Senate Bill sb2114
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
By Senator Garcia
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public libraries; amending
3 s. 257.17, F.S.; authorizing municipalities to
4 receive operating grants; establishing minimum
5 standards for receipt of funds; removing
6 minimum population requirement for
7 municipalities to be eligible to receive funds;
8 amending s. 257.191, F.S.; revising provisions
9 relating to construction grants; amending s.
10 257.22, F.S.; permitting eligible political
11 subdivisions to receive warrants; amending s.
12 257.23, F.S.; requiring certification of annual
13 tax income by a specified date; clarifying
14 authority with regard to applications for
15 grants; repealing s. 257.19, F.S., relating to
16 library construction grants; providing an
17 effective date.
18
19 WHEREAS, in enacting revisions to the State Aid to
20 Libraries program, the Legislature recognizes that the
21 original intent of aiding and encouraging the establishment of
22 free library service throughout the state by offering grants
23 to individual counties is succeeding because all counties in
24 this state are currently participating in the program, and
25 WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that providing
26 state aid to independent municipal libraries while supporting
27 political subdivisions that are currently participating in the
28 State Aid to Libraries program is a valuable contribution to
29 the extension of the state's public library development plan,
30 and
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 WHEREAS, the Legislature further recognizes the need
2 for state aid in order to equalize the level of service that
3 public libraries in various communities throughout the state
4 are able to provide, to promote free library service that
5 benefits all residents of the state, and to promote
6 coordination among public libraries in order to improve the
7 delivery of library services, NOW, THEREFORE,
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11 Section 1. Section 257.17, Florida Statutes, is
12 amended to read:
13 257.17 Operating grants.--A political subdivision that
14 has been designated by a county or municipality as the single
15 library administrative unit is eligible to receive from the
16 state an annual operating grant of not more than 25 percent of
17 all local funds expended by that political subdivision during
18 the second preceding fiscal year for the operation and
19 maintenance of a library, under the following conditions:
20 (1) Eligible political subdivisions include:
21 (a) A county that establishes or maintains a library
22 or that gives or receives free library service by contract
23 with a municipality or nonprofit library corporation or
24 association within such county;
25 (b) A county that joins with one or more counties to
26 establish or maintain a library or contracts with another
27 county, a special district, a special tax district, or one or
28 more municipalities in another county to receive free library
29 service;
30
31
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 (c) A special district or special tax district that
2 establishes or maintains a library and provides free library
3 service; or
4 (d) A municipality with a population of 200,000 or
5 more that establishes or maintains a library or that and gives
6 or receives free library service by contract with a nonprofit
7 library corporation or association within the municipality.
8 (2) The library established or maintained by such
9 political subdivision shall:
10 (a) Be operated under a single administrative head who
11 has completed a library education program accredited by the
12 American Library Association. The single administrative head
13 shall have at least 2 years of full-time paid professional
14 experience after completing the library education program in a
15 public library that is open to the public for a minimum of 40
16 hours per week. and
17 (b) Expend its funds centrally.;
18 (b) Have an operating budget of at least $20,000 per
19 year from local sources; and
20 (c) Give the same free library service provided to its
21 own all residents to residents of all political subdivisions
22 within the county that receive operating grants from the state
23 of the county or residents of the special district or special
24 tax district.
25 (d) Have at least one library or branch library open
26 for 40 or more hours per week.
27 (e) Have a long-range plan, an annual plan of service,
28 and an annual budget.
29 (f) Engage in joint planning for coordination of
30 library services within the county or counties that receive
31 operating grants from the state.
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 (3) Any political subdivision establishing public
2 library service for the first time shall submit a certified
3 copy of its appropriation for library service, and its
4 eligibility to receive an operating grant shall be based upon
5 such appropriation.
6 (4)(a) A municipality with a population of 200,000 or
7 more that establishes or maintains a library is eligible to
8 receive from the state an annual operating grant of not more
9 than 25 percent of all local funds expended by that
10 municipality during the second preceding fiscal year for the
11 operation and maintenance of a library, under the following
12 conditions:
13 1. The municipal library is operated under a single
14 administrative head and expends its funds centrally;
15 2. The municipal library has an operating budget of at
16 least $20,000 per year from local sources; and
17 3. The municipal library provides free library service
18 to all residents of the municipality.
19 (b) This subsection is repealed on July 1, 2002.
20 Section 2. Section 257.191, Florida Statutes, is
21 amended to read:
22 257.191 Construction grants.--The Division of Library
23 and Information Services may accept and administer library
24 construction moneys appropriated to it and shall allocate such
25 appropriation to municipal, county, and regional libraries in
26 the form of library construction grants on a matching basis.
27 The local matching portion shall be no less than the grant
28 amount, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to the maximum grant
29 amount, unless the matching requirement is waived by s.
30 288.0656 50 percent. The division shall adopt rules for the
31
4
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 administration of library construction grants. For the
2 purposes of this section, s. 257.21 does not apply.
3 Section 3. Section 257.22, Florida Statutes, is
4 amended to read:
5 257.22 Division of Library and Information Services;
6 allocation of funds.--Any moneys that may be appropriated for
7 use by a county, a municipality, a special district, or a
8 special tax district for the maintenance of a library or
9 library service shall be administered and allocated by the
10 Division of Library and Information Services in the manner
11 prescribed by law. On or before December 1 of each year, the
12 division shall certify to the Comptroller the amount to be
13 paid to each county, municipality, special district, or
14 special tax district, and the Comptroller shall issue warrants
15 to the eligible political subdivisions respective boards of
16 county commissioners or chief municipal executive authorities
17 for the amount so allocated.
18 Section 4. Section 257.23, Florida Statutes, is
19 amended to read:
20 257.23 Application for grant.--
21 (1) The board of county commissioners of any county,
22 the chief executive officer of a municipality, or the
23 governing body of a special district or a special tax district
24 desiring to receive a grant under the provisions of ss.
25 257.14-257.25 shall apply therefor to the Division of Library
26 and Information Services on or before October 1 of each year
27 on a form to be provided by the division. In The application,
28 which shall be signed by the chair of the board of county
29 commissioners and attested by the clerk of the circuit court
30 or the appropriate officer in a charter county, by the chief
31 executive officer of a municipality and attested by the clerk
5
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 of the municipality, or by the chair of the governing body and
2 attested by the chief financial officer of a special district
3 or a special tax district. The county, municipality, special
4 district, or special tax district the board of county
5 commissioners shall agree to observe the standards established
6 by the division as authorized in s. 257.15. On or before
7 December 1 each year, the applicant shall certify the annual
8 tax income and the rate of tax or the annual appropriation for
9 the free library or free library service, and shall furnish
10 such other pertinent information as the division may require.
11 (2) The chief municipal executive authority of any
12 municipality desiring to receive a grant under the provisions
13 of ss. 257.14-257.25 shall apply therefor to the Division of
14 Library and Information Services on or before October 1 of
15 each year on a form to be provided by the division. In the
16 application, which shall be signed by the chief municipal
17 executive officer and attested by the clerk of the circuit
18 court, the chief municipal executive authority shall agree to
19 observe the standards established by the division as
20 authorized in s. 257.15, shall certify the annual tax income
21 and the rate of tax or the annual appropriation for the free
22 library, and shall furnish such other pertinent information as
23 the division may require.
24 Section 5. Section 257.19, Florida Statutes, is
25 repealed.
26 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
27
28
29
30
31
6
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 2114
39-1440-02 See HB 1115
1 *****************************************
2 HOUSE SUMMARY
3
Authorizes municipalities to receive operating grants for
4 public libraries. Establishes minimum standards for
receipt of funds. Removes minimum population requirement
5 for municipalities to be eligible to receive funds.
Revises provisions relating to construction grants.
6 Permits eligible political subdivisions to receive
warrants. Requires certification of annual tax income by
7 a specified date. Clarifies authority with regard to
applications for grants. Repeals s. 257.19, F.S.,
8 relating to library construction grants.
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
7
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.