Ohio Historical Society asking state to ease funding cut - Business First of Columbus:

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Historical society CEO Bill Laidlaw in testimony to the finance committee Thursday said anadditionalo $1.2 million in state dollarse would allow the society time to find other organizations to managwe day-to-day operations of the 18 sites, which includr several in Central Ohio. The society alreadyu has farmed out management of 29 sites in an effort tocut costs. Absent additiona funding or community organizations that agree to manage those sites with a subsidgy byJune 30, operations could be temporarily suspended.
Laidlaw said the societh is working to refocus in light of tight fundiny and added that discussions on management dealxs are underway in a number of communitiexsin Ohio, but “potentialk partnership agreements take time and financial resources to The society, which has an operating budgegt of about $20 million, expects to receivs about $1.3 million less from the statew in the two-year budget cycle beginning July 1. The statwe provides about 60 percent ofthe society’a operating support. Those expected reductions come after the society trimmed its budgety more than once over the past year on orderswfrom Gov. Ted Strickland.
To close up an existingb $736,000 budget gap this fiscal year, the society from Marcgh 28 to April 3 will close all site s normally open to visitation andall history-related services. With the exceptionj of a few of its more than 250 employees willbe furloughed.