JUNE 25, 2025 BUDGET UPDATE:

The budget bill passed the Ohio House and Senate and is now headed to Governor’s Desk to be signed on Monday. None of the changes we have asked for have been made.

The budget removes the Public Library Fund (PLF), cuts library funding to 2004 levels, places restrictions on materials, and allows a county budget commission to reduce a library’s voter-approved levy funds.

We have lost the fight to preserve the PLF; however, Governor DeWine does have the power to veto parts of this budget once it reaches his desk. We are asking you to contact Governor DeWine and request that he veto these two provisions affecting your libraries:

• First, veto the provision that requires public libraries to place material “related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of person under the age of 18.”

Why should we object?
This mandate takes control away from caregivers. We believe that parents, not the State, play the most important role in deciding what their children may read. We already have a policy addressing community members’ concerns about specific materials. The process is in place and working well – it doesn’t require new legislation or government interference.

Practically speaking, the language of this provision is dangerously vague, overly broad, and because of these qualities, will ultimately be unworkable. The ambiguity would leave libraries unsure how to comply and will result in confusion and inconsistent application.

• Second, veto the provision that allows a county budget commission to reduce millage on any voter-approved library tax levy.

Why should we object?
This provision overturns voter decisions and allows local governments to act against the will of the people. If you vote to fund your library through a levy, why should local officials then be allowed to tell you, “No.” Whether this provision applies to public libraries or any levy-supported entity, it dangerously undermines our rights as voters.

Please send Governor DeWine an email asking him to veto these provisions https://governor.ohio.gov/contact. Let’s trust parents to know what is best for their children and keep voting power with the voters. Thank you for supporting Reed Memorial Library.

Thank you for standing up for your library.
When we asked in April, you and thousands of people across Ohio sent emails, letters, and made phone calls to our state legislators to support quality library funding. In response, our legislators did not restore the Public Library Fund (PLF). Instead, the new budget eliminates the PLF, moves public library funding to a yearly appropriation (budget line-item), places restrictions on materials, and allows a county budget commission to reduce a library's voter-approved levy funds. 

The appropriation is a far more vulnerable funding mechanism that can easily be eliminated in a single budget—unlike the Public Library Fund, which was written into Ohio law. The law about the PLF states that libraries will be funded with a percentage of Ohio’s annual revenue. This percentage might increase or decrease each year when state revenue fluctuates. In fact, in 2024, libraries received the same dollar amount as in 2000 because revenue was down. Despite the fluctuations, this method of library funding works. Ohio has used the PLF method for over 100 years with amazing results. In 2023, Ohioans visited their local libraries more than 44.6 million times (the equivalent of 434 sold-out Buckeye football games at Ohio Stadium). Those library visits keep increasing each year.

Why do legislators suddenly want to change everything? Even if they do, there’s still money for libraries, isn’t there?
The House and Senate want control over the funds given to public libraries. Their budget method gives them this control. A state representative told library leaders in Dover, Ohio, “The Legislature is trying to decouple the PLF from current funding models, offer an 'increase' this year, and cut funding altogether in two years.”

Do state legislators want to completely stop funding public libraries?
We don’t know yet if this change marks the end of state funding but it’s clear that some legislators are planning for that goal. With this new budget, libraries will immediately be at the mercy of changing political agendas. 

What can we do?
You can speak to your elected representatives, telling them you do not support their funding proposals and actions in opposition to public libraries. 

We will continue to implore the legislature to keep the PLF as Governor DeWine recommended. We will also keep working hard to give you access to the materials and services we can provide. It may be a very rough road ahead for all of us if state funding disappears, but we will continue to do the best we can with the funds we have.

How will the new budget impact Ohio public libraries?

• The new budget eliminates the Public Library Fund, a mechanism that has funded 251 public library systems for four decades.
• Ohio legislators have replaced the Public Library Fund with a lump dollar amount for all Ohio libraries, resulting in cuts to libraries across the state.
• The Public Library Fund has remained flat for 25 years and House Members have put forward a dollar amount that does not account for a quarter of a century of inflation. As of July 1, 2025, libraries will be funded at 2004 levels.
• The line-item change gives legislators the ability to strike library funding completely from future budgets.
• It limits the ability of public libraries to raise funds with local levies and allows local officals to reduce millage, even if local voters have approved the library levy.