Sec. 11-24b. State grants to principal public libraries; incentive grants.

(a) Each principal public library, as defined in section 11-24a, shall be eligible to receive a state grant in accordance with the provisions of subsections (b), (c) and (d) of this section provided the following requirements are met:

(1) An annual statistical report which includes certification that the grant, when received, shall be used for library purposes is filed with the State Library Board in such manner as the board may require. The report shall include information concerning local library governance, hours of service, type of facilities, library policies, resources, programs and services available, measurement of levels of services provided, personnel and fiscal information concerning library receipts and expenditures;

(2) Documents certifying the legal establishment of the principal public library in accordance with the provisions of section 11-20 are filed with the board;

(3) The library is a participating library in the Connecticard program established pursuant to section 11-31b;

(4) Except for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, to June 30, 2015, inclusive, the principal public library shall not have had the amount of its annual tax levy or appropriation reduced to an amount which is less than the average amount levied or appropriated for the library for the three fiscal years immediately preceding the year of the grant, except that if the expenditures of the library in any one year in such three-year period are unusually high as compared with expenditures in the other two years, the library may request an exception to this requirement and the board, upon review of the expenditures for that year, may grant an exception;

(5) State grant funds shall be expended within two years of the date of receipt of such funds. If the funds are not expended in that period, the library shall submit a plan to the State Librarian for the expenditure of any unspent balance;

(6) Principal public libraries shall not charge individuals residing in the town in which the library is located or the town in which the contract library is located for borrowing and lending library materials, accessing information, advice and assistance and programs and services which promote literacy; and

(7) Principal public libraries shall provide equal access to library service for all individuals and shall not discriminate upon the basis of age, race, sex, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, handicap or place of residency in the town in which the library is located or the town in which the contract library is located.

(b) Within the limits of amounts appropriated, the amount each principal public library shall be eligible to receive annually as a state grant shall be determined by the State Library Board as follows:

(1) Principal public libraries, as defined in section 11-24a, shall receive a base grant of one thousand two hundred dollars for each fiscal year.

(2) Of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section less the amount distributed as base grants, sixty per cent shall be set aside and paid to principal public libraries pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

(3) Of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section less the amount distributed as base grants, forty per cent shall be set aside and paid to principal public libraries pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.

(c) The principal public library for each town shall be eligible to receive an equalization grant in an amount determined as follows:

(1) The adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10-261, for all towns in the state shall be ranked from highest to lowest.

(2) The adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as ranked for all towns in the state from highest to lowest shall be divided into the following four classes: Class A, towns ranked from one to forty-two, inclusive; class B, towns ranked from forty-three to eighty-four, inclusive; class C, towns ranked from eighty-five to one hundred twenty-six, inclusive; and, class D, towns ranked from one hundred twenty-seven to one hundred sixty-nine, inclusive. Funds available for purposes of this subsection pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section shall be distributed among the four classes so that principal public libraries for class B, C, and D towns, respectively, shall receive two times, three times and four times as much on a per capita basis as principal public libraries for class A towns.

(3) Grants to the principal public library for each town shall be determined as follows: Said funds available for purposes of this subsection shall be multiplied by the per cent of funds for each class to determine an appropriation per class; the appropriation per class shall be divided by the total population per class to determine an amount per capita; the grant for the principal public library for each town shall be the town's total population multiplied by the amount per capita. For purposes of this subdivision, “total population” of a town means that enumerated in the most recent federal decennial census of population.

(d) The principal public library for each town shall be eligible to receive an incentive grant in an amount to be determined as follows:

(1) The State Library Board shall, in such manner as prescribed by the board, determine for each fiscal year, a state-wide average for per capita library expenditures and each town's individual per capita library expenditure based on the annual statistical report filed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.

(2) The per capita library expenditure of each town shall be ranked from highest to lowest and the ranked expenditures shall be divided into the following classes: Class A, towns which meet or exceed the state-wide average for per capita library expenditures; class B, towns which meet seventy-five to ninety-nine per cent, inclusive, of the state-wide average; class C, towns which meet fifty to seventy-four per cent, inclusive, of the state-wide average; and, class D, towns which fall below fifty per cent of the state-wide average. Funds available for purposes of this subsection pursuant to subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section shall be distributed among the four classes so that principal public libraries for class A and B towns, respectively, shall receive three times and two times as much on a per capita basis as principal public libraries for class C towns.

(3) Grants to the principal public library for each town shall be determined as follows: Said funds available for purposes of this subsection shall be multiplied by the per cent of funds per class to determine an appropriation per class; the appropriation per class shall be divided by the total population per class to determine an amount per capita; the grant for the principal public library for each town shall be the town's total population multiplied by the amount per capita. For purposes of this subdivision, “total population” of a town means that enumerated in the most recent federal decennial census of population.

(e) Application for grants under this section shall be made to the State Library Board in such form and at such time as the board designates. The grant may be used for general library purposes and no portion of the grant money shall revert to the general fund of the town or towns normally served by such library.

(f) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall make available, upon the request of the State Library Board, such information as is needed by the board to determine grant payments in accordance with the provisions of subsections (c) and (d) of this section.

(g) The State Library Board shall report triennially to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education on the impact of the state grants distributed pursuant to this section.

(h) The State Library Board shall, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, adopt regulations to implement the provisions of this section.

(1967, P.A. 590, S. 3, 4; 1969, P.A. 579, S. 1; P.A. 73-572; 73-645, S. 2; P.A. 75-316, S. 13; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 83-587, S. 88, 96; P.A. 84-398, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-578, S. 2, 5; P.A. 92-120, S. 1, 3; P.A. 07-227, S. 10; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6, S. 52; P.A. 11-48, S. 209; 11-55, S. 11; P.A. 13-247, S. 231.)

History: 1969 act removed Subsec. indicators, substituted “1969” for “1967” as commencement year for payments, increased payments from $500 to $1,000 for public libraries and from $600 to $1,200 for principal public libraries, deleted provisions prohibiting reduction of payments in 1967 to level less than that of 1966, requiring equal division of funds between two years of biennium, and provided formula for matching funds from state based on local expenditures within limits provided; P.A. 73-572 added provision re modification of census figures by vital statistics kept by health department in determining which towns meet population requirements of Subdiv. (3); P.A. 73-645 added Subsec. (b) re grants to state-wide service libraries for services provided to nonresidents of town in which located; P.A. 75-316 substituted state library board for state library committee; P.A. 77-614 substituted department of health services for department of health, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 83-587 made a technical amendment, removing Subsec. (b) re aid for net services rendered to nonresidents; P.A. 84-398 deleted previous provisions and established a new state grant program which includes phase-out of the base grants to principal and nonprincipal public libraries, equalization grants and incentive grants; P.A. 85-578 amended Subsecs. (b) to (d), inclusive, to specify that grants are to be paid to “principal” public libraries rather than to public libraries or to towns and deleted provision in Subsec. (b) which had required that funds not distributed for grants to “nonprincipal public libraries” be distributed to public libraries pursuant to Subsecs. (c) and (d); P.A. 92-120 amended Subsec. (a) to add the method of computing grants on and after July 1, 1995; P.A. 07-227 required grantees to be principal public libraries, amended Subsec. (a)(6) to replace language re access to library materials without charge with language re borrowing and lending materials, accessing information and advice, assistance, programs and services to promote literacy, amended Subsec. (b)(1) to eliminate phase-out of base grant, amended Subsecs. (c)(3) and (d)(3) to provide that total population be determined based on most recent census instead of 1980 census, amended Subsec. (e) to provide that grant may be used for general library purposes and shall not revert to town's general fund and made technical changes throughout, effective July 1, 2007; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to add exception applicable to fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, and June 30, 2011, effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to extend exception through fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-55 amended Subsec. (a)(7) to prohibit discrimination on basis of gender identity or expression; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to extend exception through fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, effective June 19, 2013.