The Chetco Community Public Library District is funded primarily by Property Tax Revenue. In 1990 the voters of our District rallied and voted to provide our library with a property tax base of $0.4256 per $1,000. This permanent tax rate ensures our library can operate independently from City or County government and provide our residents with robust library services. All of our funds are deposited with the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) until we pull them into our Umpqua Bank account to cover expenses.
Some libraries in Oregon operate under county or city management, and those libraries often envy the flexibility that special-district libraries have. Our library’s independence as a special district allows us to respond quickly to community needs without having to navigate bureaucracy or seek permission from those who may have different priorities. We don’t have to fight for funding for new projects or services, because our community has already decided that libraries are a valuable and worthy investment, and that we work best when we can focus our full energy on the library users in our community.
We also maintain a separate Fund called the Library Improvement Fund, which is also placed in the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP). After the current Chetco Library building was built in 1993, we were able to pay off our 15-year debt in 12 years. The library board decided to take the money allocated in our budget for debt repayment and set it aside for repairs, expansion, and upkeep. Over the years, various donations and bequeaths have also been added to it. This fund has been invested in LGIP for the full time that it has existed, and it has been growing steadily over that time. The library thoughtfully plans future repairs and projects to make sure we have enough money to do what needs to be done, without having to seek loans, bonds, or make staffing & programming cuts in order to maintain our facilities.
In addition to our tax base, the library receives generous donations from individuals, the Friends of the Chetco Library, and the Chetco Library Endowment Fund. [link to FOL and EF web pages] We also apply for grants as needed for specific programs and projects. All of these funding sources are including in our annual budget planning.
We aim for complete transparency in our decisions and budgeting process. In fact, the law requires that what we do is public record. Every year, the library district completes a public budget process as required by Local Budget Law. Our fiscal year runs from July 1 – June 31, and our budget hearings typically take place in April. They are advertised on our website and in the local paper. As with all board meetings, our public budget hearing is open to the public, and any members of the community are welcome to attend and provide their input during the public comment portion. Our budget documents are public record, and can be seen below. We also pay to be audited by an independent financial firm every year. Our annual audits are filed with the Oregon Secretary of State and can be found on their website.
We have a 10-member Budget Committe consisting of the 5 elected board members and 5 members of the public who are appointed by the board. The current Budget Committee public members are:
- Timm Rolek (2022-2024)
- Karen Munson (2023-2025)
- Sheila Espinoza (2023-2025)
- Richard Kennett (2023-2025)
- Judith Seyle (2023-2025)
Annual Budget Documents can be accessed via our Board of Directors page.
For earlier years, send a Public Records Request to contact@chetcolibrary.org.