County commissioners had planned to approve a lease agreement that had been under negotiation for months with the Josephine Community Library District.
But just before the vote, Board Chair Andreas Blech amended the agreement to reinstate a termination clause, allowing the county to end the lease with 30 days' notice.
Blech said he could not get on board with the lease as negotiated.
“It is not good for the citizens of Josephine County," he said. "This will have financial repercussions on our county, on our citizens, and there will be political ramifications of this lease on the people here up on the dais.”
Blech said he found 14 deficiencies in the contract but did not respond to a request to elaborate. Still, he voted to approve the lease with the revised clause, joined by Commissioner Ron Smith. Commissioner Chris Barnett, who led the contract negotiations, voted no, citing concerns about the amendment.
"I did go into the ring, if you will, to try to find out the best outcome for all," he said. "And the best outcome for all right now, if you were in my shoes, is a win-win. Because I can go to bed at night and feel we did a win."
Barnett said he opposed reinstating the termination clause.
Commissioners invoked that clause in January. Library Director Kate Lasky said that is why the library was forced to negotiate in the first place. She said the library board was not happy with the change.
“During the negotiations, this was a non-negotiable,” she said. “They did not want to go through this again because this is how we got here.”
Lasky said the termination clause would leave the library on much shakier ground at a time when it needs stability. The library district is currently working on building a new Grants Pass Library on land it owns, but it won't be completed for many years.
The library board met Thursday night to vote on the lease. But after reviewing the change, board members rejected the agreement.
Lasky said that the district plans to return to the negotiating table and would send a counteroffer to the county.
