After weeks of passionate appeals from Cache County residents — who shared stories of their children discovering the joy of reading, finding a safe space to learn, and neighbors relying on programs they couldn’t afford elsewhere — the area’s only countywide library won a temporary reprieve from complete defunding.
On Dec. 9, the Cache County Council approved a roughly $115 million 2026 budget, which includes $134,600 for the Providence library — enough to cover its operating costs for the next six months.
The council will review the library’s budget in June and could extend funding for the remainder of the year if the library still cannot cover its costs, said County Executive George Daines, who first recommended the defunding in October to help plug a $7 million budget shortfall.
He described the 2026 budget as “fluid,” with spending monitored and adjusted quarterly, and reserves available to cover unexpected costs such as additional support for the library.
“If we decide in June that we’re going to fund this library the rest of the way, we don’t have to worry about having enough money to do that,” Daines said. “We have plenty of money to do that.”
Council member Kathryn Beus, who represents the Southeast District which includes Providence, said she has received hundreds of emails, calls, texts, and letters from residents advocating for the library.
“I don’t know if anybody’s received more than me,” she told the council.
Several council members said they want to give the library time to become self-sufficient and are interested in a proposal from Providence resident Natalie DeFriez, who last week asked to lead a fundraising campaign for the library to alleviate the county’s financial burden.
The library is also seeking state accreditation, said council member and library board member Mark Hurd, which could unlock state grants.
The controversial move to defund the library sparked backlash from residents because it would have left roughly 30,000 people without access to library services while saving the county about $230,000 annually.
Daines has defended the cuts as a matter of fairness due to “double taxation.”
Residents in eight cities with their own libraries pay twice — once to their city and again to the county — while those in cities without libraries, like Providence, River Heights, Millville, and Hyde Park, pay only the county tax.
Higher property taxes
The budget also includes an 18% property tax increase, expected to bring in $3.7 million in 2026. County officials said the revenue will help cover rising personnel and public safety costs driven by inflation.
Under the new rate, the owner of a $536,000 home will pay about $61.62 more, while a business of the same value will see an increase of about $112.04.
The county raised property taxes by 12% last year, citing rising costs officials previously paid for through county savings. Last year’s hike was initially proposed at 20%, drawing strong resistance from residents.
The past few years have created a “perfect storm” for the county, as COVID-19 unleashed a sudden influx of federal funds that were mismanaged, council member David Erickson told residents at a November hearing for the tax increase. At the same time, he said, rapidly rising home values shifted more of the tax burden onto homeowners.
Those pressures are now easing, Erickson said, as the housing market stabilizes and commercial activity grows, helping rebalance taxes between homeowners and businesses.
After months of postponing the decision, the council narrowly voted down a proposed pay raise last week, with some members saying they couldn’t justify increasing their salaries while taxes were increasing and the library faced cuts. Council member Keegan Garrity the decision returned $144,000 to the general fund.
The budget decision came a day after Logan Seat 2 council member Barbara Tidwell announced her resignation, according to a county notice.
With three years left in Tidwell’s term, Natalie Levi, chair of the Cache County Republican Party, said the seat will be filled by the winner of the GOP special election on Jan. 17. The interim council member will serve through 2026 but must run in the November general election to continue with the remaining two years of the term.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Tidwell said she was stepping down to spend more time with her husband, who has been battling health issues.