Senator Cutrona to Introduce Bill Preventing Libraries from Closing Branch Locations Without County Approval

State Senator Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) plans to introduce legislation that prevents a library board of trustees from shutting down a branch location without approval of the local county board of commissioners.

“Local libraries are the heartbeat of a small city," said Senator Cutrona. “Shutting down a local library branch limits citizens from being able to access quality educational materials and foster community touchpoints. I'm proud to introduce this legislation that supports library accessibility for everyone across The Valley and Eastern Ohio."

The bill specifies that a library branch located in a county with a population between 220,000 and 230,000 people cannot be shut down without consent from the county board of commissioners. Should a branch close without going through the proposed process, the library will forfeit access to already approved Public Library Fund dollars with the funding being returned to the affected county and local government. Additionally, the board of trustees for the shuttered library may be subject to legal action.

The legislation has yet to be assigned a bill number before referral to a Senate committee.

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