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Library to start final fundraising campaign Monday May 29, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier A voter-approved library district won't receive any tax money until November, so Josephine Community Libraries plans to keep providing the services it has provided since the county libraries closed in 2007. The nonprofit JCL is reaching out to existing donors to seek funding to bridge the gap until the new district is up and running. The district won't be official until the vote is certified, expected June 14. "We just asked our donors to help during spring to get us through until the district (starts)," said Kate Lasky, executive director for JCL. "I anticipate the transition will take at least six months." A new board was elected on the same ballot. Lasky said hours at the library will not change during the transition. "If people have questions about this, we really do want to answer them," she said. "A lot of people still don't know whether they are in the library district." To find that out, the library has a map where an address can be entered. Visit josephinelibrary.org, and under the menu heading "library district" click on "questions and answers" and scroll down to Question 6. People may also email questions to [email protected]. Lasky said JCL is committed to helping the new district get off to a good start. Anything accumulated or donated over the past 10 years will go to the new district. The district's first-year budget will be about $1.4 million, nearly double last year's expenses of $712,000. The new district will be separate from county government, with an independently elected five-member governing board. Residents outside the new district will be able to purchase library cards. They can visit for free. Branches are in Grants Pass, Cave Junction, Williams and Wolf Creek. The tax rate for properties in the district will be 39 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $78 a year on a property assessed at $200,000. Once the public funding kicks in, plans call for the district to increase hours and staffing and to devote more money to acquiring new materials, including books, eBooks, DVDs, CDs and digital resources. The collective hours of operation for the four branches are expected to jump to 80-100 hours weekly, up from about 60 at present. — Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected]