(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, for the 1994–95 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount of property tax revenue deemed allocated in the prior fiscal year to a county free library system, or a library established as an independent special district, shall not be reduced for purposes of increasing the amount of property tax revenue to be allocated to another jurisdiction. This section does not apply to any adjustments in property tax allocations made pursuant to Section 19116 of the Education Code.

(b) (1) This section shall not be construed to preclude allocations of ad valorem property tax revenue to a county’s Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund, rather than to a county free library system or a library established as an independent special district, that are required by the application to a library system or library district, as so described, of Sections 97.2 and 97.3. The Legislature finds and declares that this paragraph does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, existing law.

(2) This section does not apply to any adjustments in property tax allocations made pursuant to Section 19116 of the Education Code.

(c) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, for those county free library systems from which the auditor had not shifted ad valorem property tax revenue to an Education Revenue Augmentation Fund as of January 1, 1996, all of the following shall apply:

(A) No allocation of ad valorem property tax revenue to a county’s Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund shall be required from a county free library system that did not levy a property tax rate separate from the property tax rate of the county for the 1975–76, 1976–77, and 1977–78 fiscal years, was not entitled to an allocation of property tax revenue for the 1978–79 and 1979–80 fiscal years, and did not receive state assistance payments pursuant to Section 16260, 26912, or 26912.1 of the Government Code.

(B) No allocation of ad valorem property tax revenue to a county’s Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund shall be required from a county free library system that, for the 1977–78 fiscal year, was organized as a joint powers agency pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 6500) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.

(C) A county free library system established pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 19100) of Chapter 6 of Part 11 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, for which a separate property tax rate was levied in the 1977–78 fiscal year, shall be considered a special district. However, any county free library system that was not actually allocated property tax revenues pursuant to this chapter for the 1992–93 fiscal year and any portion of the 1993–94 fiscal year shall not be considered a special district for any purpose in the 1992–93 fiscal year and that portion of the 1993–94 fiscal year for which those revenues were not allocated.

(2) The Legislature finds and declares that this subdivision does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, existing law.

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 786, Sec. 1. Effective October 8, 1997.)