Major update about layoffs at Timberland libraries announced. Here’s the latest
Major layoffs have been averted at Timberland Regional Library, library leaders and union officials announced late Monday night and Tuesday morning.
The five-county library district, which is headquartered in Tumwater, was facing 61 involuntary and voluntary layoffs to address, in part, a $3.8 million deficit announced by the district earlier this year. The deficit, library leaders have previously said, was the result of slower revenue growth, combined with higher expenses.
Of the proposed 61 job cuts, 44 of them were considered involuntary. Now, 36 of those jobs have been saved, resulting in just eight job cuts.
“Working together, we were able to achieve a meaningful outcome that preserves library services and reflects shared values. While challenges remain, this agreement demonstrates that collaboration can lead to real solutions for workers and the communities we serve,” AFSCME Local 3758 Staff Representative Beth Gawne said in a statement.
Eight branch library assistants, most in their first six months of probationary employment, will still be laid off on May 15, according to the union.
The 17 voluntary layoffs are still moving forward. Those employees are set to leave the library district at the end of the month, union officials say.
How was all of this possible? Library leaders took a closer look at the budget and found a short-term solution, Library Services Director Andrea Heisel said.
“We were able to determine that we could make the budget whole with the planned layoff revisions, plus additional cost-savings measures, including reductions in non-staff expenditures, ongoing monitoring of revenues and expenses, and adjustments to non-represented staff salaries,” she said in a statement. “However, it will be imperative to pursue a levy lid lift in the near future.”
Some of those cost-saving measures include reduced overall spending on collections, both print and digital, spokeswoman Anna Rasmussen said. She couldn't ‘t comment on the “adjustments to non-represented staff salaries.”
“We can’t discuss furloughs or pay reductions yet as they are still being worked out at this time,” she said.
Library leaders said that underlying financial challenges remain, and a successful levy lift (to raise property tax revenue) will be necessary to ensure long term sustainability and avoid deeper service reductions, which could include reduced hours, fewer programs, or potential library closures.
In 2009, voters rejected the levy proposal in Grays Harbor, Lewis and Thurston counties, but voters approved it in Mason and Pacific counties, The Olympian previously reported. Overall, 54.86% of voters rejected the proposal, the auditor’s data show.
The debate about the state of Timberland Regional Library has been a bruising one, prompting angry voices at public meetings. Longtime former Executive Director Cheryl Heywood resigned. The Board of Trustees is set to interview applicants for an interim hire this Saturday.
“I’m heartened by this new direction for TRL, which dramatically reduces our previously announced layoffs by more than half,” said board president and Trustee Brian Mittge in a statement.
“After listening closely to the public and taking their ideas into careful consideration, our staff put together a new framework designed to keep our branches open and staffed. It takes our budget from the red to the black through the end of the year. It’s not the entire solution, and we continue to look at ways to resolve long-term structural issues with our budget, but it’s a big step forward.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 12:03 PM.
