Cottage Grove residents rally to save library from deep budget cut

Families, students and job seekers filled Cottage Grove City Hall on Monday night, June 9, to defend a public library that could be stripped down to one full-time librarian and volunteers. Under the city’s proposed 2026-27 budget, the Cottage Grove Public Library faces a 56% cut, a change that could quickly mean shorter hours, fewer programs and less help at the front desk for people who use the branch for internet access, job searches and schoolwork.

City leaders have been wrestling with the library reduction as part of a broader attempt to close a nearly $4.5 million shortfall tied to audit delays and accounting errors. City manager Mike Sauerwein said the city needs to shrink spending and stop drawing down reserves, and library funding has been caught in that effort along with other general-fund services.

The staffing changes under discussion are stark. KVAL reported that the library would fall from 4.4 full-time equivalent positions to one. The Chronicle said the latest proposal would eliminate all staff except the head librarian, Natasha Chitow, while shifting day-to-day operations toward volunteers. Even after councilors redirected $50,000 on May 19 to preserve one additional part-time position, the branch still faced a deep reduction.

Chitow warned that the change would not just trim services, but alter how the library functions. She said volunteers would not be allowed to access staff computers or handle money, and she raised concerns about library software that contains private patron information. She also said current staff had already been told their positions might not be funded after July 1, when the new fiscal year begins. The likely effects, she said, would include reduced hours, fewer programs, slower book processing, less outreach with partner organizations and less staff time for tech help and reader support.

The public turnout reflected how central the library is in a city where residents have also been asked to weigh cuts elsewhere. Roughly 150 people attended an April 23 town hall at the Cottage Grove Armory, and about 90% of those present supported the pool and the library. Miranda Gehrke argued that volunteers cannot replace paid staff and said the city found money for other needs, including unused housing funds. The city has also considered eliminating funding for the Warren Doherty Aquatic Center and reducing support for other programs.

The budget process is not finished. City budget committee meetings were held April 21 and April 30 at City Hall, and the council still has a second public hearing set for its June 22 meeting. For residents trying to influence the outcome, that hearing is the next and most important chance to press for a different outcome before the final budget is adopted.