revised Nov. 6, 2012

Continued support from the community will help Ritter Public Library move into the future. Voters have approved a levy that will provide additional funding for operating costs at the library.

“This is an exciting outcome for the library,” said Doug Brown, president of the board of trustees. “We appreciate the support shown for this levy by the Vermilion community. This is their library. We look forward to restoring library services to levels seen in past years.”

The library has been hit by cuts in state funding, which has dropped each year since 2008. Other sources of funding have also declined. Trustees responded by reducing spending in every department but felt they could no longer maintain the current level of service without additional income.

The 0.625-mil levy will generate about $278,000 a year and will run for 10 years. “Thank you to our voters for providing this much-needed funding,” said Director Janet Ford. She said it will be used to provide additional materials, programming and extended hours of service. Ford said the new funding will also help the library prepare for the future. “We’re very grateful for the trust and support our voters have shown us,” she said.

revised October 2012

Ritter Public Library trustees have placed a levy on the ballot Nov. 6, 2012. In Erie County, the levy is Issue #19. In Lorain County, it is Issue #46.

The levy is 0.625 mill for operating expenses. It will cost about $9.60 per year based on home value of $50,000.

State funding to Ritter has been cut every year since 2008. Other sources of funding have also declined. If approved, the new levy will generate about $278,000 a year in additional funding. This will return Ritter to about the amount of funding it last received in 2008. This will allow the library to maintain the current level of service and also enable Ritter to move into the future.

If approved, the new levy will run for 10 years.

(Funds for the library building addition come from a bond issue approved by voters in 2007. These funds are separate from the library’s operating expenses.)

revised July 2011

As state funding to public libraries continues to fall, Ritter Public Library trustees are working hard to cut costs and reduce spending.

State funding, which used to make up about 50 percent of Ritter’s income, has fallen by about 23 percent over the past four years. Ohio’s biennium budget, approved in June 2011, included further cuts for public libraries. Other sources of funding for Ritter, such as local property taxes and income from investments, have also dropped.

In response, trustees have made cuts in nearly every department. Even though the size of the building nearly doubled when an addition was opened in 2010, trustees have managed to reduce spending by about $170,000 since 2008, a reduction of about 7 percent.

But cuts in spending have not been able to keep pace with the decline in funding and trustees have been using savings to cover the budget shortfall. Trustees will continue to monitor the library’s financial situation and caution that future cuts may be considered.

The charts below show how the library’s income has dropped, and how expenditures have been cut. The Public Library Fund (PLF) is from the state.

(Funds for the building addition come from a local bond issue, approved by voters in 2007. These funds are already committed and are not in jeopardy.)