[OPLINLIST] Reduction in PLF

[John Chidester]

I've been in the Ohio library biz since 1973 (yes, folks, 36 wonderful
tortured years!), and here's how it's gone:  In 1985, they took away our
intangibles tax and replaced it with the LLGSF, at 6.3% of state income
tax revenues.  Some of us worried that we would become a "political
football."  They told us not to worry--this would never happen because
they were enacting it into "permanent law."  A few years after that,
Gov. George Voinovich (apparently unwaware of that "permanent law"
thing) froze the LLGSF for 18 months, after which it miraculously shrank
to 5.7%.  Those were the good old days.  Then came 2002 and "the freeze
that would not die."  Which lasted until Gov. Ted Strickland replaced
the LLGSF with the PLF and a new formula.  No more freeze!  Just 2.22%
of the entire state tax revenue stream.  Yay!  And that turned out to
be...wait for it...wait for it...almost exactly what the freeze had been
(I calculated it at less than a half percent increase).  Please note,
also, that from 2000 to 2007, the state's GRF grew by $11 billion, or
about 36%, but we got no share of that pie.  Now that the PLF is
dropping from 2.22% to 1.97% (but per cent of what?) I can hardly wait
to see what happens next.  How about you?  At least, thank God, we
haven't angered the legislators by demanding too much!
 
So I think the lesson is this: What the Governor/Legislature take away,
they never give back.  Action plan?  I hear the acronym-ridden nursing
profession has a particularly poignant one that may apply to us: BOHICA
(bend over, here it comes again).
 
Regards to all,
John Chidester

  _____  

From: oplinlist-bounces at oplin.org [mailto:oplinlist-bounces at oplin.org]
On Behalf Of Susan Pieper
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:57 AM
To: oplinlist at oplin.org
Subject: [OPLINLIST] Reduction in PLF


Lynda Murray shared: "This bill reduces in temporary law the PLF
percentage from 2.22% to 1.97%. Of course, we are skeptical about the
"temporary" nature of this reduction." I tend to be extremely concerned
with the word "temporary". In my brief seventeen years involved with
Ohio's libraries... "temporary" has meant "permanent". 
 
I look forward to learning about a coordinated action plan for our
public libraries regarding this issue.
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Save Ohio Libraries!
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Susan Hill Pieper
Director/Editor
Paulding County Carnegie Library
205 S Main St
Paulding, Ohio 45879
419-399-2032 voice 419-3999-2114 fax
www.pauldingcountylibrary.org
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