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GIA 2009
By howard | April 11, 2008
We are all facing another difficult budget year. I know it is of little comfort, but RI is not at all alone. Although there are pockets of better news, many state library agencies across the nation have been reporting reductions in FY2009. Ohio is facing a 10% cut; in New Jersey and in California, local libraries are looking at a 10% cut in state grant-in-aid; The American Library Association’s news reports are also full of dire circumstances. In Rhode Island, flat funding of library grants-in-aid coupled with reductions in other state aid to municipalities and local troubles stemming from the general downturn in our economy have upped the downward pressure on local library budgets. In some cases that downward pressure could lead to loss of the state grant-in-aid. Local budget decisionmakers will need to be careful about ensuring continued eligibility for state grants-in-aid. RIGL Title 29-6 contains the following:
“§ 29-6-3 Eligibility requirements – Municipalities. – (a) To qualify for state aid under § 29-6-2, a city or town shall:
(1) Appropriate from local tax revenues an amount not less than the amount appropriated the previous year from local tax revenues and expended for library operating expenses. The appropriation would exclude any state funds received for public library services. Any funds received from the state shall not be used to supplant funds from local tax revenues;”
Put simply, that means that municipalities that do not provide library services in FY2009 with the same or a higher level of funding than they had in FY2008 will forfeit their FY2009 grant-in-aid.
The governor has recommended grants-in-aid that would fund a projected 22.86% of municipal appropriations and expenditures two years prior, a substantial part of each eligible public library’s library budget. Note that I say “municipal” rather than library appropriations and expenditures. RIGL Title 29-6-3 goes on to say:
“(2) In the case of a city or town having more than one free public library therein, submit or cause to be submitted to the department of state library services a plan for the allotment or division of the proposed state aid among the free public libraries in the city or town. The plan shall be developed by agreement among the free public libraries of the city or town;”
I will have some discretion to cope with desperate cases, but don’t foresee making any exceptions to the maintenance of effort requirement.
Topics: GIA | 1 Comment »
August 28th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Hi Howard,
Thanks for the update. I’ve been out of the profession for a bit, but I like to keep up on what’s going on.
Sadly, these are dark times (again) for libraries.
But the thing that has always impressed me as a librarian, is no matter what they do we prevail. It’s unfortunate as more citizens turn to libraries for resources during these uncertain times. We do what we can, surprisingly, magnificently at times.