The Ohio House of Representatives has proposed a state budget that drastically cuts funding for our libraries. We need your help. Contact your state representative, Representative Monica Robb Blasdel and House Speaker Matt Huffman and urge them not to cut library funding.
Within the state budget is the Public Library Fund (PLF), which makes up 96% of all Wellsville Carnegie Public Library funding. We have never gone to our community for a levy, so the state funding is critical to our library’s operation. On April 1, the Ohio House put forward its version of the state budget for the next 2 years and recommended that the PLF be ELIMINATED and replaced with a smaller line item in the budget.
What Does This Mean For You?
If HB 96 passes as presented, it would represent a funding cut of nearly our entire operating budget to the Wellsville Carnegie Public Library. A reduction to the PLF is a threat to all our library programs, both adult and children’s, Summer Reading, Mobile Hotspots, and video game circulation. There will be a significant reduction of library materials, library hours, and services.
THEY CLAIM that their proposal is an increase in funding compared to what the Governor proposed.
THE TRUTH is that their claim that HB 96 increases funding to public libraries is NOT TRUE. Their calculations are based on the year 2020. Tell them to restore the PLF to the amount in the Governor's proposed budget.
THEY CLAIM that Ohio is one of only 2 states that supports libraries through a specific percentage of the General Revenue Fund (GRF) rather than an allocation which is reviewed every two years through the budget process. By converting the PLF to a line item in the budget as proposed in HB 96, it would create a more transparent and predictable source of revenue for libraries.
THE TRUTH is that while the intention behind converting the PLF to a line item in the state budget may appear to promote transparency and predictability, the reality is it introduces a significant risk to Ohio’s libraries. Ohio’s current model—funding libraries through a fixed percentage of the GRF—offers a unique and valuable safeguard. Because the PLF is tied directly to the GRF, libraries receive a stable, proportional share of state revenues. This ensures that as the state’s economy grows, so too does support for public libraries.
THEY CLAIM that Ohio’s libraries receive more state funding than every other state.
THE TRUTH is that Ohio's public libraries differ from most states in that they are separate and individual political subdivisions of the state and NOT a department of city or county government. As such, we must pay for our own:
- Building upkeep
- Staffing
- Utilities
- Many other operational necessities that, in other states, are paid for by cities or counties. We need the funding to cover these expenses, in addition to all of the library-specific resources and services we offer to our community.
What Can You Do?
Call, email, or send a letter to our House Representative Monica Robb Blasdel and Speaker Huffman today and tell them, “DON’T CUT MY LIBRARY!” Tell them what WCPL services mean to you and how a cut to libraries would impact you and your family. House Members will soon be making their final recommendations to HB 96, so your voice is needed NOW.
You can find contact information for Columbiana County state representative letters here for Representative Monica Robb Blasdel and here for House Speaker Matt Huffman.
Thank you for supporting your public libraries.
With utmost gratitude,
Tracee Murphy
Director