Library officials warn missed state filing could cost county libraries key grant money

Heather Garrison, speaking for local libraries, told the Osage County Commission on March 3 that the county had not turned in required budget paperwork by the Dec. 31 deadline and that the omission jeopardized state grant eligibility and Nichols-system distributions that fund Osage County libraries. "We received an email from the state saying that Osage County's, budgets had not been submitted, that, they are actually due pursuant to k s a 29 79 2 29 30," Garrison said.

Garrison told commissioners the state grant itself was "not huge"—"like 1000 bucks or something"—but she emphasized that Nichols-system money that flows from property-tax–based collections across the county is a significant funding source for the five county libraries. Commissioners and county staff discussed the timing: staff reported that budgets had been submitted previously and were resent to the state as a precaution. The clerk told the commission she had "resent them just for good measures yesterday" and had spoken with the state to confirm receipt.

The commission asked staff to follow up with the state librarian and confirm whether the Nichols distributions could be restored for the March allocation if the paperwork was acknowledged. One commissioner asked how many libraries were township-funded vs. city-funded to confirm grant triggers; Garrison responded that Linden is township-funded and the rest are city-funded, and that the grant and Nichols distributions depend on statutory checklists and accreditation standards.

Commissioners said they would keep the library representatives informed and that staff should maintain direct contact with the state to resolve the eligibility questions before the next distributions.