State Aid to Public Libraries FY2008 Budget Language
Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007
7000-9501
For state aid to public libraries; provided, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, no city or town shall receive any money under this item in any year when the appropriation of the city or town for free public library services is below an amount equal to 102.5 per cent of the average of the appropriations for free public library service for the 3 years immediately preceding; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the board of library commissioners may grant no more than 55 additional waivers in excess of the waiver limit set forth in the second paragraph of section 19A of chapter 78 of the General Laws in fiscal year 2008 for a period of not more than 1 year; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, of the amount by which this item exceeds the amount appropriated in chapter 194 of the acts of 1998, funds shall be distributed under the guidelines of the municipal equalization grant program and under the guidelines for the library incentive grant program; and provided further, that any payment made under this item shall be deposited with the treasurer of the city or town and held as a separate account and shall be expended by the public library of that city or town without appropriation, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary................$9,489,844
PUBLIC LIBRARIES FUND 7000-9507
For the purposes of implementing a public library matching incentive grant program; provided, that a $.50 state match shall be made for each $1 that local trustees and public library foundations raise; provided further, that eligible state matching funds shall be made available to municipalities that raise at least $2,000 and only up to $100,000 raised; and provided further, that funds from this item shall be made available to the local public library trustees for the enhancement of library services and shall not be used as part of the local match for an approved public library project as defined in section 19H of chapter 78 of the General Laws or to meet the appropriation requirement as defined in section 19A of said chapter 78..............$250,000