Voters Tuesday night in Pike County handily defeated the library tax question. An overwhelming 81-percent of voters said no to a referendum that would raise taxes to support the Pike County Library System.
A few dozen people were using the Pike County Public Library Wednesday in downtown milford.
It's run using a combination of state and county money, funding from schools and townships and donations but director Ellen Schnaffer said it's getting more and more difficult to do so.
"This past year, in '09, we saw a one percent cut. For 2010, it's a 20 percent cut, which for Pike, will cut $50,000 of state funding," Schnaffer explained.
She added she was surprised that on election night such a large majority voted against the referendum, which would have raised the average homeowner's taxes by about $35 a year.
Now expansion plans in Milford are on hold indefinitely and the board can't even think about building a branch in Lehman, which Schaffner said is badly needed.
Library user Fred Paschall thinks voters made the wrong decision. "Disappointment. More people should use the library. It isn't really that much per year. People don't read enough, they just sit in front of the tube! It's a shame," Paschall said.
Greg Snyder of Lords Valley said the vote was not about being pro or anti library. He thinks people are just tapped out.
"They're sick of taxes in general. There's a lot of people not working, having trouble making ends meet right now. People are retired, on fixed incomes, losing homes right now," Snyder said.
Schaffner said the board must now consider a number of scenarios and cuts are likely. She's hoping more private donations will come in so those cuts can be minimized.
A few dozen people were using the Pike County Public Library Wednesday in downtown milford.
It's run using a combination of state and county money, funding from schools and townships and donations but director Ellen Schnaffer said it's getting more and more difficult to do so.
"This past year, in '09, we saw a one percent cut. For 2010, it's a 20 percent cut, which for Pike, will cut $50,000 of state funding," Schnaffer explained.
She added she was surprised that on election night such a large majority voted against the referendum, which would have raised the average homeowner's taxes by about $35 a year.
Now expansion plans in Milford are on hold indefinitely and the board can't even think about building a branch in Lehman, which Schaffner said is badly needed.
Library user Fred Paschall thinks voters made the wrong decision. "Disappointment. More people should use the library. It isn't really that much per year. People don't read enough, they just sit in front of the tube! It's a shame," Paschall said.
Greg Snyder of Lords Valley said the vote was not about being pro or anti library. He thinks people are just tapped out.
"They're sick of taxes in general. There's a lot of people not working, having trouble making ends meet right now. People are retired, on fixed incomes, losing homes right now," Snyder said.
Schaffner said the board must now consider a number of scenarios and cuts are likely. She's hoping more private donations will come in so those cuts can be minimized.
