As frustration about soaring property taxes continues, the Ohio House will soon vote on a Republican-backed bill that would allow counties, cities and other local governments to block library levies from the ballot.
But libraries said the bill will hurt them and the voters deserve the right to make the decision on those money issues.
Sponsoring Rep. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) said House Bill 137 ends the mandate that a proposed library levy must be presented to voters, and gives local taxing authorities the power to review them.
"This mandate can lead to voter fatigue and the potential dilution of support for essential services," Lorenz said in a committee hearing on the bill in March. "By granting taxing authorities the discretion to assess and if necessary decline these levy requests, House Bill 137 empowers local leaders to make decisions that reflect the unique needs and priorities of their communities. This flexibility ensures that levy proposals are introduced in a manner and at times that they are most likely to garner public support and meet community needs."
But Michelle Francis with the Ohio Library Council told the House Local Government Committee last month that the state’s Public Library Fund accounts for less than half of total library support statewide, so local levies are needed.
"Allowing local levy requests enables libraries to respond directly to the needs and demands of their local communities and allows voters to have a voice when it comes to local library services.
Any changes to that funding structure could significantly impact the services provided locally," Francis said. "If you speak with any library director around Ohio, going to the ballot to ask local voters for money is the last thing they want to do. However, Ohioans value their local libraries and overwhelmingly support them at the ballot."
Francis said voters deserve to decide library levies, which she noted average around 1.2 mills, and have a 92% passage rate over the last 15 years.
Akron-Summit County Public Library executive director Pam Hickson-Stevenson told the committee she fears this bill would politicize library funding.
"Libraries are nonpartisan institutions and serve everyone regardless of age, income, political affiliation or background," Hickson-Stevenson said. "Allowing a political body to block levy requests risks turning library funding into a political bargaining chip rather than a community-driven decision."
The two-year state budget that began in July changed the Public Library Fund from a percentage of the overall state General Revenue Fund into a line-item appropriation. And libraries will receive $25 million less over the next two years than in the previous budget. 48 of the 251 public library systems in Ohio solely rely on the Public Library Fund for operational funding.
But Republican committee chair Rep. Angie King (R-Celina) said a Legislative Service Commission report showed Ohio lead the nation in state funding for libraries in 2022, so local levies have to be carefully considered.
"I don't think anybody's disputing the importance of libraries—or, I think we've kind of explained kind of the predicament we are right now with the spike in property taxes," King said. “We're in different times now and the voters are asking for accountability and prudence. This is just another step in giving options to local government.”
HB 137 also allows taxing authorities to reject a general health district levy for the ballot. The Association of Ohio Health Commissioners opposes it.
The bill passed the committee by one vote. Seven Republicans voted for it, while two Republicans joined the committee's four Democrats in voting against it. It could come up for a full House vote soon.
