Proposed Library Funding Model

Why revisit the funding model?

Washington County is the primary source of funding for public libraries, and together with our partners that operate libraries, we needed to reevaluate how the funding is allocated, to ensure it is fair and is meeting the county’s goals for providing consistent levels of base service across the whole library system. 

The way funding was distributed between partners in the past created unintended consequences, where some communities received higher levels of county investment, and others did not, because the previous model used library usage statistics to allocate funding. This meant that libraries that had the resources to invest more locally in their libraries, then generated more library usage, which then drew higher levels of county investment, which led to more usage, and the cycle continued. 

By changing to a model where county funding for libraries is allocated by the number of people served by each library, based on travel time, the county hopes to make a fairer investment in libraries across the system, improving library service and access across the system, regardless of where community members live. This approach is considered a best practice and is recommended by the State Library of Oregon. 

County data shows that people living within 5 minutes of a library check out 75% of their materials at that library. The further away people live from a library, the less likely they are to check out books from that library.

How much does each library benefit with the new funding model?

In the proposed funding model, every library will receive an increase in funding from the county. In addition, the county will take on the expense of providing library collections centrally for the system, which will reduce local library costs, creating an additional financial benefit to city and non-profit partners. 

What is the role of city and non-profit partners in funding their libraries?

County dollars for libraries are intended to support consistent base service levels. County resources for libraries are not sufficient to fully fund all libraries, as WCCLS is structured as a partnership between the county, 9 cities, and 3 non-profits. If cities or non-profits wish to provide higher levels of service or services that meet their local priorities, cities can choose to contribute funding from their own city's tax base, and non-profits can do additional fundraising. 

Partners choose where to locate their libraries, how big to build them, how to staff their libraries, and what services and amenities they wish to offer. The partners continue to value their operational independence under the current model for providing library service in our county.

How much is each library used? 

There are different ways to count how much libraries are used. One is by counting foot traffic or library visits. It is important to note that we do not know how many individuals visit each library, because we can only count visits. If one person visits the library 10 times, or 10 different people each visit the library just once, both situations are counted as 10 visits. 

Another way to measure library usage is by checkouts. If 10 different people each check out one book, or if one person checks out ten books, both situations are counted as 10 checkouts. 

What is the WCCLS fund balance and how is it used?

According to the County’s fiscal policies, departments that are funded by property taxes (including WCCLS) need to keep 4 months of reserves available. The Board of County Commissioners agreed to make an exception for WCCLS to target 3 months of reserves. This allowed additional funding to be provided to partners, and supports the county’s goal to continue as responsible fiscal stewards, working in line with best practices from the Government Finance Officers Association. The WCCLS fund balance needs to be large enough to allow WCCLS to provide funding to libraries, pay contracts and staff from July through October, before property tax revenues are received in November. The fund balance is an essential part of maintaining adequate cash flow for the county, and is also needed to cover operating costs should our region experience an emergency.