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"Right now, frankly, I think it is just a wide-open situation," said Phoenix Mayor Carlos DeBritto. County officials have announced all 15 branches will close before April 15 to alleviate a $23 million shortfall created when Congress failed to reauthorize timber subsidies under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. DeBritto's not alone in worrying about the closure of one of his city's most important buildings. He said he's heard various suggestions to fund the libraries, including increasing the gas tax or partnering with Talent to keep the two libraries open for a couple of hours after school on alternating days. There are more benefits and shared costs in maintaining a county-wide library system, officials agree. However, Commissioner Dave Gilmour said, "If we do not find a solution as a county, it will be up to the individual cities." Advertisement But like most other cities throughout the county, Phoenix has little or no money to fund a library on its own, DeBritto said. "We're pretty cash-strapped," he said. In Ashland, however, Mayor John Morrison has vowed to keep his branch open even if voters reject a possible library operations levy on the May or November ballot. Commissioner C.W. Smith, who became chairman of the Board of Commissioners Wednesday, said some of the suggestions he's heard include prompting cities to use part of their library buildings to house government offices while still maintaining another portion for library services. Gilmour said that a suggestion to keep just the Medford branch open wouldn't sit well with residents in other communities whose tax dollars would flow to Medford while their own library would remain closed. "A lot of people in peripheral cities would be pretty angry," he said. Other suggestions include creation of a fee-based library system or using more volunteers to keep branches open. But Ronnie Budge, director of Jackson County Library Services, said a fee-based library would no longer be considered a public library and would discourage many patrons who couldn't afford the fees. She said the library system has looked at fees previously and determined they would not come close to totaling the $8 million necessary annually to operate all 15 branches. The library does rely heavily on volunteers, she said. But specially trained librarians are needed to research the more than 200,000 reference questions they receive annually as well as to catalog, plan events and train and supervise employees and volunteers. The idea getting the most attention is a levy on either the May or November ballot. A levy last November was rejected by 59 percent of voters. Genie Gilliam, chairwoman of the library system's advisory committee, said her own opinion is that it is better to keep the libraries together as a unit. But she still wants to hear all the suggestions from local residents. "I'm personally open to any ideas that will keep the libraries open," she said. "It's not just levy, levy, levy." At this point, a levy in May or November isn't a foregone conclusion, said Gilliam. "We're looking for a grass-roots effort so that we know the public wants us to put it on the ballot," she said. The biggest library in the county sits in Medford, but Smith said city officials have been silent on the subject so far. "We haven't heard word one from the city of Medford," he said. "They are not particularly communicative." Mayor Gary Wheeler said he has been in touch with citizen groups about the library closure, but said, "We have not had that discussion as a city at this point." He said he would support a levy to keep all the libraries open. "I would want to look at the library system as a whole and not carve it out into small districts. Then it ends up with the haves and have-nots." Central Point Mayor Hank Williams said he didn't know what would happen if the city became responsible for the library, which shares a brand new building with city offices. "I don't know how in the world we're going to do it," he said. Williams, who supported the November levy, said he thinks the only real option is to put the matter before voters again. "There will be another library levy and it will likely pass the second time," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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