Timberland Regional Library trustees take public questions about ongoing budget crisis

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Centralia Timberland Library’s conference room was standing-room-only Saturday afternoon as concerned citizens from across Timberland Regional Library’s (TRL) five-county district sought answers from TRL trustees on the district’s ongoing budget crisis.

Many with questions about the mass staff layoffs set to go into effect May 15 left unsatisfied, however, as TRL has reengaged in negotiations with the library workers union AFSCME Local 3758.

“We’re meeting with the union this coming week and continue to work forward,” said Board of Trustees President Brian Mittge. “There was just some new discussion that our staff brought forward to us this last week that I think will move us in a positive direction.”

AFSCME Local 3758 has publicly disputed TRL’s application of the collective bargaining agreement in regards to the layoffs, and has warned of possible legal challenges if the layoffs go forward as planned.

The Board of Trustees had an executive session scheduled for Monday, April 13, to discuss possible litigation.

For legal reasons, Mittge said, TRL representatives could not disclose details on the negotiations during Saturday’s Q&A.

“But I am looking forward to the continued conversations with our union,” Mittge added.

Mittge and fellow Lewis County appointee to the TRL Board of Trustees Hal Blanton joined the Friends of the Centralia Library for a public Q&A ahead of the Friends group’s regular quarterly meeting.

The event marked the first time trustees have met with the public in person since TRL announced its $3.8 million budget deficit in January.

The Board of Trustees last met in person in December, and have held only virtual meetings since.

Trustees Toni Gwin and Mary Beth Harrington said during the board’s March 25 meeting that they’re unwilling to resume meeting in person due to fears of being “threatened” and “attacked.”

One community member on Saturday said that TRL Operations Director Brenda Lane, who many have publicly criticized for her contribution to the budget crisis, had been threatened at her home. The Thurston Chronicle was unable to independently verify the details of that incident.

“What happened at Brenda’s house ought not to happen to anybody,” Blanton said. “There’s been other things around too, that have been said in public and in chat rooms and things like that that are just way out of line.”

Mittge and Blanton said Saturday that they hope to at least return to a hybrid-meeting format going forward to better facilitate conversations with the public.

“I’d rather be in a room like this,” Blanton said, referring to the packed conference room.

Aside from a brief argument between two community members over Lane’s contribution to the budget crisis and verbal grumbling over a statement Blanton made affirming his trust in TRL administration, the two-hour Q&A was civil.

“My hope is that today is a step in the right direction, so I appreciate both our trustees for being here and being willing to engage in difficult conversation,” said Friends of Centralia Timberland Library President Hallie Ralls.

The Friends groups hope to have similar Q&As at other libraries across TRL’s five-county district in the near future, Ralls said.

Aside from questions about the planned 61 layoffs, the public asked the trustees about the possibility of a comprehensive financial audit to better understand how the budget crisis happened, and asked what internal changes TRL can make to regain public trust and prepare to run a levy lid lift.

Mittge and Blanton said they anticipate much of that work will fall on TRL’s interim executive director.

TRL has so far received about 20 applicants for the position, according to Mittge. The Board of Trustees will conduct interviews on Saturday, April 18.

When asked by a Thurston Chronicle reporter how quickly they hope to fill the position, Blanton said, “We want to get it done quickly, but we also want it to be done diligently, too. And sometimes the two kind of offset each other. But that’s our hope, is to be able to get that piece, so that once we get that piece, then we can start working on the other immediate things.”

TRL administration has been able to keep the library running and pay the bills since former Executive Director Cheryl Heywood resigned last month, but they’re not authorized to make any significant internal changes, and the Board of Trustees has legal limits on how involved they can be in day-to-day operations.

The TRL Board of Trustees’ next regular meeting is 5:30 p.m. on April 22. It will be a hybrid meeting held at the Chehalis Timberland Library, with a virtual attendance option.