Community support for preserving Salem library comes into focus during budget meeting

City library  workers said deep proposed cuts would effectively shut down the library by eliminating or reducing popular reading and literacy programs for children, outreach work and nearly half the open hours.

The city’s preliminary budget released last week cuts 51 full-time positions across city departments including 23 full-time positions at the library, 15 full-time positions from parks maintenance crews, and two part-time employees at Center 50+. 

Supporters and library employees poised to lose their jobs if voters reject a property tax increase in May appealed to the budget committee during an emotional meeting. 

Kristy Kemper Hodge, a senior librarian who was told last week she will be laid off if voters reject a proposed tax levy, called the cuts to the library “devastating.” 

“Cutting more than half of the library staff and reducing its open hours to 20 hours per week at the downtown location is essentially like closing the library altogether, as you have already heard from several of us,” Kemper Hodge said. “If access, resources, and events are further reduced after all of the recent cuts the library has already endured, then what value does it provide to the community any longer? And if community members no longer have access to the library they will no longer value it, and who could blame them?” 

The cuts mean most library programming aside from circulating books and materials would be eliminated, according to the city’s draft budget. That includes educational workshops like STEM classes and events and popular items like cultural passes that allow free visits to museums. The cuts would also mean pop-up libraries and outreach visits to seniors would be cut and the popular summer reading program for kids would be reduced. 

The city cut library funding last year, resulting in the main branch closing on Sundays and evenings.

The West Salem branch would shutter completely under the budget proposal. 

Dozens of people testified Wednesday and committee members received a significant amount of written testimony leading up to the meeting. 

Daisy Goebel told the committee she grew up in a poor family in rural Lane County. She said Her access to the public library provided her the tools she needed to succeed. Goebel said she likely wouldn’t be standing before the committee Wednesday if it were not for access to library services.  

“In high school, we didn’t have cell phone service…and we couldn’t afford Internet. But the only way that I was able to apply for college and get a scholarship and eventually get a full tuition scholarship to the University of Oregon was because of my library,” Goebel said as she became emotional and began crying. “Please stand up for all of the kids that rely on the library. Because if the levy fails and the library closes, I won’t blame the voters who are trying their best to make ends meet. The blame in my book rests solely on the decisions made here today.”

After public testimony, Interim City Manager Krishna Namburi provided some context on her decision making process as she worked to help craft the preliminary budget. 

“These are not the choices any one of us wanted to make, but this is the financial reality in front of us. The proposed budget is devastating and deeply unsettling. I am personally heartbroken by this proposal but this is not what any one of us want for Salem and I know that,” Namburi said. “Through the revenue task force work, polls and surveys, the city did collect data about community priorities. Consistently public safety has been ranked as the number one priority by the community, your council and the budget commitee. So, that direction shaped the framework for this budget proposal.” 

Namburi said people have consistently been asking her, “What were you thinking?” since the preliminary budget was released to the public last week. She said the decisions were painful given her own personal connection to Salem’s parks and library where she made some of her best memories with her two children. 

Namburi explained that due to minimum staffing requirements at the police and fire departments, making cuts there would not make a difference in addressing the budget deficit.

She said the reason is because the city would be forced to use overtime to ensure enough officers are on patrol and firefighters are on duty.

“I recognize the importance of sharing the burden across the organization. I do. But this is where we are at. By looking at the next five year forecast, projected forecast, in 2027, we have an $8.9 million deficit,” Namburi said. “There is no way we can address the $8.9 million without reducing public safety resources next year. That is the reality we are dealing with right now.” 

Namburi became visibly emotional and had to take a moment to regroup when the topic of layoffs came up.

“Despite our best efforts, this proposal is not fair. But it is impartial. It is not fair that people are losing their jobs. It is not fair that the community is losing the services, the essential services, that the community relies on,” Namburi said. “I wish I could have delivered a proposal that spared every position and protected every program. But with a deficit of this magnitude, it simply wasn’t possible. I have personally spoken to many of the employees who were impacted. There are real stories behind every position and every person. Stories of hard work, dedication.” 

In addition to library hours, Namburi’s budget proposal would cut parks maintenance and irrigation at neighborhood parks, resulting in most splash pads being closed. Summer recreation programs for children are also on the chopping block, and the reduction in staffing at Center 50+ will affect programming for seniors. 

If voters on May 20 approve the tax levy, the cuts would be avoided, city officials have said.

One of the main points of concern for some of the committee members was the fact that cuts to services will primarily impact people living in poverty and the idea of redistributing the cuts more equitably between city departments was discussed.

“These cuts disproportionately affect those that aren’t as wealthy as others…if you have a lot of money, you can go to Sunriver, you don’t have to go to your local park. You can go to the beach. You can go to the bookstore,” Budget Committee Member Julie Curtis said. “These deep cuts really affect those in our community that have the least voice, the least means…it just feels really bad…There has got to be a better way to be a voice for those people that don’t have one. And don’t have the means to do the things that maybe some of us can do on our own.” 

City Councilor Shane Matthews said he agreed with that notion but approached it from a different perspective. 

“The people that are most impacted are the people that are less financially able to go do something else,” Matthews said. “The downside is, they are the same people who are most affected by our public safety issues. And every bit of data says the same thing. And so if we were to redistribute these, which is possible, ultimately they also will be most affected by those decisions. And so that would be my biggest concern.” 

Prior to the budget committee meeting, at Monday’s city council meeting, Mayor Julie Hoy made a statement urging constituents to vote for the levy. 

Hoy, who opposed unnecessary taxes and fees during her campaign and ran on the message that Salem’s financial woes were due to misguided priorities, now believes  the only way to close Salem’s nearly $14 million budgetary shortfall is to pass a property tax increase to pay for services. 

“If the levy passes we can avoid even deeper cuts that will impact public safety down the line,” she said at the council meeting Monday. 

Hoy pointed out that measures capping local property taxes in the 1990s meant Salem has a lower tax rate than comparable cities like Eugene. Eugene brings in $17 million more into its general fund each year as a result, she said. 

“They also have a payroll tax. We don’t. We as a city are trying our best to do more with much less. If the levy fails the consequences will be immediate. Thirty-nine employees will lose their jobs this July,” Hoy said. “We can’t afford that. This levy is about protecting what we already have and making sure we don’t lose even more.” 

That final draft of the city’s budget for 2026 will be honed in a series of three more upcoming budget committee meetings in April and May. Once a final version is produced the budget will go to the Salem City Council for consideration and once approved, will take effect in July. 

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.

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