Books are displayed on a shelf at one of the branches of the Johnson County Public Library. Local libraries are sounding the alarm again after language that could reduce public library funding was added to another Statehouse bill. Daily Journal File Photo
After breathing a brief sigh of relief that an Indiana Statehouse bill, which could lead to reductions of public library funding wasn’t moving forward, local libraries are again sounding the alarm after similar language was added into another bill Thursday.
Senate Bill 8 would’ve required libraries to accept a lower growth rate —50% less than any other government unit — or be subject to binding review by their county or city council. Local libraries said it posed a threat to funding to all public libraries in Indiana, as it would either limit the growth of a library or it will possibly risk the entire funding of a library. This bill died in the House earlier this week after it didn’t get a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee before a key deadline.
The reprieve was short-lived for Indiana public libraries, however. The language was added to Senate Bill 4, a priority bill addressing a wide range of fiscal matters, on Thursday, and an amendment was adopted by the House Ways and Means Committee.
With the bill now likely unable to be killed and time running out before a potential House vote Monday, the Johnson County and Greenwood library systems are urging patrons and supporters to reach out to local legislators about the bill.
“Our only hope is to have guardrails amended into the bill that protect library budgets and prevent the possibility of them being zeroed out entirely,” said Emily Ellis, executive director of the Greenwood Public Library, in an emailed message to patrons Friday.
Both GPL and the Johnson County Public Library encouraged patrons to call their state representatives on Friday. If a patron is unable to reach them by phone, they were asked to email before Monday, said Lisa Lintner, director of JCPL, in a message shared on the library system’s Facebook page. Lintner also said the Indiana Library Federation’s Advocacy Committee informed JCPL that the bill would be voted on by the House on Monday.
The Indiana Library Federation is taking a “layered” approach to SB 4, according to Ellis’ message. The federation is opposed to the bill’s language regarding libraries as currently written because it “contains no guardrails on the budget reduction,” the message says.
“If a library grows its budget at or above 50% of the Maximum Levy Growth Quotient (MLGQ) it could result in libraries being significantly defunded,” according to Ellis’ message.
Patrons are asked to tell lawmakers to support amendments that restore the guardrails that limit budget reduction to 10%, delay implementation until Jan. 1, 2029, and limit the focus of the binding review to fiscal concerns, Ellis’ message says.
“At this point, ILF is hoping for an amendment that will delay implementation of this section of the bill until 2029. If that happens, the next hope is to work towards having the bill revised or amended to have a lesser impact on public libraries before 2029,” Lintner said.
All Indiana senators who represent Johnson County voted in favor of SB 8. As for the House, the Ways and Means Committee includes two local lawmakers, Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville and Robb Greene, R-Shelbyville, who both voted to advance the amended SB 4 to the full chamber.
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