To the Department of “If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It” must flow one particularly reckless and potentially harmful provision of the recently passed Ohio House version of the state’s 2026-27 operating budget.

That provision would close the book on a decades-old bipartisan standard for funding the Buckeye State’s network of public libraries, a network that consistently rates among the best warehouses of knowledge and information in the nation.

Specifically, the House-passed version with all Democrats and all but five brave Republicans opposing, takes an ax to the Public Library Fund, the libraries’ earmarked share of the General Revenue Fund of the state each year. Instead, the GOP caucus decided to allot a flat amount for libraries based on population.

Not only was that a slap in the face to fellow Republican Gov. Mike DeWine who recommended a slight increase in the existing share of the annual revenue the state raises through income, sales and business taxes, it also rightly angered advocates of strong public libraries throughout the state.

And why shouldn’t it?

According to the Ohio Library Council, the revamped funding mechanism translates into major losses for the system funded by state aid and local property taxes.

Under the budget bill introduced as House Bill 96, the state would allocate $485 million for fiscal year 2026 compared with $531 million proposed by DeWine. In fiscal year 2027, the new formula would reduce state aid by about $18 million, according to estimates from the Ohio Office of Budget and Management.

“Ohio’s public libraries have had a partnership with the state to deliver services at the local level for almost 100 years and that funding is now at risk,” said Michelle Francis, executive director of the Ohio Library Council, in a statement on the House plan. “Public libraries serve all ages, and funding cuts of this magnitude could jeopardize the vital services that our communities rely on.”

She is not alone. Library leaders in the Mahoning Valley are equally perplexed and troubled.

Aimee Fifarek, director of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, called the House funding plan “shortsighted” and said it cannot go unchecked. She also noted the new formula could jeopardize popular programs and services faithful patrons rely on.

Jim Wilkins, the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library’s executive director, is equally dismayed. He said he and other library leaders throughout the state will lobby state senators aggressively to restore the original funding formula proposed by the governor.

Librarians’ protests statewide, however, did result in some positive changes. Before passage, House leaders did scale back the extent of their originally proposed draconian funding cuts. For the Mahoning County library system, that amounted to a reduction from $1.3 million to a revised loss of $90,000. But at this time of rising costs for virtually all goods and services, even that cut will still sting.

Fifarek and others also argue that public library funding has failed to keep pace with inflation. The proposed budget under the House plan would provide funding at the same amount libraries received 25 years ago, they said.

Fortunately for the millions of Ohioans who value the growing range of services provided by public libraries, the first battle may have been lost, but the war is far from over.

The state Senate is just beginning its focused work on the state budget and in putting its mark on the House proposal. They should start by whacking elimination of the longstanding Public Library Fund and accept the governor’s recommendation of an increase in the share of total state revenue to libraries from 1.7% to 1.75% for the biennium.

But time’s a wastin’. The General Assembly has until June 30 to adopt a finalized budget for all facets of state operations for the next biennium, which begins July 1. That means library leaders and library patrons who value the multi-faceted services of contemporary public libraries should waste no time in sending the message to kill the House plan and restore the governor’s plan to the biennial budget. Mahoning County residents should contact state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, at cutrona@ohiosenate.gov. Trumbull County residents should email their pleas to state Sen. Sandra O’Brien, R-Ashtabula, at sandra.obrien@ohiosenate.gov ASAP.

For years now, the Mahoning library system has generated support for levy campaigns and other initiatives through its “I Love My Library” campaign. Loyal patrons of public libraries throughout the Mahoning Valley should spread that love to the halls of the Statehouse post haste.