CHEYENNE - A public library endowment bill is moving through the Legislature with considerably fewer dollars than it started out with.

The Senate Appropriations Committee cut the funding in the bill, Senate File 29, from $25.3 million to $7.3 million.

"We never really expected to totally get it funded to the tune of $25.3 million. We're realistic enough to know there's only so much money out there," said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, the prime sponsor.

An additional $1.8 million may be added to the pot depending on what a House-Senate conference committee does with the budget.

Senate President John Schiffer, R-Kaycee, tacked on a budget amendment that would transfer to the library fund $1.8 million in unused University of Wyoming money. The House, however, voted to give that money to the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources.

The conference committee will sort it out.

The bill passed the Senate and is scheduled for discussion Friday noon by the House Education Committee.

The library endowment program is similar to challenge match programs for the community colleges and the University of Wyoming.

It creates 23 separate accounts for the 23 county libraries. When the county library raises $10,000, it gets a match from the state treasurer's office.

The bill passed the Senate last year but ran into technical problems in the House.

"This year I'm very, very confident that we will be successful," Coe said. "It's a bill that's picked up a lot of momentum since we got to town."

The foundation already has $5 million for the new program.

Marian Schulz, a lobbyist for the Wyoming Library Association, said county librarians are satisfied with the reduced dollars, for this year.

They can come back next year once the program gets started and ask for additional dollars, she said.

The bill distributes the money according to the valuation of the county:

* The six counties with the biggest tax bases - Campbell, Sublette, Sweetwater, Fremont, Teton and Natrona - would get a 1-1 match in state dollars.

* The eight middle counties - Johnson, Lincoln, Carbon, Uinta, Laramie, Park, Sheridan and Converse - would get a 2-1 match.

* The nine lowest-valuation counties - Albany, Big Horn, Hot Springs, Platte, Crook, Weston, Washakie, Goshen and Niobrara - would get a 3-1 match.

Schulz said some Senate members pointed out the county valuations can change.

"We feel we have to work off this year's numbers," Schulz said.

Contact Joan Barron at joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.