Every Ohio library will see an increase in funding in changes to the two-year budget omnibus passed by the Ohio House Finance Committee Tuesday.
But a major change to the Ohio Public Library Fund is still there, and libraries are worried about it.
Libraries were set to lose around $100 million in funding in House Republicans’ budget as compared to the budget from Gov. Mike DeWine, which had sought to raise the percentage of general revenue funds going to the Ohio Public Library Fund from 1.7% to 1.75%. The House Republicans’ budget cut the OPLF and created a line item with a set amount.
The latest version of the House GOP budget restored the Ohio Public Library Fund, but still with a set amount of funding and not a percentage of state revenues.
Most of the 251 public library systems in the state also get support from local taxpayers, but 48 don't. Ohio Library Council Executive Director Michelle Francis said that with the Public Library Fund, libraries can plan on knowing they'll have income from the state. But she's concerned about this change proposed by the House.
"The concern is it could be eliminated completely. It could be a line item. It could not be funded in two years," Francis said.
Francis said libraries in Ohio share services, but if this funding proposal passes, she is concerned that could change.
"Our libraries work across county lines to save taxpayers money. And if that funding is changed to a line item, that would go away," Francis said.
Francis said Ohio's libraries are currently some of the busiest in the country.
"If you look at our data in, calendar year 2023, we had 44.5 million library visits that would have filled the Shu Ohio stadium more than 434 times for sold out crowds. We literally just got our data for 2024 and that went up to 48 million visits," Francis said.
DeWine had said on Monday he opposed the House’s change to library funding in his budget. Just hours before the House omnibus was introduced in committee on Tuesday, DeWine talked with librarians from around Ohio who had gathered at the Statehouse. He encouraged them to visit with their lawmakers and tell them stories about the value of libraries.
"There is nothing stronger than that personal relationship. We all react to people, and we react to stories. Statistics are interesting. Stories are people," DeWine said.
Later in the day, House Finance Chair Brian Stewart said the omnibus had more money for libraries: $490 million in the first year of the budget and $500 million in the second.
"Every library is going to get more money than they did 2025," Stewart said.
Stewart also said the Ohio Public Library Fund will remain intact but it won't be funded the way it was before.
"The Public Library Fund will continue to exist and set appropriations will be put into it and then that's the mechanism that determines how we disperse the funds," Stewart said.
The full Ohio House will vote on the budget Wednesday. It is expected to pass with only Republican votes. Democrats. No Democrats on the House Finance Committee voted for it. Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) said Democrats disagree with too many parts of the budget to support it. But she said she was pleased to see the changes to library funding.
"I'm very grateful that they put the formula back in, and it does seem like they did do some increases into the library. So it's moving in the right direction,” Sweeney said. “I, of course, want to work with the Library Association, because I know that they're still going to be concerned about the change from being a percentage of their overall budget to a line item.”
The budget still must go through the Senate and then to a conference committee. It must be signed by June 30.
