Thurston County commissioners are poised to formally back the Timberland Regional Library levy lid lift headed to voters Nov. 3.

A draft resolution in the Sept. 22 Board of County Commissioners agenda packet would declare the board's support for the ballot measure.

The levy would raise the library's property tax rate from 22 cents to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The resolution directs the Clerk of the Board to send copies to TRL and to the "Yes for Libraries" campaign.

The board is scheduled to consider the resolution at its Tuesday, Sept. 22 business meeting.

The following day, Wednesday, Sept. 23, the commissioners will hear a formal briefing on the levy at their 9 a.m. work session in the Thurston County Atrium, 3000 Pacific Ave. SE, Room 110, Olympia. Andrea Heisel, Timberland Regional Library's interim executive director, is scheduled to present.

What the levy means for homeowners

The levy lid lift, placed on the ballot by a unanimous TRL Board of Trustees vote on July 22, would raise the library's rate by 13 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. For a homeowner at the 2025 Thurston County median of $457,400, that works out to $59 a year, or about $4.92 a month.

The library levy makes up 2.28% of total property taxes in Thurston County. Property tax revenue accounts for 96% of TRL's budget.

TRL has not had a voter-approved levy increase since 1987. A 2009 attempt failed. The library's rate has dropped from a high of 42 cents per $1,000 in 2017 to about 23 cents in 2025, even as inflation rose 37.8% over the same period, according to TRL budget data.

A budget under pressure

TRL faces a $3.8 million budget shortfall in 2026, with approximately $28 million in revenue against $30 million in expenditures, according to a July board presentation reported by The Olympian.

The district has already cut $3.69 million through layoffs, furloughs and administrative salary restructuring, according to board minutes from April through September.

Staff levels fell from 255 full-time-equivalent positions in 2017 to about 218 in 2025 through a hiring freeze and attrition. In 2026, the district cut another 25 positions through voluntary and involuntary layoffs and imposed two-day-per-month furloughs for non-represented staff from July through October.

At a Sept. 11 public information session at the downtown Olympia branch, Heisel warned that a failed levy would force deeper reductions. "If we fail, then we're going to see significantly reduced open hours … We're going to see reduced anywhere library mobile services, and we'll have a smaller digital collection and longer wait times," she told attendees, as The Olympian reported.

Without the levy, TRL projects its fund balance will turn negative by the end of 2028, reaching negative $6.1 million by 2030. With the higher rate, property tax revenue would jump from $26.1 million to about $40.8 million in 2027. The district expects to meet its required 30% reserve threshold by 2028.

What's next

The Wednesday, Sept. 23 work session will be livestreamed on the Thurston County YouTube channel. Residents can submit written public comment up to two hours before the 9 a.m. start.

Ballots for the Nov. 3 election will be mailed to registered voters on Friday, Oct. 16. TRL serves 29 libraries across five counties: Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston.