Scheppke said the group’s goal right now is to present concrete levy options to the City Council for consideration to address the library’s chronic funding problems. He said several libraries across the state comparable in size to Salem all have local levy options to fund their library systems.

“Libraries have learned that if you ask for a levy on top of what you get from the general budget, people will agree. Because people love libraries,” Scheppke said. “They want good libraries. We have 23 libraries in Oregon that have local levies. So we’re trying to emulate Eugene, Corvallis, Hillsboro and Beaverton.”

Salem’s library is already among the worst funded in Oregon, ranking 112th out of 136 in per capita revenue in 2022-23, according to data from the State Library of Oregon.

The city revenue task force’s recommendations were vague about the amount of revenue the city could raise from a levy. Scheppke outlined three possible levy scenarios in comments submitted to the council. He said a library levy that raises $5 million in property taxes — about $7 a month for an average homeowner — would fund keeping the main library open seven days a week, including three evenings, and expand the West Salem branch’s hours to five or six days a week.

Through higher taxes, the financing of libraries could be coupled with the provision of funds for city parks and the Center 50+ or ​​for police and fire services, which would make more money available to the general city treasury to finance a library, says Scheppke’s analysis.

City librarian Bridget Esqueda referred questions about these numbers to city spokeswoman Elizabeth Kennedy-Wong, who said it would be inappropriate for the city to comment on the future of the library without further information and direction from the city council.

“We are still relatively early in this process and are focused on helping the city council make the best decisions for the community,” Kennedy-Wong said.

When weighing up the options, city councillors will primarily consider which services voters would be willing to pay more for.

5th District Councilman Jose Gonzalez, who represents northeast Salem, said he fully supports funding the library and hopes Salem gets another branch, but he said a public safety levy would have the best chance of being accepted by voters.

“The most important thing I can say is that 99.9% of the messages (from voters) I’ve received are directly related to how safe they feel,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said a public safety levy would support police, but it could also support other services, such as resources to combat homelessness. He also said his constituents have other priorities.

“I don’t think anyone asked for a library in District 5. If anything, they asked for a community center,” Gonzalez said.

Several community members stopped outside the main library on August 10 and signed a petition in support of funding for the library.

Beth Fox was one of the signatories of the petition and said that the misconception about the library is that it is only about books.

“It’s just an incredible resource for the entire community. I think a lot of people don’t understand what’s here. Of course they offer a selection of books from several libraries, but they also have different types of programs. Music and lectures,” Fox said. “They also have a system where you can borrow things that aren’t books, like instruments or kitchen appliances. They have programs for children where you can read to a pet. They have other programs for people who are learning English as a second language. It’s remarkable how many different things they can do.”

Fox said she would have no problem with a tax increase to fund the library system. She hopes voters will have the opportunity to choose to adequately fund libraries, starting now.

“I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” Fox said. “I just know that this is a resource we can’t lose.”

Contact reporter Joe Siess: (email protected) or 503-335-7790.

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Joe Siess is a reporter with the Salem Reporter. Joe joined the Salem Reporter in 2024 and primarily covers city and county government, but loves a surprise. Joe previously reported for the Redmond Spokesman, the Bulletin in Bend, Klamath Falls Herald and News, and the Malheur Enterprise. He was born in Independence, MO, where the Oregon Trail officially begins, and grew up in the Kansas City area.