Latest news with #MichelleFrancis
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio libraries win big Tuesday
Every single library levy on Tuesday's ballot passed in Ohio, and none of them were close. The victories come as Republican officials at the state and federal level look at cutting library funding. There were 13 levies on the ballot — eight renewals, two replacements, two new ones and a bond. The least successful of those — for the Delaware County District Library and the Troy-Miami County Public Library — passed with 56% of the vote. The most successful, for the Gnadenhutten Public Library, received a whopping 85% of the vote. On average, voters agreed to pay local taxes to support their libraries by a 19-point margin. 'These results reflect the deep connection communities have with their libraries,' Michelle Francis, Executive Director of the Ohio Library Council, said in a written statement. 'They're a testament to the trust voters place in libraries, not only as centers for learning and literacy, but also as hubs for workforce development and digital access.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The results come as the budget proposed by the Republican-controlled Ohio House would spend almost $91 million less on public libraries than the draft proposed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. In addition, the House budget would change library funding from a percentage of the state's general-revenue fund to a fixed line item. The library council has said that would increase the possibility that at some point it could be eliminated altogether. At the federal level, the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency has proposed eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services. That grant-making agency has a budget of $290 million a year. Earlier this month, a federal judge temporarily stopped an executive order by President Donald Trump to eliminate the institute after 21 state attorneys general sued to stop the order. The institute provides funding for the State Library of Ohio, which has a brick-and-mortar location in Columbus. It supports summer learning programs, reading programs for the blind and deaf, and the Ohio Digital Library, which helps local libraries provide audio and e-books. Polling shows that public libraries are highly popular with a huge, bipartisan swath of Americans. A 2022 poll was conducted by Hart Research Associates and North Star Opinion Research on behalf of the American Library Association. It found that 89% of respondents agreed that 'local public libraries play an important role in communities across the country including their own.' In addition, 75% of Democrats, 70% of Republicans and 56% of independents said they oppose the removal of books from public libraries. 'Public support is loud and clear,' said Francis of the Ohio Library Council. 'We hope state leaders recognize how much their constituents rely on library services.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio libraries decry funding proposal, threaten branch closures if state funding increase axed
Apr. 4—Dayton Metro Library was among several local libraries sending out urgent messages to patrons this week following a state budget proposal to limit library spending. The plan unveiled by Ohio House Republicans would eliminate the Ohio Library Fund, replacing it with line-item amounts appropriated for each year. The effect is that state library funding would stay relatively flat instead of increasing roughly $100 million over two years as it would in Gov. Mike DeWine's budget proposal. Dayton Metro Library officials said they're anticipating a $3 million difference, which could result in decreased operating hours, programming, library collections and even the closure of some lower-traffic branches. Public Library Fund For years, the Ohio Public Library Fund has received 1.7% of Ohio's general revenue fund, which is powered by sales and personal income taxes and other revenue sources. According to the Ohio Library Council, an organization that advocates for public libraries, roughly 51% of the total funding for Ohio's public libraries comes from the state through the Public Library Fund. The Ohio House proposes nixing the fund and allocating $485 million in library funds for 2026 — a decrease from last year's library fund of $489.3 million — and then $495 million for 2027. If the current funding formula were unchanged, the Ohio Office of Budget and Management projects that the PLF could contain up to $530 million under the current formula by the end of 2025. The Ohio Library Council in a press release said libraries statewide last year saw a $27 million decrease in state funding compared to 2023, which had a PLF of roughly $510 million. The Ohio House's budget proposal differs from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's budget pitch, which would have increased the PLF's slice of the general revenue fund by half a percent. This would generate $531.7 million in 2026 and $549.1 million in 2027. An Ohio Library Council analysis estimated that the House's version of the budget would reduce state funding for Ohio's public libraries by more than $100 million over the next two years — compared to the governor's proposal to expand the fund, not compared to current funding. "Ohio's public libraries have had a partnership with the state to deliver services at the local level for almost 100 years and that funding is now at risk," Michelle Francis, executive director of the Ohio Library Council, in a press release. "Public libraries serve all ages, and funding cuts of this magnitude could jeopardize the vital services that our communities rely on." Library funding Library leaders and advocates say the changes in funding could impact services. "At Dayton Metro Library, the Public Library Fund comprises nearly 50% of all DML operations. The remaining 50% is from local property taxes passed by voters like you!" the message states. "The Dayton Metro Library does not want to make these cuts but without the continued support of the State of Ohio we are left with no choice." Dayton Metro Library external relations and development director Debi Chess said the proposed shift in funding Ohio's libraries is "shocking" and will be "profoundly felt." Chess said the PLF guaranteed funding for libraries annually. Library funding existing as a line-item in the state's general fund concerns her. "The Public Library Fund, of course, fluctuates," she said. "But to propose to completely eliminate it is a whole other level. This makes library funding even more vulnerable." Roughly 78% of the PLF funds allocated to Montgomery County ($25.3 million) is set aside for Dayton Metro Library for the 2025 fiscal year. Dayton's library also recently passed a one-mill, five-year levy that will generate $10.5 million per year. Similarly, the Clark County Public Library shared a plea with its patrons on social media Thursday evening, saying the Ohio House's proposal could impact services like children's programs, hotspot loans and more. The library called on community members to contract their state representatives to discuss library funding. "We appreciate the community we serve and your support for the library!" the social media post said. A new model? In the Republican-dominated Ohio House, moving public library funding away from a percentage model has been framed as a way to be more flexible in determining how much public libraries actually need from the state every two years. "Many moons ago, somebody decided that the public library fund would be a certain percentage of the general revenue fund. The issue with that is, it doesn't necessarily always reflect all of the other budgetary concerns that are happening," House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told reporters last week. "If you get 1.7%, you don't have to come in and say, 'Hey, here's why we need all this extra money.'" Huffman denied that the proposed change had anything to do with critiques of local libraries, like from that of Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, who publicly criticized the New Lebanon branch of the Dayton Metro Library for carrying tampons in the men's restroom. With the switch, Ohio House Finance Chair Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, argued that the state should quit "autopilot" spending, where possible. "I think every two years we need to do our job and say, 'What is the actual amount of money that we believe should be spent here?' and make that decision," Stewart said. House Democrats, meanwhile, oppose the switch. Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said she has "huge concerns." "Listen, we're talking about a 100-year precedent that we've used to fund our public library system here in the state of Ohio — which, by the way, is one of the top public library systems in the country because they have reliable, predictable funding," Russo said. The Ohio Senate has not produced its own budget draft, which would need to be merged with the House draft before a final draft is sent to DeWine for his approval.
