Submitted photo Officials are weighing whether to close the Poland branch library or renovate it.

Largely because of the possibility of the Poland library branch’s relocation or renovation, state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, introduced a bill that would prevent the library board of trustees from shutting down the location without approval of Mahoning County commissioners — or risk the loss of state funding.

Zak Kozberg, chief stakeholder relations officer for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, said: “What Sen. Cutrona is doing is nothing short of intimidation. It’s vague, and the definition of uninformed.”

Cutrona said: “There’s been a lot of concern with the Poland area specifically, but let’s have some checks and balances,” Cutrona said. “Poland has been the biggest one. We don’t know if there’s an issue until there’s an issue. There shouldn’t be a situation with no accountability.”

Kozberg said Poland is not losing a library. The discussion is whether to renovate the 25-year-old building or relocate the branch to a new building. The decision could be made as soon as the library board’s next meeting April 29.

Cutrona’s bill, introduced Tuesday, specifies that a library branch located in a county with a population between 220,000 and 230,000 people — that would apply to only Mahoning and Delaware counties — cannot be shut down without consent from the county board of commissioners.

Under this proposal, if a library branch is closed without going through the proposed process in Mahoning County, the library would forfeit access to already approved Public Library Fund dollars with the money going to the affected county and local government, Cutrona said. Also, the board of trustees for the shuttered library may be subject to legal action.

The Public Library Fund provides about half of the money for the PLYMC with the rest from property taxes, Kozberg said.

Kozberg said. “We don’t want to mix with excessive political influence, and that’s exactly what is happening. About 50% of our operating budget comes from the Public Library Fund, and we had to make cuts because of Sen. Cutrona and his party” reducing that fund.

The current Poland library location has a number of issues, including structural flaws such as heaving floors and pavement icing over because of drainage issues, as well as rising maintenance expenses and safety concerns.

The PLYMC is among only a few in Ohio that has a library board in which members are self-appointed.

Cutrona said he is open to “tweaking or changing” the language in his proposal to specifically focus on the PLYMC. Cutrona said he wants to fast-track the bill to either get it as an amendment to another bill that would be up for a vote soon or into the state’s capital budget.

“There is a lot of discussion on closure,” Cutrona said. “There is nothing to hold the library board accountable. This would require the library board to get the permission of the county commissioners, who are held accountable by voters. If this is so good, the county commissioners would be on board with this.”

Kozberg said of Cutrona’s proposal: “This tells me he’s talking to one side of the argument. He didn’t talk to anyone here at the library about the legislation. We are not closing the Poland library.”

Some people in Poland have complained that the PLYMC hasn’t listened to their concerns about a new building. Kozberg said the library has worked hard to engage the public about the Poland library.