By RANDY GRIFFITH
A surprise $25,000 gift from Richland Township supervisors will allow Highland Community Library to continue full operations in the wake of a $30,000 state funding cut.
“That’s what we do,” Supervisor Wayne Langerholc said at Monday’s meeting, comparing the library services to police, fire and public works.
“It is such an important part of our community,” Langerholc said. “It is such an important service we can offer our taxpayers.”
As if to illustrate the township’s financial strength, the library allocation approval was followed by the initial presentation of a 2010 budget, with no tax increases.
Real estate taxes remain at 5.5 mills, costing the average residential property owner $114 a year.
The $5.2 million spending plan is slated for final approval Dec. 21.
“Anything can be changed as long as you don’t change them drastically before final approval,” Executive Secretary Kim Stayrook said, presenting the budget.
Supervisors’ Chairman Melvyn Wingard proposed additional funding for the library, saying he was disturbed by the proposed cuts in service hours and programs after reading an article in The Tribune-Democrat on Nov. 17.
He consulted with Supervisor Bob Heffelfinger Jr., who is also president of the library board.
Heffelfinger was unable to attend Monday’s meeting.
“If he were here, he would make a motion to advance to Highland Community Library an additional $10,000 or $15,000,” Wingard said. “Not as an addition to their library allotment, but because of the circumstances.”
“I would not oppose going higher,” Langerholc said. “That is one of the fundamental services we provide. It bothers me when the state budget doesn’t have funds for basic services.”
Langerholc made the motion to give $25,000.
“I would support $25,000,” Supervisor Jay Marsden said.
“But there are more entities than just us.”
He advocated sending letters to library-partners Richland School District and Geistown Borough, urging similar donations.
“I’m for keeping it going, but, by golly, we are not the only ones in it,” Marsden said.
Supervisors unanimously approved the gift.
“This is wonderful,” library director Dorene Miller said Tuesday when hearing the good news from The Tribune-Democrat.
The township’s funding will keep the library open its current 58 hours a week. A cut to 45 hours had been proposed.
Miller said she was unable to attend the supervisors’ meeting because she was at Richland Elementary for a school board meeting. The Richland school board was approving $2,000 for the library on the same evening. That funding will help preserve a popular summer reading program that had faced the ax, Miller said.
During the summer, 174 children, including 116 Richland School District residents, participated in the five-week program.
Miller plans to attend the Geistown Borough Council meeting on Dec. 9.
