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Session of 2026
HOUSE BILL No. 2410
By Representative Howe
11-21
AN ACT concerning public libraries; relating to withdrawal from a
regional system of cooperating libraries; allowing such withdrawal
upon certain conditions with no discretion regarding approval of such
withdrawal by the state library board; amending K.S.A. 75-2549, 75-
2550 and 75-2551 and repealing the existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 75-2549 is hereby amended to read as follows: 75-
2549. (a) Any one or more boards , may petition the state board for the
establishment of a regional system of cooperating libraries comprised of
territory which that includes one or more counties, except any territory
supporting a library regularly that is subject to a tax levy of .25 mill or
more shall be excluded from the proposed regional system upon request of
the governing body of the district making such levy 0.25 or more mills
that has been excluded pursuant to K.S.A. 75-2550, and amendments
thereto.
(b) Such petition shall be prepared in cooperation with the state
librarian on forms provided by him or her the state librarian. Such petition
may propose cooperative arrangements with institutions of higher learning.
Such petition shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following
information:
(a)(1) A statement of purpose for the establishment of the proposed
system and an outline of the proposed program of the system.;
(b)(2) a list of the counties to be included in the proposed regional
system of cooperating libraries and any exclusions therefrom.;
(c)(3) a list of the participating libraries within the proposed regional
system of cooperating libraries, together with the names and addresses of
the members of the board of each such library.;
(d)(4) letters or resolutions from each of the boards of participating
libraries indicating the interest and attitude of such board toward the
establishment of the regional system of cooperating libraries.;
(e)(5) a list of the current budgets of each participating library
showing items for library material and personnel for each such budget.;
(f)(6) indication of local support appropriate to the operation of the
proposed regional system of cooperating libraries.;
(g)(7) the number of persons to be served by the system, showing
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HB 2410 2
those presently within the taxing districts supporting one of the
participating libraries, and those persons not within such a district.; and
(h)(8) such other information as may be requested by the state
librarian.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 75-2550 is hereby amended to read as follows: 75-
2550. (a) The system board shall consist of one or more representatives
selected by each of the boards participating in the regional system, and one
or more representatives appointed by the board of county commissioners
of each county that is a part of the regional system to represent territory
not within the district of the participating library board but within the
territory of the regional system of cooperating libraries. The petition
provided for in K.S.A. 75-2549, and amendments thereto, may propose the
number of representatives of each such board, but the determination
thereof shall be made by the state board when approving such petition. The
state board shall consider any petition presented to it submitted as provided
in this act and. If it approves such petition it the state board approves the
petition, the state board shall adopt a resolution officially designating such
particular regional system of cooperating libraries and describing the
territory thereof which. Such territory shall include one or more counties
but shall exclude the territory of any taxing district which regularly that
levies a property tax of 0 .25 or more mills of tax for the support of a
public library upon the request of the governing body of the district
making such levy. Any district so excluded may later petition to be added
to and included in the regional system of cooperating libraries from which
it was excluded and such petition shall be prepared and processed as other
petitions provided for by this act that has been excluded pursuant to
subsection (b) . Additional counties may be added to the territory of any
regional system of cooperating libraries upon petition by a library board
located in such county and such a. Any such petition shall be prepared and
processed as is provided in this act for initial petitions ;, except that the
prior written approval in writing of a such petition under this sentence
shall be obtained by the petitioning board from the regional board and
attached to the petition when submitted to the state board. Within two
weeks after receiving notice of approval of a petition provided for under
this act , the board of each participating library and the board of county
commissioners of the county of residence of such appointee , shall select
the number of representatives determined by the state board and shall
certify the names and addresses of such representatives to the state
librarian. The term of each such representative may be proposed in the
petition provided under K.S.A. 75-2549, and amendments thereto, but
shall not exceed four years , and . The final determination of duration of
terms shall be made by the state board at the time of approval of the
petition.
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(b) (1) Any taxing district which regularly that levies a property tax
of 0.25 mill or more of tax or more mills for the support of a public library,
and which taxing district that has been included in a regional system , may
petition to be excluded from the such regional system. Such petition shall
be made and presented to the state board. The state board shall consider
any such petition , and if such taxing district meets the requirement for
making such a petition and if excluding such taxing district from the
regional system will do no manifest harm thereto , the state board may
shall enter its an order excluding and detaching such taxing district from
the regional system and making such adjustment to the organization of
such regional system as may be appropriate to continue the operation of
the regional system without interruption. Such petition shall be submitted
on or before May 1 in any year following the year in which the property
tax levy was approved by the governing body of the taxing district. Upon
exclusion from the regional system, any library supported by the excluded
taxing district shall retain all property held by such library regardless of
the source of revenue used to acquire such property.
(2) Any taxing district excluded from a regional system may petition
to be added to and included in such regional system of cooperating
libraries. Such petition shall be prepared and processed as other petitions
provided for by this act. If any taxing district excluded from a regional
system stops levying the property tax required under paragraph (1) for a
period of two consecutive years, the state board shall enter an order for
the inclusion of such taxing district in the regional system from which it
was excluded.
(c) The system board shall have the authority and power to:
(1) Operate a system of library service to and for participating
libraries;
(2) the system board may purchase service from a participating
library for the benefit of the regional system of cooperating libraries;
(3) the system board may contribute to or receive contribution from
any participating library, and may receive and utilize any gift of funds or
property donated to the regional system of cooperating libraries;
(4) the system board may contract with any one or more participating
libraries, and the board of each participating library is hereby authorized to
contract with the system board or with any one or more other boards, but
any such contract shall provide that the same such contract shall not take
effect until approved by the state librarian;
(5) the system board may contract with any other system board or any
board, but any such contract shall provide that the same such contract shall
not take effect until approved by the state librarian; and
(6) employ a system librarian and such other persons as the regional
board may find convenient or necessary.
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Sec. 3. K.S.A. 75-2551 is hereby amended to read as follows: 75-
2551. (a) Federal funds for public library service made available to the
state which that are administered by the state librarian or state board may
be used in support of any one or more regional system of cooperating
libraries within the provisions of such federal legislation. The use of funds
of any regional system of cooperating libraries shall be established by the
system board by contracts with boards of participating libraries, or
otherwise.
(b) Participating boards shall have the power and are hereby
authorized to pay for services purchased from the system board.
(c) Any funds appropriated by the legislature and administered by the
state librarian for the promotion of library services may be used to pay all
or part of the expenses and equipment of any regional system of
cooperating libraries.
(d) The system board shall be subject to the cash basis and budget
laws of the state. The budget of the system board shall be prepared,
adopted and published as provided by law and hearing shall be held
thereon in the first week of the month of August of each year. The tax levy
made pursuant to the budget shall be based upon the certified preliminary
abstract of property values submitted to the director of property valuation
pursuant to K.S.A. 79-1604, and amendments thereto, and shall be
certified to the county clerks of each county in the territory of the regional
system of cooperating libraries.
(e) Each system board is hereby authorized to levy a tax that is not in
excess of 3/4 mill of tax to be used for library purposes on all of the taxable
property within the boundaries of the regional system of cooperating
libraries that is not except taxable property within a taxing district
supporting a library with funds of the district when such taxing district has
been excluded from the regional system pursuant to K.S.A. 75-2550, and
amendments thereto.
Sec. 4. K.S.A. 75-2549, 75-2550 and 75-2551 are hereby repealed.
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the Kansas register.
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