According to a Jan. 3 press release from the Josephine Community Library District, the district was not available to attend a Jan. 6 meeting to discuss the Grants Pass Library branch rent, that didn’t keep Commissioners John West and the two new commissioners Chris Barnett and Ron Smith from making a decision.
West started out stating that he had given the district options to meet on Dec. 23, 31 and Jan. 6. Which he claimed the district was unavailable. The district said they could do the Jan. 6 date at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. but not 1 p.m.. West claimed he was willing to change the time but the district representatives still declined.
Director of the Josephine Community Library, Kate Lasky in an email to the Illinois Valley News wrote “I only found out that John West was proposing charging the library rent on Dec. 19 because I saw a replay of the streamed commissioners’ meeting. Then, later that day, I received a request for my presence at a yet-to-be-scheduled commissioners’ meeting, and that request came with no formal notification or additional details.”
In the press release the district maintains that they had communicated that getting everyone together at those times were a problem and offered Jan. 16–17, Jan. 23–24, or Jan. 30–31. West didn’t relay that information in the meeting but did stat that the invitation to attend was a courtesy. He went on to give what could be called a veiled threat stating “I think they need to be very careful with the language they use.” West continued with “the district does not set the commissioners schedule. “
However, contrary to what West said early in the discussion on Jan. 6, later in the meeting said he was very willing to change dates and times but received nothing “crickets” from the district implying they didn’t respond to time changes.
West read from correspondence from the district stating “The districts position is based on Section 14.5 “LIBRARY SUPPORT,” which reads “provide for the support and maintenance of the main library and library branches.” “Well, it does not say library branches,” West said.
Unfortunately for West, the current charter amended in 1992 which can be found on the county website clear states “Section 14.5 “LIBRARY SUPPORT, provide for the support and maintenance of the main library and library branches.”
Barnett stated that he wanted to table the decision until a sit-down with the district could be arraigned and Smith seemed to agree.
Barnett then made a motion to give the library a 30-day notice to come to the table. Before a second was made, more wrangling from West stating that the citizens would not be happy to pay for a new roof for a non-county library while the jail and youth detention need roofs as well. Barnett rescinded his motion.
West made a motion that the board terminate the lease agreement for cause. While West never said what the cause was, he stated that in the contract, section 15.1/2/3 if there is cause either party can terminate the contract with 30 days written notice. He continued that it would give them 30 days to negotiate a new lease. West did say this does not mean the library would have to leave the building any time soon.
The vote was 3 for 0 to accept the motion. Ultimately Barnett and Smith’s first major official decision was to give the Library a 30 day notice of termination of lease for cause.
On Dec. 19 West brought up the idea of raising the rent for the Grants Pass library building. The building in question has been rented to the district for $1 per year while the county payed for the maintenance and upkeep of the building. Now that the roof needs to be repaired and the county is balking at paying for it. There also has been a riff between the library and West building since the county tried to remove properties from the library’s taxing district.