PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The Scioto County Public Library Board of Trustees approved nearly $65,000 in facility upgrades at its July 17 regular meeting, the same session in which the library’s director warned that a change in state funding will cost the library system about $260,000 over the next two years.
Before July 1, 2025, Ohio’s Public Library Fund had distributed money to libraries as a percentage of the state’s General Revenue Fund. The new 2026-27 biennium budget instead sets library funding as a fixed line-item amount, a change the library said will reduce its state funding by roughly $260,000 over the two-year budget cycle.
Despite that outlook, trustees moved ahead with several building projects. The board approved a $19,160 contract with Sun Sign Company for new exterior signage at the South Webster branch, a $20,212.54 contract with All Pro Paving & Sealcoating to reseal parking lots at every branch except the Portsmouth main library, and a $25,400 contract with Tom Rayburn & Son Masonry to replace six stone steps at the front of the Portsmouth branch.
Board members also reviewed, but did not yet approve, a larger project to replace the flat portion of the Portsmouth branch’s roof, estimated at $187,992.45. The library said it is seeking a proposal using higher-quality materials before bringing the project back for a final vote, part of an ongoing round of building upkeep across its branch system that has included a roof replacement at its New Boston branch and new flooring at its Wheelersburg branch.
Ruthann Brush was sworn in as a new member of the board during the meeting, with a term set to run through June 30, 2032.
The library also reported it received a clean audit for fiscal years 2023-2024 and earned a “Highest Achievement in Open and Transparent Government” rating from the Ohio Auditor of State’s office, marking four consecutive years the library has received a perfect “StaRS” score.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Scioto County Public Library Board of Trustees.
