AN ACT RELATIVE TO JOINT PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:
Section 19A of chapter 78 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-
For a joint public library, the board may approve, at the request of the cities or towns served by the joint public library, a single appropriation requirement in determining amounts under this section. The amount shall be calculated by aggregating the appropriations of the cities or towns administering the library. Upon petition by all of the cities or towns served by a joint public library, the board may waive the single appropriation requirement upon a demonstration of fiscal hardship. A joint public library shall be an undertaking of 2 or more cities or towns to provide public library service to their residents through a single administrative entity.
Approved October 25, 2007.