DAYTON — Committees tasked with condensing into 250-word statements their arguments for and against dissolving the Columbia County Rural Library District have completed their work.
The groups filed their arguments and rebuttals with the Auditor’s Office earlier this month. Auditor Will Hutchens shared the statements with the Union-Bulletin on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
The statements offer a stark look at how and why the issue ended up on the ballot and the potential impact of the November election, when county voters will decide whether to dissolve the library.
The library’s Board of Trustees, which still meets monthly to conduct business and take comments, appointed Seth Murdock, Marcene Hendrickson and Judith Strode to argue to dissolve the library and Tanya Patton and Deb Fortner to argue against.
The statements, attached in full, will appear in a voters’ pamphlet sent to residents in early October.
Argument to dissolve
In their statement asking county voters to dissolve the library, Murdock, Hendrickson and Strode argue that the library makes books — challenged because of their topics of gender, sexuality and race — too accessible to children, describing them as age-inappropriate sexual material.
“Challenging books proved fruitless,” the statement read.
The library board voted to keep 11 books dealing with issues of gender identity, sexual identity or anti-racism in October 2022 after requests for their removal.
In their rebuttal, Murdock, Hendrickson and Strode said they now take issue with more than 100 books in the library. They also disagree with the library’s public comment process and with the role of the American Library Association, the statement said.
“Whether there can be short term appeasement on this issue is immaterial, because in the process of dealing with it, a greater truth has been revealed that this public library is an irretrievably compromised entity, and it needs to be removed from our midst,” the statement said.
In their rebuttal, Patton and Fortner argue the library is a vital resource that residents depend on.
“Do not recklessly sweep it away,” the rebuttal read.
Argument not to dissolve
In asking residents to vote against dissolving the library, Patton and Fortner emphasized the impact of dissolving the library: The library would close, and printed materials would be sent to the state library in Olympia.
“Citizens of Columbia County would lose the library services they now rely on,” the statement said.
Patton and Fortner also argued the rural library district — formed in 2005 to provide Dayton Memorial Library with a stable funding source through county property taxes — was a way for residents to keep a valuable resource whose finances were threatened.
They said in the statement that the November election is a chance to reaffirm that decision.
“Their commitment to the greater good sent a clear message: To strengthen the social and economic fabric of our community, Columbia County makes literacy and lifelong learning a priority for all its citizens,” the statement said.
In their rebuttal, Murdock, Hendrickson and Strode said the library has not met that commitment.
“This is not the library we need,” the rebuttal said.
“Keep rowing”
While the Auditor’s Office prepared the voters’ pamphlet and accompanying ballot measure that will decide the fate of the library at 111 S. Third St. in Dayton, it was business as usual for board members at the Monday, Aug. 21 meeting.
Board Chair Jay Ball and members Karin Spann, Sharon Mendel, Chuck Beleny and Kevin Rust discussed carpet cleaning and repairs, new furniture for the Delany building meeting room, finances and the employee weapons policy.
A suggestion from Rust about restricting new library material purchases until after the election was taken up for discussion but didn’t gain traction from the board.
“I’m wondering if we need to spend as much monthly on printed material as we have in the past, or if we can get by with some of the books that she gets regularly, or ones that have been requested by people that come in,” Rust said.
Library director Ellen Brigham previously said the library budgets about $2,721 per month for new materials, including books, audiobooks, movies, TV shows and items for the Library of Things.
Ball said he understands the suggestion came up because the library’s materials would go to the state library if voters decided to close the library. Still, he said the library should keep offering services to people.
“We’ve still got this place to run,” he said. “We should do it. We have a budget, let’s work with it … We’ll see where we stand pretty soon, but in the meantime, I say just keep rowing the boat the way we’re going.”
Spann agreed.
“Let’s give people a reason to keep us,” she said.
Rust asked if Brigham had any ideas for things that didn’t need to be purchased. She said the library probably would not add anything more to its Library of Things in coming months.
Other comments
Giving her director’s report, Brigham also told the board that parents can put controls on their children’s library accounts, leaving a note for the library staff that their kids can only check out books on their school reading list, PG or G movies, or any other restriction they choose.
“If that is something that you need to happen, just come in and we’ll get it done,” she said. “Quick and easy.”
During public comment, Dayton resident Jessica Ruffcorn, who led the effort to get the dissolution on the ballot, said the board has put more focus on issues like carpets and employee policies that it has on the library’s collection development policy.
“Clearly we have our priorities mixed up,” she said. “You guys were presented (with) an opportunity to show that you guys are going to be good stewards of our tax dollars and spend wisely while we decide whether we need to have a library or not. You guys have decided to continue to recklessly spend.”
Another resident thanked the board for keeping the carpets, ramps and chairs in mind.
“(Those are) issues that are important for keeping our library running, keeping people safe … and making sure we have the resources available. … It may not be exciting, but it’s necessary.”