Bill Text: DE HB131 | 2011-2012 | 146th General Assembly | Draft

Delaware House Bill 131 (Prior Session Legislation)

Draft

Bill Title: An Act To Amend Title 29 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Libraries.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2011-08-16 - Signed by Governor [HB131 Detail]

Download: Delaware-2011-HB131-Draft.html

SPONSOR:	Rep. George & Sen. Hall-Long

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

146th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 131

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LIBRARIES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1.Amend §6602, Title 29 of the Delaware Code by deleting existing subsections (b), (c) and (d) in their entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

"(b) The formula for services purchased by the Division of Libraries shall be as follows for fiscal year 2012 and in each succeeding fiscal year:

(1) 40% of the total funds appropriated under this chapter shall be allocated among each of the contracting public libraries based upon actual expenditures, exclusive of state or federal funds, for public library services by such contracting public library and by the political subdivision or subdivisions operating or participating in the public library or public library system in the most recently completed fiscal year or in the case of a newly-constructed or renovated public library project based upon expenditures in the current fiscal year subject to adjustment for actual expenditures at fiscal year end, as determined by the Division of Libraries and Delaware Council on Libraries; and

(2) 40% of the total funds appropriated under this chapter shall be allocated among each of the contracting public libraries on a per capita basis for persons served by the public library or public library system as determined by the Division of Libraries with the approval of the Council on Libraries; and

(3) 10% of the total funds appropriated under this chapter shall be allocated to the Division of Libraries to fund statewide library services, cooperative planning and evaluation services, and to enable public libraries and public library systems to meet standards established by the Division of Libraries with the approval of the Council on Libraries; and

(4) Up to 10% of the total funds appropriated under this chapter may be allocated to fund countywide and/or regional public library services provided through anchor public libraries approved by the Division of Libraries and Council on Libraries.The Division of Libraries may with the approval of the Council on Libraries use any portion of the funds set aside pursuant to this subsection to temporarily assist a contracting public library impacted by changes to the funding allocations as a result of a decennial census or the addition or expansion of a contracting public library.Any funds not allocated under this subsection shall be distributed to the contract public libraries on the same pro-rata basis as funds are allocated pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section to enable contract public libraries to improve collections, staffing or other priorities as mutually agreed by each public library and the Division of Libraries with the approval of the Council on Libraries.".

SYNOPSIS

This Act simplifies the formula devised in 1984 that is used to distribute more than $4 million in annual public library standards funds to Delaware's 33 public libraries.The purpose of public library standards funding is to enable every public library in the State to evolve and to meet a minimum threshold of service.Inadvertently, the structure of the current formula has caused an ever-increasing percentage of appropriated funds to be allocated based on local public library spending with fewer and fewer dollars allocated based on service population, as originally intended.This Act would ensure that future allocations will remain balanced between local spending and population served and will significantly reduce annual volatility in allocations among all public libraries.

Specifically, the Act requires that 40% of funds be distributed based on service population and 40% of funds be distributed based on local spending.Current law allows the Division of Libraries to use the remaining 20% of funds for library planning and evaluation and for countywide and statewide library services.This Act reduces the retention amount to 10% and provides that the remaining 10% go directly to individual public libraries to fund countywide or regional public library services provided by anchor public libraries and to fund individualized plans for each public library or public library system to improve library collections, staffing or other priorities.