Dozens protest proposed Salem Public Library cuts, mayor makes motion to avoid reductions

Salem's proposed budget — which includes eliminating jobs at the library and completely closing the West Salem library branch — drew the ire of about 50 protesters, and garnered a packed council room and nearly 200 pages of written testimony for Wednesday's budget committee meeting.

A motion made by Mayor Chris Hoy during the evening budget meeting to use money from the Cultural and Tourism Fund appears to have saved the library from further cuts for the time being.

"This proposed budget is devastating," Hoy said.

The proposed cuts were unacceptable and the motion, which passed unanimously, was an important but temporary solution to cover the gap in the library funding to maintain service levels and avoid layoffs, he said.

When City Manager Keith Stahley released the proposed FY 2025 Budget on April 12, he said in a statement that it came with a range of "difficult choices."

The Salem Public Library bore much of the brunt of those choices, with 7.25 positions cut.

Library staff said during testimony Wednesday night that six staff members received notice last week that their jobs would be eliminated on July 1. Five of those staff are Spanish-speaking, and their departure would have effectively ended Spanish-language programming at the library.

The cuts were expected to result in savings of $1.168 million and would mean the closure of the West Salem branch and further hours and service reductions like storytime and teen programs at the main Salem Public Library.

Dozens rally to support library

Mayor Hoy attended the rally before the budget meeting and said he intended to make a motion to stop the cuts at the library and maintain current services by using transit occupancy tax. He stressed that it was not a long-term solution and more would need to be done to fund library services.

The Transient Occupancy Tax is a tax for those renting housing accommodations for less than 30 days in the city. The revenue is deposited in a Cultural and Tourism Fund.

The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association took issue with the city using the funds for the library and said they would take action if the motion passed.

"Diverting lodging taxes in support of other local government priorities essentially shortchanges the Oregon hospitality industry’s ability to bring visitor dollars to restaurants, lodging, and retail businesses year-round," association officials said in a statement.

City attorney Dan Atkinson said he believes, according to the city charter, that the funds from the transit occupancy tax can be used for cultural and tourism purposes, which the library falls under.

Hoy and Councilor Vanessa Nordyke spoke at the rally on how vital libraries were to them growing up.

"Books were my avenue to a bigger world," Hoy said.

"Libraries are for everyone," Nordyke said. "Libraries are synonymous with democracy."

People chanted "no more cuts," wore stickers and waved signs urging the committee to fund the library.

Children, families, adults, library employees and local leaders testified in the budget committee meeting and pleaded with the city to keep the libraries open.

Whitney Hines, a mother of three and an educator, said she was disheartened when she heard about the cuts.

"It is one of few places that is accessible to people of all ages, socioeconomic status and mobility," Hines said. "It is the bridge between what our children's education can offer and what they deserve."

Librarian Hannah Bostrom said she was one of the people to receive notice that her job would be cut. She said the cuts were damaging for morale.

"Although we knew that we were moving towards this, it's incredibly hard to know what our future is going to look like now," Bostrom said.

People recounted using the library to find jobs, study for school, learn to read and stay warm and connected while experiencing homelessness.

Nordyke said some of the testimony moved her to tears.

Other proposed cuts

Wednesday marked the beginning of deliberations for the 18-member Citizen Budget Committee. The committee, comprised of residents, the mayor and city councilors, are tasked with debating and recommending a budget for city council approval.

Stahley said the coming years will bring even more challenging budgets if the city does not find an additional source of revenue.

The proposed $724.6 million budget for 2025 covers the period from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and includes estimates of revenue and costs of services and capital projects.

Other proposed cuts in the city's draft budget include eliminating a graffiti abatement employee, a housing-first outreach team operated by the Salem Housing Authority, and a youth services development program.

Fire and police, two departments under the general fund, remained mostly unscathed. Salem police would add a police records technician and a limited-duration position for its Community Violence Reduction Initiative.

Ongoing sheltering programs such as the microshelter sites would remain open by shifting away from the General Fund to state sheltering grant funding.

Salem's popular summer programs including Movies at the Park, Kids Relays and First Friday concerts also were canceled due to the projected budget deficit.

The budget committee also discussed using the Cultural and Tourism Fund to save Movies at the Park and other cut programs. The committee ultimately voted to table that portion of the discussion until next week while the city attorney looked into the legality of including those programs.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Proposed Salem Public Library cuts may be avoided by mayor's motion