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 Tuesday, 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

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