pass branch is the hub for library services countywide. From this location, the district coordinates operations, technology, and programs for branches in Williams, Wolf Creek, and Illinois Valley. Prolonged uncertainty at the main branch threatens the stability of all four libraries.
Library Board Vice President Rachele Selvig added, “We’ve reached a fair and reasonable draft through good-faith negotiations. The longer this decision is postponed, the longer our community remains without the stability it needs.”
The district is calling on the Board of Commissioners to bring the lease to a vote as soon as possible and end the prolonged instability for library patrons, staff, and volunteers.