Anonymous Patron writes “The Associated Press has picked up on budget troubles. The cover the usual suspects; Ohio, California, and Pennsylvania. Doug Evans, executive director of the Ohio Library Council, said the fact that libraries do so much more than lend books is the reason funding needs to be preserved. Computer training, children’s reading programs and helping with job searches are just a few of the library services communities depend on, he said.
“I think our concern is that it just keeps getting worse and worse,” he said. “We’re getting to the last notch here.””
On the matter of Ohio…
Notwithstanding my State Senator, Democrat Marc Dann of Liberty Township, saying that the budget passed by the Ohio House now passing to the Ohio Senate is a “trainwreck”, the cut here is still only 5%. A local library director reminded me that it is the duty of local libraries to do their part in these hard economic times and cheerfully take the cut. In a county where most of the population would be consider in “tax revolt”, such is common in other agencies too.
Of course, then again, the starting proposed cut was 5%. The Ohio Senate has had its own ideas about the budget. I seriously doubt the cut will stay at 5% and also seriously doubt that the cut will not take place either…
Re:On the matter of Ohio…
It’s not the 5% that has libraries really worried. The larger threat to library funding is the proposal to cut personal income tax revenues by 21%. Since Ohio’s libraries are funded from the personal income tax, this translates into a 21% cut on top of the 5% cut.
Re:On the matter of Ohio…
There’s a good chance that revenues will actually increase–despite the income tax cut. Remember the 80s? Reagan & Congress cut taxes; but revenues actually increased 24.1 percent during the period 1982-89. Look it up!
Re:On the matter of Ohio…
I have to probably make a couple calls but presumably the income tax cut is not going to matter as there was a floor that funding was proposed to be frozen to that library funding was guaranteed not to go below (I think it was FY2003-2004 funding, if memory serves). I will probably have to check into that as I doubt the Ohio Senate may keep that provision.