Josephine County commissioners on Wednesday denied a Grants Pass couple’s second attempt to withdraw their property from the Josephine Community Library District, concluding they can reasonably access the service.
Mike and Winnie Pelfrey have sought for years to opt out of the district and avoid paying its property tax. Commissioners approved an earlier petition in 2023, but it was later withdrawn after legal action.
With a new board and a revised petition process, the couple filed again.
At a public hearing, Mike Pelfrey argued he does not benefit from library services, offering a range of objections.
“I have trouble sleeping at night,” he said. “No one from the library has showed up at my house to read a book to me to help me go to sleep.”
Pelfrey also criticized the presence of homeless individuals and activist groups at the library and said the taxes he pays exceed what the district describes on its website.
The district charges out-of-district residents $60 a year for a library card, which it says is roughly equivalent to what in-district households pay through taxes. Pelfrey said he paid $116 to the district last year. County data shows the assessed value of the couple’s property is much higher than the county average.
Mark Bartholomew, legal counsel for the library district, told commissioners that while he personally does not use the library, state law does not allow property owners to opt out of paying the tax.
Bartholomew said it is virtually unheard of for requests like the Pelfrey's to be approved.
"That's just simply because the law does not permit it," he said.
Under Oregon law, property owners must show they cannot feasibly receive a district’s services to be excluded from its boundaries.
Commissioners said the Pelfreys do not meet that standard.
“There are no unique geographical, physical, logistical or other extenuating circumstances that would render service infeasible for this specific parcel,” Commissioner Gary Richardson said.
The Pelfreys live less than two miles from the nearest library branch.
Richardson said the board had little discretion under the law, given the facts of the case. Commissioners voted unanimously to deny the petition.
