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State library warns geospatial revenue decline threatens Montana State Reference Network rollout
Summary
State librarian Jenny Stapp told the legislature’s Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education that declines in state special revenues will create a near-term shortfall for the Montana State Reference Network, and urged committee members to consider whether to backfill missing cash to sustain the rollout and staffing.
State Librarian Jenny Stapp told the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education that the Montana State Reference Network faces funding shortfalls after unexpected declines in the geospatial information account.
Stapp said the committee’s fiscal materials and the legislative fiscal analyst’s HJ 2 show an expected drop in revenue for the library’s accounts of about 14% in fiscal 2025, 7% in 2026 and 6% in 2027. “That information shows a decline, of 14% expected in 2025 and 7 percent expected in 2026 and about 6% expected in 2027,” Stapp said. She told the committee that the drop has reduced the cash available to hire a technical staff position and to sustain early operations of the reference network.
The network was authorized by Senate Bill 60 in 2023, Stapp said, and the fiscal note at passage…
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