‘Libraries for All’ in Jackson County, Oregon

Image credit: Libraries for All — Jackson County

Libraries for All — Jackson County is mobilizing volunteers to campaign for Measure 15-122. Residents are being asked to vote during the May 2014 Primary to form a special district for Jackson County libraries. The recommended funding rate is 60 cents per $1,000 of the assessed value on a home.

As explained by Libraries for All, this recommended rate is “a ceiling, not a floor. How much will be leveraged and what the service level will look like is to be determined by the library district board. The proposed rate would likely be enough to maintain or even enhance current services.”

Voters will also be asked to elect a library district governing board. “The County cannot be the governing body of a Special Library District. A special library board is entirely independent of governance by the County Board of Commissioners.”

Becoming a district, according to Libraries for All, means that Jackson County libraries “will move out from under the governance of the County and will enjoy the stability of a permanent tax base and leadership of a separately elected board whose sole purpose is to guide our libraries.”