Specifications include, but are not limited to: In FY23-24, WCCLS is funded by a $22.37 million transfer from Washington County’s General Fund and $16.38 million in revenue from a local option levy that expires in June 2026. The General Fund transfer is a legacy of a library serial levy that was rolled into the County’s permanent tax base with Measures 5/50. There is no requirement for this legacy General Fund transfer to continue, and it has been a long-standing practice. In FY23-24, the General Fund transfer to WCCLS was reduced by 7%. This combined revenue of $38.75 million, in addition to $2.03 million being drawn from WCCLS’ funding reserve, allows WCCLS to provide $27.79 million in library funding allocations for partner agencies, and $12.99 million to fund the core infrastructure and support services provided by WCCLS. For Washington County libraries to continue to provide these critical services to the community into the future, WCCLS and partners must explore crucial questions about funding and governance. There is increasing pressure on County and partner financial resources, and the cost to deliver service is outpacing available revenues. The system and partners would benefit from a rational and sustainable model for funding and delivering library service in our County, which would address the following needs: • Develop a consistent funding formula with specific criteria that establishes how much County funding each partner agency receives, to equitably serve diverse communities. • Explore a minimum or matching local funding commitment for partners to receive County funding for libraries. • Create a countywide base level of library service, including a mechanism to plan and fund library service points based on countywide analysis of community demographic data, future developments, and geography.
