QuickTake:

The proposed cuts, which would take effect July 1, include one librarian and one vacant manager position. The plan next goes to the city's budget committee. Meanwhile, the City Council is set to review a proposed payroll tax rate, which would also help in closing the city's budget gap. 

For the second straight year, the Springfield Library is set to lose staff, with the city’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget eliminating two positions.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield became aware of the proposed cuts Wednesday, April 1, and a city spokesperson confirmed the cuts are part of a plan the city’s budget committee will review next month. If approved, the cuts would go into effect July 1.

The cuts include one vacant manager position and one librarian position that is filled. Last year, the library lost a vacant library tech job.

“Whenever budget cuts are proposed that affect employment, and that information is about to become public, we want to inform any affected staff members so they have ample time to make plans and learn about the cuts directly from their supervisor, not secondhand,” city spokesperson Loralyn Spiro wrote in an email. 

She said the library cuts “are not separate from the broader cuts the city is proposing as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget.” When asked if other departments had been made aware of proposed cuts to their departments, she did not respond. 

Spiro said the city began its budget process in October, and it is finalizing the proposed budget before sending it to the budget committee. She said the city anticipates the proposed budget will be posted on the city’s website April 20. The budget committee is set to review it May 4-6.

Community members have expressed concern about possible library budget cuts at City Council meetings since last summer, following a task force recommendation that the city cut half a million dollars from the public library’s budget to help address the city’s general fund budget deficit.

In December, Library Director Emily David provided the council an example of how a $500,000 cut could be implemented while maintaining essential services. 

That scenario included cutting three staff positions, closing Mondays and trimming $89,000 from the book budget, along with some program reductions. David stated in those documents the library had 12 full-time equivalent positions.

When asked specifically by Lookout if library services, programs or hours would be cut, Spiro said the proposed budget document “should include answers to all your questions.”

James Lauinger, who volunteers at the library, said the cuts would go beyond personnel. 

“Cutting positions will affect the number of hours we are open,” he told Lookout. “That goes without saying.”

He also said the cuts would impact services.

“A lot of people attend our daily meetings and events,” he said. “We won’t have enough people to monitor those any longer.”

He’s also concerned about the library’s ability to keep its book collection new and fresh, a collection that he says supports children’s literacy. 

“I see that every day with the books that are being returned,” said Lauinger, who volunteers reshelving books. “I see all the books that are coming back, an enormous amount of books every day on parental resources. So there’s a lot of teaching at home, which is really, really good. But on the other hand, will we be able to keep up that pace in helping parents?”

Budget and proposed payroll tax

The city has worked to address a growing general fund deficit, which it says stems from inflation and Oregon property tax limitations.

A Fiscal Stability Task Force convened by Mayor Sean VanGordon last year recommended the $500,000 library budget cut, among other suggestions. 

An October 2025 presentation at a City Council meeting showed a forecasted general fund shortfall of $3.5 million in fiscal year 2027 and $4.8 million in fiscal year 2028 before taking into account the task force recommendations.

To help bridge the gap, the city is pursuing a payroll tax, another task force recommendation. That proposal includes a tax rate of 0.1% applied to both employees and employers, which is expected to generate $2.45 million the first year. City Council has not finalized the tax rate and a final discussion is scheduled for a work session Monday, April 6. Plans call for the payroll tax to be implemented through a council-adopted ordinance rather than a ballot measure.

According to the agenda for the Monday’s work session, councilors will review the proposed rate and impact on the general fund five-year forecast. City Council will also review updates to the payroll tax ordinance and municipal code amendments made by staff since the February meeting. Councilors will identify changes they want staff to incorporate prior to formal adoption. 

According to a presentation in Monday’s agenda, the general fund five-year forecast shows a shortfall of $804,000 for fiscal year 2027. With payroll tax revenue applied, the forecast shows a surplus of $426,000.

The forecast shows reduced operating expenditures compared to the forecast in the October presentation, including $1.3 million less in personal services.

If councilors agree on a proposed rate and payroll tax ordinance, a public hearing and first reading will happen April 20. The public hearing was previously set for Monday. 

If it advances, a final reading of the payroll tax ordinance will happen May 18. The earliest the payroll tax could take effect is Jan. 1, 2027.