The Josephine Community Library District and county commissioners are once again negotiating terms for the Grants Pass library lease.
Talks began after commissioners terminated the library’s longstanding $1-a-year lease in January, citing maintenance costs and a shift in legal obligations following the library’s transition from a county to a community district. Since then, both sides have attempted to reach a new agreement for the library’s continued use of the building.
After last-minute changes to a previously negotiated agreement, the library district board voted unanimously on Aug. 21 to reject the county commissioners’ lease terms. The board announced its counterproposal in a press conference on Tuesday.
Library board president Gina Marie Agosta said the counteroffer mirrors the termination clause of other low-cost county leases, such as the one with the Grants Pass YMCA.
The YMCA's lease with the county can only be terminated for cause. If the county intends to end the lease, it must first give the organization a warning and allow time to resolve any issues.
By contrast, the amended draft lease for the Grants Pass library includes a termination-for-convenience clause, which allows the county to end the agreement with 30 days' written notice, without warning or an opportunity to remedy issues.
Although the clause was removed during negotiations, Commissioner Andreas Blech reinserted it moments before a scheduled vote.
“It would be malpractice to accept that commercially unreasonable demand,” Agosta said.
The library district’s legal counsel sent a letter to the commissioners Monday proposing that the library lease adopt the same termination language as the YMCA's outlined the counterproposal of copying the YMCA’s termination clause. The short-term lease would remain in effect until the library relocates to a new building in Grants Pass, at which point the current property would revert to county control.
The library district has also been planning a new permanent home. In 2024, it unveiled four design concepts for a new Grants Pass building.
While the next move is up to commissioners, Agosta said the library board is ready to return to the negotiating table.
“We are frustrated, but still remain hopeful that we can come to some kind of fair agreement with the county,” she said. “It’s what this community deserves.”
