Some residents of Josephine County get a surprise when they visit one of the four branches of the Josephine Community Library and apply for a library card. The person ahead of them in line gets a free library card. When it’s their turn, the library assistant says, “That will be 60 dollars, please.”
According to Library Director Kate Lasky, “Library cards for residents who live within the district boundary are paid for through property taxes. No additional fee is required. Households that are not in the library district can get a card for $60 per year or $15 for three months. The cost is approximately equal to the amount that each in-district household pays through taxes. All residents of Josephine County are eligible to apply for a library card scholarship, funded by the library foundation.”
Josephine County voters rejected a property tax levy for the library in 2006. Timber receipts fell so far, so fast that libraries in Josephine, Jackson and Douglas counties closed in 2007.
In 2009, local citizens formed the Josephine Community Library, a nonprofit corporation, and reopened the libraries with limited hours.
In 2014, voters rejected a proposed library tax district, which would have covered all homes and businesses in Josephine County.
Finally, a 2017 library tax district was passed by the voters. It covered only the precincts near the four branch libraries in Josephine County. Those homes and businesses pay 39 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value for the library. These residents get a “free” library card because they pay for it through their property tax. Those outside the library tax district pay $60/year, or they can choose to annex their property into the library tax district.