Siptroth: Townships Should Have Say On Library Board

State Rep. John Siptroth

By Susan Koomar

MILFORD – The debate over Pike County’s proposed library tax has evolved to include an issue under the potential purview of state lawmakers – who appoints board members and holds them accountable.

State Rep. John Siptroth, D-189, believes the library board should represent taxpayers being asked to fund the organization. The PCPL board is currently exempt from a state law enacted in 1961.

“(The law) in regard to grandfathering was not intended to protect an organization’s structure in perpetuity, but rather it was intended to minimize any administrative disruption that might have occurred at that time because of it,” Siptroth said in a statement to the Pike County Press.

He continued, “It is now almost 50 years later and the changes in the county should be reflected in the structuring of the library board. Dingman, Lehman and Delaware townships all lie in my district.  If this referendum passes, the property owners there will be required to contribute more than 40 percent of the funding from this referendum.  It stands to reason that they should be allowed a voice on the PCPL Board.  The same is true of Lackawaxen, Palmyra and Blooming Grove, who would be required to contribute another 36 percent.”

Siptroth said he is examining the state library code to see if a change is warranted, or whether the current law needs to be clarified by the courts.

“Personally, I would rather see the board voluntarily change its by-laws to allow for this type of representation,” he said.

State Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, is more cautious on the questions.

“While it is certainly worth rethinking an old law, there is an element of difficulty in this case.  Any potential changes would impact two-thirds of our state-aided libraries, including some very popular metropolitan libraries, most of whom seem perfectly satisfied with the current structure.  Also, some of the more recently established libraries have apparently encountered problems keeping a full board,” she wrote in an e-mailed response to the Pike County Press.

Baker said the democratic process will play out in Tuesday’s election.

“In this case, every registered voter in Pike County will have the opportunity to participate in this decision.  Nobody can impose this tax.  The people will decide for themselves,” she said.

State Rep. Mike Peifer, R-139, did not respond to a query as of press time.

(If you would like to leave a comment on this article, please click here to go to the special forum we have set up to discuss the Library Tax Referendum)

Delaware Township Included In Tax Vote

Voting machines for Delaware Township were reprogrammed this week to include the library tax question. (Photo by Susan Koomar)

By Susan Koomar

STROUDSBURG – Election officials scrambled this week to reprogram voting machines and send out revised absentee ballots following a court ruling that put the library tax question back on ballots in Delaware Township.

The change will cost the county thousands of dollars as employees from an Ohio company were called in to adjust voting machines that were locked and ready to go for Election Day.

Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Pike County has almost 47,000 registered voters who will decide Tuesday whether to support a new tax proposed for library operations. Delaware Township is one of the county’s most populous municipalities with more than 5,800 voters and the potential to provide to the library  in excess of $100,000 annually if the tax passes.

A judge in Stroudsburg last Friday overruled a decision by the Pike County Board of Elections to exempt Delaware Township from the library vote. The hearing was held out of town because both Pike County judges were recused from the case.

“We regret that it was necessary to seek the court’s protection for the rights of Delaware Township voters,” said Maleyne Syracuse, library board president.

Monroe County President Judge Ronald Vican ruled that the township’s book-lending facility does not meet the state’s definition of a local library.

“(The township) is not eligible for exemption and therefore, Delaware Township residents must be given the opportunity to vote on the ballot question,” stated Vican’s ruling in part.

Vican issued the order about 24 hours after concluding a hearing that featured more than an hour of testimony from a volunteer with the Delaware Township library, township Supervisor Ilyana Hernandez, township resident Gail Wershing and County Commissioner Karl Wagner.

Attorney David Abernathy representing the library board argued the township facility doesn’t meet library standards defined by the state such as hours of operation, trained staff, reference services and content of its collection. County and township officials say that doesn’t matter.

“We’re not denigrating what the township’s doing. (They have) a lovely reading room and book-sharing facility, but it’s not a library,” said Abernathy. “What would happen to the public library system if anybody could put some books on a shelf and say they’re opting out of the system?”

But if it’s not a “real” library, why have Pike County library officials asked three times to have the Delaware Township facility join their system, asked township solicitor Anthony Magnotta.

Pike County solicitor Tom Farley said the township could lose its local library if the countywide tax passes. “It’s not the perfect library, but it’s Delaware Township’s library and they want to keep it,” he said.

Abernathy called it “an absurdity” that the township library would be jeopardized by the new tax. The referendum question has no provisions that would close the township facility or compel it to join the county system. The township spends about $1,500 per year to maintain the building and pay utilities. The township allocates no money for books or materials; the facility has no paid staff.

(If you would like to leave a comment on this article, please click here to go to the special forum we have set up to discuss the Library Tax Referendum)

Library Tax Rallies Set For Sunday

Signs promoting an anti-tax rally to be held Sunday at noon began to appear on Wednesday morning. (Photo by Don Quick)

By Pat Camuso

MILFORD – Pike County’s voters will have their say Tuesday on the proposed library tax, but not before activists on both sides of the issues rally public support at events scheduled for Sunday in the county seat.

Online forum discussions and a string of e-mail messages circulating among community members germinated early this week as a “No Taxation without Representation” rally took shape.  The theme is inspired by concerns of some voters that the Pike County Library board is not composed of municipally appointed members who would be accountable to elected officials.

No formal organization or individuals are claiming responsibility for coordinating the anti-tax rally, which is set for noon outside the Pike County courthouse.

Supporters of the new tax will meet at a ‘Library Yes!” event at 1 p.m. at the Milford Community House. Participants are encouraged to bring signs. The event is intended to be a “gathering of families and friends,” according to the library’s Web site.

Lynn Homer of the Matamoras Republican Club said the Tea Party-type opposition idea took root in cyber space and evolved from there.

Door-to-door and telephone campaigns independent of the courthouse rally will also take place Sunday, said Chris Decker of the Pike County Young Republicans Club. Beyond the library tax question, activists want to inform voters about state judicial candidates – races of critical importance, said Decker.

Milford Police Chief Gary Williams expects both events to be peaceful, but is making plans for traffic control if required.

(If you would like to leave a comment on this article, please click here to go to the special forum we have set up to discuss the Library Tax Referendum)

Pike Judges Recused From Delaware Township-Library Tax Issue

By Jim Davis

MILFORD — Both of Pike County’s Court of Common Pleas Judges, Hon. Joseph Kameen and Hon. Greg Chelak, have recused themselves from the process of determining the fate of Delaware Township’s status on the Election Day ballot.

The Pike County Board of Elections (BoE) recently ruled that the upcoming library tax referendum question shall not appear on Delaware ballots. In making their decision, the BoE was responding to a request from Delaware Township supervisors that a library housed at Akenac Park and partially maintained by the township qualifies as a local library, under state law, and would thus exempt Delaware residents from the tax.

The Pike County Library Board filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas last week, asking for a reversal of the BoE’s decision, as they feel the Delaware library does not meet the state’s criteria for a local library.

With the recusal, the venue moves to the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas, where a hearing was scheduled for Thursday morning, October 22, at 10:30 a.m., before Hon. Ronald Vican,  at the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg.

Tom Farley, solicitor for Pike County, has filed papers questioning the jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas in the matter, has contested a procedural issue regarding the library board’s filing, and also questions the Pike Library board’s assertion that the Delaware Township library does not qualify as a local library.

(If you would like to leave a comment on this article, please click here to go to the special forum we have set up to discuss the Library Tax Referendum)

News Analysis: Is The Library Tax Right For Pike County?

By Jim Davis

MILFORD — On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Pike County voters will be asked to decide whether they approve of a tax dedicated to the county’s library system. As with most any tax referendum, this one has its detractors and supporters. Over the next several weeks, the Pike County Press will be running a series of reports, the goal of which is to educate voters on the tax so that they might make an informed decision in the voting booth. This week, we talk about the nature of the proposed tax itself.

The proposed tax is a property tax of 1 mill. A mill is equal to .001 of the assessed total value of the property; for a property that assesses at $35,000, one mill equals $35. According to the library, it is that amount, $35, that the average taxpayer in Pike County will have to pay, though any individual taxpayer will have to look at their assessed value to find out specifically how the tax would impact them.

The Pike County Public Library (PCPL) board initially had hoped to get the county commissioners to place the referendum on the ballot, but they opted not to, instead requiring the board to collect over 700 signatures from voters in order to bring the issue to a referendum. At the time, commissioners said they did not simply place the referendum on the ballot because they wanted the library to inform citizens about the upcoming tax, rather than just have the referendum confront voters on Election Day. The commissioners cited a recent case in neighboring Wayne County, where the Wayne commissioners placed a library tax referendum on the ballot, only to have it repealed the shortly thereafter. The PCPL board was successful in collecting the signatures, and last week Pike’s commissioners, acting in their capacity as the county’s board of elections, voted unanimously to place the measure on the ballot.

The tax, if it passes, is expected to generate about $1 million in revenue per year. That money will be dedicated to the library, and its use will be at the sole discretion of the library board. According to the Pennsylvania Library Code, the tax will be annual and the rate could potentially be raised, in the future, by the county’s board of commissioners. Any effort to lower or repeal the tax would have to be through a referendum.

According to Maleyne Syracuse, the president of the PCPL board of directors, the one mill tax increase will serve several purposes. It will allow for the continuation and expansion of library services and operations, as well as fund the building out of the library system countywide. Though she also acknowledges that the tax is crucial to financing the library’s proposed new headquarters building in Milford, she says that only about $100,000 per year, or one-tenth of the revenues of the tax, will be used to pay for financing of a portion of the construction costs.

In the following weeks, the Pike County Press will be examining this proposed tax from all sides. What are the consequences if the referendum does not pass? What are the benefits if it does? What is the current status of the library’s finances? What about the new headquarters building? How well do Pike County and municipalities within the county currently fund the library?

What do you, as a voter,  need to know in order to make the most informed choice you can? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer. Email us at news@pikecountypress.com, and put “library question” in the subject line. We might not get to all of them, but we’ll sure try. If you don’t have email, please write to PO Box Z, Milford PA, 18337.

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(If you would like to leave a comment on this article, please click here to go to the special forum we have set up to discuss the Library Tax Referendum)

Sign the Library Petition

Pike County resident and voter Lauryn Kozlak signs the Pike County Public Library’s (PCPL) petition requesting that a question be placed on the November 3 ballot asking voters whether they support a dedicated tax to improve and expand library services countywide.

PIKE COUNTY— In order to ensure that the Library tax question is placed on the November 3 ballot, the PCPL must gather more than 700 petition signatures from Pike County voters.

By law, the petition drive must be held only between August 4 and August 25. Pike voters can sign the petition at any PCPL branch—in Dingman  Township (100 Bond Court, just off Log Tavern Road, 686-7045), Lackawaxen Township (St Luke’s Center, 223 Route 590, 685-3100) or Milford Borough (201 Broad Street, at the corner of Harford and Broad Streets, 296-8211)—from now until the morning of August 25.

“The citizens of Pike County have a choice,” said Tom Hoff, Vice President of the PCPL Board. “We can have a vibrant, flourishing countywide library system that gives all residents, especially our kids, access to the resources they need in today’s information age. Or we can allow our public library system to wither and die from a lack of critical funding. Gathering the necessary petition signatures is the first step to ensuring a bright future for the PCPL and the citizens of Pike County.”

“Without the dedicated tax, library services will be cut beginning in 2010,” says Library Director Ellen Schaffner. “The library system is currently operating at a deficit and we’ve been told by the Pike County Commissioners that our county funding—which has remained stagnant since the year 2000—will never increase unless the voters of Pike County approve a dedicated library tax.  The average cost per household is only $35 per year and I have confidence that Pike County voters will decide that it is worth this small amount to give residents the comprehensive library system they deserve. ”

The library tax, if approved by the public, will provide reliable operating funds that will grow as the county grows. These funds, when combined with state’s funding, will avoid current and future service cutbacks, allow the addition of improved services and, over the next 3 to 5 years, will allow for the planned new branches in Lehman and Palmyra townships.

“$35 a year per average homeowner is less than the cost for a family of four to go to the movies. $35 a year is about $3 a month, or a dime a day,” adds Schaffner. “It’s a modest cost to ensure that families across the county have access to the critical library services they deserve.”

For more information visit www.pcpl.org/everyonebenefits or call 570-296-8211.

November Library Tax Referendum Meetings

PIKE COUNTY – The proposed library tax continues to be hotly debated topic. To recap:  the Pike County Public Library (PCPL) Board has asked the Pike County Commissioners to place a referendum on the November 3, 2009 ballot for a dedicated library tax of 1 mil. The PCPL Board has been in discussions over the past two years with the Pike County Commissioners about the critical need for increased library funding.

“Our county’s annual library allocation has remained frozen at $200,000 since 2000 while demand for

PCPL’s services has increased by 100% and continues to climb substantially each year,” says PCPL Board President Maleyne Syracuse. “The Commissioners have said they cannot increase the annual library appropriation and suggested that the PCPL seek voter approval for a dedicated library tax in order to secure the increased funding we need.”

PCPL volunteers will host a series of community meetings in all 13 Pike County municipalities—and for any interested community organization—to provide information and address residents’ questions.

All meetings will be held at 7pm. The up-coming schedule includes:

MONDAY, JULY 27
Delaware Township Municipal Building
116 Wilson Hill Road

TUESDAY, JULY 28
Milford Borough Hall
109 West Catharine Street

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
Greene Township Municipal Building
198 Brink Hill Road

THURSDAY, JULY 30
Lehman Township Municipal Building
Municipal Drive, Bushkill

Additional meetings will be scheduled and announced at www.pcpl.org, or call the PCPL Headquarters at 570-296-8211 for more information.

Pike County Public Library Referendum Meetings Ongoing

PIKE COUNTY, PA—Tom Hoff , a Board Member of the Pike County Public Library (PCPL), talked with county residents about a November library tax referendum and the future of the Library System during a community meeting in Dingman Township on July 13.

After careful deliberation, the PCPL Board has asked the Pike County Commissioners to place a referendum on the November 3, 2009 ballot for a dedicated library tax of 1 mil. The PCPL Board has been in discussions over the past two years with the Commissioners about the critical need for increased library funding. The Commissioners’ annual library allocation has remained frozen at $200,000 since 2000 while demand for PCPL’s services has increased by 100% and continues to climb substantially each year.

Based on the current assessed value of property in Pike County, a one mil tax would yield over $900,000 annually. The annual cost to the average Pike County homeowner would be about $35—less than what it costs a family of four to go to the movies once.

PCPL volunteers are hosting a series of community meetings in all 13 Pike County municipalities—and for any interested community organization—to provide information and address residents’ questions.

The current meeting schedule is available at pcpl.org/everyonebenefits or by calling the library headquarters at 570-296-8211.

Pike’s library system operated at a deficit in 2008, incurring a loss of about $40,000. Even with staff cuts and other economies, the system is operating at a deficit again this year and is projecting to lose about $20,000.

The PCPL is currently dipping into reserves to fund shortfalls but reserves will not last forever. The library system cannot sustain current service levels without increased funding, and has reluctantly developed contingency plans for cutbacks in services for 2010 if it is unable to secure funding by that time.

“A yes vote in November means our Library System and its services will improve and expand out to all regions of the county,” said Hoff. “Otherwise, immediate service cuts will be necessary and no county-wide expansion will be possible.”

To become involved with PCPL’s efforts or to schedule a presentation to your community group, contact PCPL Volunteer Coordinator Kathe Brannon at kbrannon@ptd.net or 570-296-5354.

Pike County Public Library Hosts Community Meeting Series on November Referendum

Kickoff Presentation Monday, July 13 at 7 PM, in Dingman Township

PIKE COUNTY, PA—After careful deliberation, the Pike County Public Library (PCPL) Board has asked the Pike County Commissioners to place a referendum on the November 3, 2009 ballot for a dedicated library tax of 1 mil. The PCPL Board has been in discussions over the past two years with the Pike County Commissioners about the critical need for increased library funding.

“Our county’s annual library allocation has remained frozen at $200,000 since 2000 while demand for PCPL’s services has increased by 100% and continues to climb substantially each year,” says PCPL Board President Maleyne Syracuse. “The Commissioners have said they cannot increase the annual library appropriation and suggested that the PCPL seek voter approval for a dedicated library tax in order to secure the increased funding we need.”

Based on the current assessed value of property in Pike County, a one mil tax would yield over $900,000 annually. The annual cost to the average Pike County homeowner would be about $35—less than what it costs a family of four to go to the movies once.

To ensure that the referendum is placed on the November 2009 ballot, the PCPL must gather more than 700 petition signatures from Pike County voters. By law, the petition drive must be held between August 4 and August 25.

“Libraries are uniquely democratic institutions that are vital to our quality of life and our community’s continuing economic, cultural, recreational and social well-being,” says PCPL Director Ellen Schaffner. “The Library needs help to gather petition signatures, educate voters about the referendum, and get out the vote on November 3.”

PCPL volunteers will host a series of community meetings in all 13 Pike County municipalities—and for any interested community organization—to provide information and address residents’ questions. The series will kickoff on Monday, July 13 at 7 PM, in Dingman Township, at the Volunteer Fire Department, located at 680 Log Tavern Road.

The current schedule for additional meetings, which will all be held at 7 PM, includes:

Tuesday, July 14
Matamoras Borough Hall
10 Avenue I

Wednesday, July 15
Palmyra Township Municipal Building
HR1 Box 15C

Thursday, July 16
Blooming Grove Township Municipal Building
488 Route 739

Monday, July 20
Porter Township Municipal Building
HC 12 Box 461

Tuesday, July 21
Westfall Township
Location TBA

Wednesday, July 22
Lackawaxen Township Municipal Building
116 Township Road

Thursday, July 23
Shohola Township Fire Hall
325 Route 434

Monday, July 27,
Delaware Township Municipal Building
116 Wilson Hill Road

Tuesday, July 28
Milford Borough Hall
109 West Catharine Street

Wednesday, July 29
Greene Township
Location TBA

Thursday, July 30
Lehman Township Municipal Building
RR 4 Box 4000

Additional meetings will be scheduled and announced at www.pcpl.org, or call the PCPL Headquarters at 570-296-8211 for more information.

The PCPL System operated at a deficit in 2008, incurring a loss of about $40,000. Even with staff cuts and other economies, the system is operating at a deficit again this year and is projecting to lose about $20,000.

The PCPL is currently dipping into reserves to fund shortfalls but reserves will not last forever. The library system cannot sustain current service levels without increased funding, and has reluctantly developed contingency plans for cutbacks in services for 2010 if it is unable to secure funding by that time.

“A yes vote in November means our library system and its services will improve and expand out to all regions of the county,” says PCPL Board Member Tom Hoff. “Otherwise, immediate service cuts will be necessary and no county-wide expansion will be possible.”

To become involved with PCPL’s efforts or to schedule a presentation to your community group, contact PCPL Volunteer Coordinator Kathe Brannon at 570-296-5354 or kbrannon@ptd.net.