Library officials said it’s difficult to determine how many employees are eligible for the program as of its approval, as some employees have worked with other state employers and have accumulated service years in their retirement plans through those work opportunities.
But the program will be available to employees who are eligible on or before Aug. 31 this year for a reduced or unreduced retirement through the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Under the state’s traditional retirement plan, workers must meet specific age and service requirements — an employee of any age who has served 30 years of service could be eligible for unreduced state retirement benefits, for example.
The payout will be a lump-sum payment equal to 75% of an employee’s accrued but unused sick leave as of that employee’s separation date, which must be on or before Aug. 31.
Library officials said they’re offering the one-time voluntary retirement program “due to the immediate need to balance our budget, address the uncertainty surrounding Library funding sources, and implement sustainable solutions,” according to meeting records.
“The library is making this program available to staff because we are anticipating cuts from the budget that has been presented at the state,” said Dayton Metro Library External Relations and Development Director Debi Chess. “Based on current data, we anticipate substantial cuts over the next two years. This is despite library funding being 0.5% of the state budget.”
The library has also approved other cost-saving measures: an adjustment to hours at locations during the summertime and the delay in paying out bonuses to library managers. The bonus delay amounts to $38,262.48.
Dayton Metro Library Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak this month said the library system is continuing to monitor the situation.
“But it seems pretty clear that we’re going to end up with a line-item rather than a percentage of the general fund,” said Trzeciak. “And that will simply make it much easier in the future for the State of Ohio to dramatically reduce the Public Library Fund or entirely eliminate it. So we’re taking measures right now to retain costs.”
State funding for libraries
For years, the Ohio Public Library Fund has received 1.7% of Ohio’s general revenue fund, which is powered by sales and personal income taxes and other revenue sources.
According to the Ohio Library Council, an organization that advocates for public libraries, roughly 51% of the total funding for Ohio’s public libraries comes from the state through the Public Library Fund.
Both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate have approved proposals to convert the Public Library fund into a line-item in the state budget’s general fund, but they differ on other aspects of library funding, and the legislation is now in conference committee.
Although the Senate’s version of legislation sets aside the same amount of cash for libraries, $490 million in fiscal year 2026 and $500 million in fiscal year 2027, the Senate proposal includes annual transfers of $10.3 million for the State Library of Ohio, the Ohio Public Library Information Network, the Regional Library Systems and the Ohioana Library Association.
This transfer would be made before distributions in state funding are allocated to public libraries. The Ohio Library Council has said that this means “realistically, public libraries will see approximately $479.7 million in (fiscal year 2026) and $489.7 million in (fiscal year 2027).”
For Dayton Metro Library, this could result in more than $700,000 in reduced funds in the next fiscal year.
Roughly 78% of the PLF funds allocated to Montgomery County was set aside for Dayton Metro Library for the 2025 fiscal year. This $20 million allocation represents nearly half of the library’s budget for the 2025 fiscal year.
And Montgomery County residents last year passed a one-mill, five-year library levy that will generate $10.5 million per year for the library. This money covers existing operations and services at the library system.
But library advocates say a provision in the current state budget would allow county budget commissions to reverse a voter-approved levy. Chess says this would be “devastating to organizations and institutions to whom voters have entrusted to deliver much-needed services, resources, and programs to their communities.”
“We are being proactive since staff costs represent approximately 65% of our total budget. We want to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and are simply trying to reduce our expenditures,” Chess said.
About the Author
