Governor's FY05 Budget Proposal for Libraries

The State Library has received information about Governor Vilsack's proposed budget for Iowa libraries. It states, in brief that:

1. The State Library's operating budget would remain at its current level, which already includes a 2.5 percent cut from the original FY04 appropriation.
2. The Library Service Areas budgets would remain at their current level, which also includes the 2.5 percent cut.
3. There would be level funding from the general fund for Direct State Aid, Open Access and Access Plus.
4. There would be an additional $400,000 from the infrastructure fund for the Enrich Iowa Program (Direct State Aid, Open Access and Access Plus).

The additional dollars recommended for the Enrich Iowa programs show the governor's continued support for and interest in libraries. There may be some increased flexibility in terms of the funding of the three parts of the Enrich Iowa program, and also some increased flexibility for libraries in how the infrastructure funds can be spent. We also hope that the due date for the Enrich Iowa report will be changed so that libraries will not have to report as soon as they do now.

We will continue to keep you updated as information becomes available.