PROVIDENCE, Utah — The future of the Cache County Library in Providence is looking brighter after a year of uncertainty, as Providence City considers funding the library itself following a vote in which a majority of residents supported raising taxes to pay for it.
It's been a rollercoaster year for Brynnan Sainsbury, director of the Cache County Library. Last year, Cache County decided not to fund the county library that is in Providence.
"Working here, it's like, is today the day they're going to be like, we're actually not going to fund it anymore," Sainsbury said.
After public pushback and community support for the library, the county extended funding until this December. After that, Sainsbury didn't know where the money would come from.
"It's hard to tell a 9-year-old kid that no, we can't buy this new book that they're really, really excited for, and so I'm like, I will donate this because I want you to have this book because it means so much to me that you will have it," Sainsbury said.
That was until Providence City stepped in and decided to explore the possibility of funding the library itself.
"We didn't want to make that financial decision of raising the taxes for everyone without having their input," Providence City Council member Carrie Kirk said.
As of Monday evening, 54%, or 1,900 people, voted in favor of raising taxes to pay for the library.
"Libraries are important to people and it says something about a community that's willing to pay for a library. It says that's what the people value and want for ourselves and our children," Kirk said, adding that she was happy to see that nearly 3,500 voters made their voices heard.
On average, it would cost a home $55 more per year to operate the library as it currently is. The annual budget for the library is around $250,000.
"We'll be functioning on a similar budget with a smaller area that we'll serve, so there will be more resources for fewer people, whereas our budget was very spread thin trying to serve the whole county," Sainsbury said.
The decision won't be final until the city council votes next week.
"It's a non-binding vote, so that means the council could still choose how we vote," Kirk said. "Most likely, as city council, we'll go with what the citizens have said they want."
Sainsbury said she is looking forward to putting this behind her and growing the library.
"Create a library of things, so not just having books available for people but for having random machinery or tools or games," Sainsbury said. "I'm just excited to expand what we are able to offer."