Monday, February 01, 1999
State rep seeks more money for libraries
Suburbs shortchanged, West Chester lawmaker says
BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP — Ohio's fast-growing suburban counties should get more money for their outdated library systems, a West Chester lawmaker says.
But the way State Rep. Gary Cates, R-Union Township, wants to finance the plan could hit Ohio residents in the pocketbook.
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FUNDING VARIES
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An Enquirer analysis of Ohio's library funding records shows:
• Hamilton County was No. 1 in per-capita library funding, with $52.13 per person. The state average was $33.42 per person.
• Warren County, the second-fastest-growing county, was last among the 88 counties, with $23.36 per person.
• Clermont County ranked 85th, receiving $24.29 per person.
• Butler County ranked 73rd, with $25.60 per person.
• Delaware County, the state's fastest-growing county, is in the same predicament. The booming county north of Columbus was 87th on the 88-county list, receiving $23.52 per person.
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Mr. Cates intends to ask legislators to raise the share of income taxes spent on libraries to funnel much-needed dollars to such booming counties as Butler, Warren and Clermont.
To do that, however, money would have to be cut from other state programs or possibly be held back from state income tax refunds.
From 1996 to 1998, the General Assembly refunded almost $1.4 billion in state income taxes, said Ron Mucha, administrator of tax analysis for the Ohio Department of Taxation.
“I have no intention of asking for a tax increase to do this,” Mr. Cates said. “I think we need to keep in mind, as areas continue to grow, that we do not shortchange people in Butler County, Warren County and Clermont County from having a good library system.”
A Cincinnati Enquirer analysis published Jan. 7 showed the fastest-growing of Ohio's 88 counties get the least amount of state money per-person for libraries.
Warren County, Ohio's second-fastest-growing county, was last on the list for per-person library funding in 1997, the latest year available. It received $23.36 per person. Hamilton County, which is losing population, was first on the list, with $52.13 per person.
The disparity can be seen in cramped buildings, the lack of computers and long resource waiting lists for adults and kids at suburban county libraries.
Ohio Senate President Richard Finan said Mr. Cates will have a tough time persuading other legislators to alter the library funding formula. It's not likely the General Assembly would agree to giving tax refund money to libraries instead of taxpayers, the Evendale Republican said.
“There's no free lunch,” he said. “If you raise the percentage going to (libraries), you are taking away from someone else. Where are we going to take away from — schools, higher education, Medicaid?”
In 1986, the General Assembly changed the method in which public libraries were funded.
Instead of an intangibles tax, collected on income from such invest ments as stocks and bonds, the new formula based library funding on state income taxes. Though it was supposed to be fairer for Ohio's smaller, poorer counties, it did not account for the rapid population growth. It also guaranteed the budgets of large urban library systems — such as those in Hamilton, Franklin and Cuyahoga counties — would not be slashed.
Mason Public Library Director Sarah Brown said the formula needs to be changed.
“If the growth isn't there, why should these major metropolitan areas continue to get the same amount? I'm not saying strip them or make things miserable for them. We just need to look carefully at this,” she said.
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