The Salem City Council won’t approve a budget that closes the city library.
After early budget committee discussions about possible cuts triggered hundreds of public comments in support of the library, Salem Reporter emailed every councilor two questions:
-Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
-Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
Several called to share their answers, and most said some further cuts are likely while ruling out outright closure. Here’s what they said.
Mayor Chris Hoy
Hoy called Salem Reporter to share his responses over the phone.
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“Absolutely not. I’ve never thought it should be an option. I think it’s a horrible idea. You can’t have a city the size of Salem not have a library. That’s ridiculous.”
He said that city staff had presented the option of library closure in response to a councilor question about what it would look like if they made no public safety cuts. Staff never put it forward as a viable budget.
“I think most of us recognize how valuable our library is to our community,” he said, and that the people who spoke at the council meeting represented the need for it.
“If you go to the library, that’s what you see over there. It’s a community center for people who need it the most,” he said. “It gives a safe space for people who are vulnerable, people who need a safe space, people who don’t have a lot of options that other people might. It’s highly important. There’s no way I’m going to allow it to be closed.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“I don’t know yet,” Hoy said. “We don’t know all of the money that we’ve got coming in. As we go through this process, that will start to become clearer. And we’re going to have to make decisions, we’re going to have to cut services, we know, somewhere. The question is where can we do that to have the least impact.”
He said he’s not willing to take any department off the table for cuts, “but I’m certainly not going to look at anything that drastically reduces the library. We’ve already reduced it more than I wanted to, more than I’m comfortable with.”
Virginia Stapleton – Ward 1
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“As you know I fought hard to try and avoid these cuts over the past year and a half. This is not what Salem residents want or deserve. When I talk to Salem residents, they all say about the same thing, they want to live in a safe and thriving community that values diversity, a community that helps support the neediest with compassion, a place where they can be proud to come from and where their children will continue to thrive. We know about the overwhelming support for the bond measure that made critical upgrades to our current library and in our most recent Safety and Livability bond measure that passed in 2022, we voted in favor of building two more branch libraries. That clearly communicates to me that our community values libraries. I will continue to fight for the services that our community values.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“Yes, sadly the need to make cuts is upon us. The reason we took drastic measures last year was to avoid this exact situation. If we could have secured the needed revenue, we would have been building our services right now, not ending them. I’m hopeful that the Revenue Task Force will come up with options that the majority of Council can support and that the public can also support at the ballot box. This will take an enormous public effort in order to be successful and I hope that all those who have been activated, stay engaged and help us get this across the finish line. My job in this budget cycle is to make the needed cuts as equitably as possible while weighing the very real-life consequences of my vote.”
Linda Nishioka – Ward 2
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“I oppose the complete closure of the library. I aim to explore alternative solutions that allow us to uphold public safety services to the fullest extent possible without shutting down the library.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“I deeply appreciate the overwhelming support shown by community members who provided testimony via email, phone, and in-person during Monday’s City Council meeting. I received well over 300 emails! Hearing from all the library supporters was impressive.
The Revenue Task Force is exploring various funding options. I would like to urge all library supporters to participate in the upcoming town halls and meetings to emphasize the need to adequately fund the Salem Public Libraries.
As a staunch advocate for the library and all essential City services, the reality is that without additional revenue, the Council will be compelled to consider difficult cuts.”
Trevor Phillips – Ward 3
Phillips called Salem Reporter to share his responses over the phone.
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“I am not at this time open to fully closing the library or Center 50+.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“We can’t know that answer yet. Because as much as I might advocate for fewer or no cuts, I’m one member of an 18-member Salem community budget committee, and then one member of nine for Salem City Council,” he said.
He said there’s more information coming about revenue options from the task force, and he will advocate for preserving as many city services as possible. He said it feels like an impossible situation because every aspect of the city’s general fund has an impact on the community.
“This is a challenging time, because it’s a local government. We are constrained, we can’t deficit spend. And I understand that it’s hard to accept that this is real, that we have this $4 or 5 million dollar deficit for this year, and $7 plus million just a few years from now,” he said. “Without additional revenue, cuts are coming.”
Deanna Gwyn – Ward 4
Gwyn did not respond to Salem Reporter’s request for comment. During Monday’s meeting, she thanked people for showing up and for reaching out by phone and email.
“We do hear what you have to say and the library is important to all of us,” she said.
Jose Gonzalez, Ward 5
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“I don’t support closing the library as an option, but who knows what future councilors will have as viable options so those that want the library to stay open need to be part of the solution.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“Possible but unlikely if the Revenue Task force comes back with real options, not just a wish list that will not pass in our current reality. If the public does not like what comes out of that process, we can expect the same people who voted against the payroll tax to do it again. So I think we will see more cuts across the board in the next year or so.”
Julie Hoy – Ward 6
Hoy emailed her responses, and Salem Reporter called her for further clarification.
This past year, she has indicated that she wants to prioritize public safety funding, and at Thursday’s budget committee meeting asked the city what it would take to pursue that. Hoy said that asking the city to look into possibilities didn’t mean she wanted the library to close.
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“No. The library should not have to close.” When asked, she confirmed that meant she would not support an option that closed the library in order to preserve the police and fire budgets.
She said that she is trying to figure out where else money can be taken from.
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“City staff should figure out ways to support the library without competing with Public Safety…and bring something reasonable to the Budget Committee and ultimately to City Council.
Council leadership called imposing the payroll tax, “The hard work.” Not in my world. The hard work… is changing the budget to give the public what they need and want most of all. The budget may have to change in big ways… which might not be comfortable for staff… but necessary… in order to meet current wants, needs and requirements.”
Do you think that millions can be cut from places that aren’t the police, fire or library?
“I would think there’s money in there, but has anybody really had a clear look at it?” she said.
Are you saying that the city is not looking deep enough for where these cuts are possible?
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m saying,” she said. “Is it cuts, or is it reallocation? That’s where I’m sitting.”
Vanessa Nordyke, Ward 7
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“Absolutely not. Closure of the library is a non-starter. The library is a treasured resource for our entire community. The library is a pipeline to literacy and upward mobility for children and adults of modest means.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“The City Manager’s proposed budget will be posted publicly in the coming weeks. Whether his budget includes more library cuts remains to be seen. I hope the outpouring of support for the library at the Council meeting this week made a big impression on City leadership. The City Manager’s proposed budget is a starting point for a community-wide conversation about taxpayer dollars. We have several more public meetings scheduled to discuss our budget as a community. As always, I urge the public to get engaged; after all, it’s their money! I hope Salem residents will share their budgetary priorities with me.”
Micki Varney – Ward 8
Do you support keeping as a budget option a decision to fully close the library?
“No, I do not support a complete closure of our main library. I spoke up in support of our library system at the Salem Budget Committee meeting last June. I advocated for our libraries this past September. I have not changed my mind. Our libraries provide so many benefits to our community and are integral to a welcoming and livable Salem. Libraries connect us to arts, culture, books, technology, knowledge, learning, and discovery. We must find a way to support and restore a fully operational, full-service library system. We need to secure a dedicated source of funding to ensure that our library system it is sustainable over time so that we don’t have to go through the financial uncertainty these scary cycles of highs and lows create. A temporary closure of our library and cessation of its programs would be a huge loss to our community. I will do everything I can to continue operations at our library as we work through this challenging time.”
Do you anticipate that a new city budget will require additional cuts to the library budget?
“I do not advocate additional cuts to library services; we already cut back hours of operation in February. Additional reductions in FTE’s at the library will necessitate closure of the West Salem Branch Library, and further reduce hours of operation and programming at our main library. Our libraries are essential to the vitality of our community.
I believe the City Manager will present a city budget for the coming year based on option #1 of the four budget reduction scenarios presented to the Salem budget committee last week. Option #1 includes a loss of 8 FTE at our library. I hope we can reduce that number, but to do that, we will have to take funding away from the other buckets. Option #1 includes reductions to Center 50+, recreation programming and parks operations. These cuts will reduce vital services many of our seniors rely on, and disproportionately affect our youth and the thousands who frequent our beautiful parks. We are required to develop and adopt a balanced budget. The next 3 months will be fraught with difficult and heart-rending decisions.”
In September, when the city began its discussions of the cuts, Varney advocated that the West Salem Branch of the Public Library remain open.
She sat down with Salem Reporter at the time, saying the branch was an important resource for people. Its hours have since been reduced from five delays a week to two.
“It’s a challenge. I’m very, very supportive of our police and fire and our critical services, but I also see the library as a critical service in the sense that what it provides the community – especially folks who don’t have access otherwise… it provides a really valuable service as well as people getting together to learn about other services,” she said in September. “I would not like to see it closed, at all.”
RELATED COVERAGE
Library will not shut down, city says, but more cuts on the table
Busy families, homeless Salemites disappointed by library cuts
Library staffing, budget concerns close the book on 50-year-old delivery program
Salem City Council to discuss alternative cuts
UPDATE: This story was updated on March 28 to include additional comments from Councilor Micki Varney submitted after publication.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251
SUPPORT OUR WORK – We depend on subscribers for resources to report on Salem with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more. Click I want to subscribe!
Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
