The future of the Cache County Library is in limbo as officials weigh defunding it to help close a budget shortfall.
County Executive George Daines recommended cutting the library’s $230,000 annual funding in his tentative budget — a move that would force the only countywide library, located in Providence, to close its doors by the end of the year.
Residents packed Tuesday’s council meeting to show support for the library as Daines outlined his plan to balance the 2026 budget. The county is facing a roughly $7 million shortfall and Daines is recommending $2.8 million in cuts, including the library’s funding.
To help offset the deficit, the county also plans to levy an 18% property tax increase next year, which would bring in an estimated $3.7 million in new revenue to cover inflation-related costs in public safety and personnel, according to a county notice.
That additional revenue, combined with the $2.8 million in budget cuts recommended by Daines, would still leave the county with a budget deficit of about $1.3 million, he said.
“We’re still going to have to draw from our reserves to make this budget,” Daines told the council. “I’m confident as we go through the year we will be able to reduce that further.”
Library Director Brynnan Sainsbury said the move to defund the library would leave roughly 30,000 Cache County residents without access to free library services, forcing them to pay monthly or yearly fees to use city libraries in Logan, Smithfield and other municipalities.
Sainsbury warned that smaller city libraries could struggle to accommodate a sudden influx of users, putting a strain on their staff and resources.
Earlier this month, the library held an event encouraging residents to write letters to their representatives urging them to save the facility.
“I don’t think they (council members) know a whole lot about this issue,” Sainsbury told The Salt Lake Tribune. “We don’t talk about the library a whole lot in this county, and so just letting them know that people care about library services, they want these services, is going to be the biggest thing that we can do.”
Library workers have also asked the public to fill out an online form to voice support for the library.
“Libraries are not about books, they are about people,” Sainsbury said in a video on the library’s Facebook page asking for the public’s help. “While we love the books, we love the people even more. To continue serving you, we need your help.”
(Brynnan Sainsbury | Cache County Library) From left, library workers Abbie Chesley and Cindy Bishop, former staff member Reghan Golding and Library Director Brynnan Sainsbury.
About 80% of Cache County residents already pay taxes to support municipal libraries, and Daines has questioned whether it’s fair for them to be “double taxed” to fund services for the remaining 20% who don’t have municipal libraries.
He added that those residents can still access municipal libraries for an annual fee. In Logan, for example, a non-resident library card costs $163 a year.
The Cache County Library’s current budget supports its four employees — one full-time and three part-time — as well as daily operations.
Next Tuesday, residents can attend a public hearing to weigh in on the proposal. A separate hearing on the proposed property tax increase is set for Nov. 18.
Council member Kathryn Beus said the council has roughly two months to review the recommendations and make any adjustments. After the Nov. 18 hearing, the council will have two meetings to discuss formally adopting the 2026 budget, she said.
— Tribune newsletter editor Sam Morse contributed contributed to this story.