With 56.69% approval one week after election day, the Timberland Regional Library (TRL) declared victory Tuesday, Nov. 10, for its levy lid lift.
The ballot measure approved by voters raises TRL’s levy rate by $0.13, from $0.22 per $1,000 of assessed value to $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed value for 2027 and 2028.
The $0.13 rate increase amounts to about $14 million in additional revenue for 2027, according to TRL.
After 2028, TRL can raise its levy by 1% each year without going back to voters
The levy lid lift was TRL’s solution to a $3.8 million budget shortfall that has led to layoffs, the resignation of former Executive Director Cheryl Heywood, and the departure of two senior employees who spoke disparagingly about board members and patrons in messages that later became public.
The TRL Board of Trustees, TRL administrators, staff and patrons generally agreed that TRL needs to pass a levy lid lift by the end of 2027 to stabilize TRL’s budget and prevent further layoffs.
“With the approval of the library levy, TRL will be able to restore open, staffed hours across our five counties, increase our new materials purchasing and reduce wait times, and work with communities to maintain and update our buildings,” TRL Interim Executive Director Andrea Heisel said in an official statement released by TRL on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
If the levy lid lift had failed, TRL said that further reductions in staffing, books and materials, hours, online services, bookmobile services and programming would begin in 2027.
While the Board of Trustees previously floated the idea of waiting up to a year to rebuild community trust before running a levy lid lift, they decided it was in TRL’s best interest to run the proposal sooner due to TRL’s dire financial situation.
In the months since TRL decided to put its levy lid lift proposal on the November 2026 ballot, TRL has been working to engage its community “in deep and meaningful ways,” Heisel wrote, vowing to continue that work going forward.
“You have shown us how much you value your local Timberland Library branch and we are excited to build this next version alongside our communities across the five counties,” Heisel stated. “We will continue listening to our communities, adapting to their evolving needs, and being responsible stewards of every public dollar entrusted to us. ”
As of 5:18 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, TRL’s levy lid lift was passing with 56.69%, representing 125,827 votes, in favor and 43.31%, representing 96,125 votes, opposed.
The measure required a simple majority from voters in the five-county library district to pass.
Broken out by county, however, voters in Lewis County voted predominately against the measure.
The tally as of Nov. 10 showed Lewis County voters opposing the measure by 54.66%, representing 19,227 votes, to 45.34%, representing 15,948 votes.
Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope has been the levy lid lift’s most vocal opponent. And, while he later voiced support for the levy, one of Lewis County’s two representatives on the TRL Board of Trustees, Brian Mittge, initially said he couldn’t ask voters to support the levy unless the library district made significant cultural changes.
Voters in Thurston, Pacific, Mason and Grays Harbor counties all voted predominately in favor of passing the levy lid lift.
Thurston County holds the largest voter pool within the library district, and also had the highest percentage of residents who voted in favor of the levy, contributing heavily to its passage.
As of Nov. 10, Thurston County voters approved the measure 61.40%, representing 76,114 votes, to 38.60%, representing 47,848 votes.
Pacific County voters approved the measure 58.25%, representing 6,905 votes, to 41.75%, representing 4,949 votes.
Mason County voters approved the measure 52.41%, representing 14,839 votes, to 47.59%, representing 13,476 votes.
Grays Harbor County voters approved the measure 53.08%, representing 12,021 votes, to 46.92%, representing 10,625 votes.
