By a split vote Tuesday night, Coplay Borough Council authorized the library to seek funding via referendum in May.

The vote authorized the question, "Do you favor funding the Coplay Public Library by establishing an annual tax of 0.38 mills (38 cents per $1,000 of assessed real property value) on taxable real estate located within the Borough of Coplay?" to appear on the ballot in the May primary.

Voting in favor of putting the question on the ballot were Council President Lou Bodish and Councilmen Joseph Groller, Dave Royer and Charles Sodl. Councilman Bill Leiner Jr. did not attend the meeting. Earlier in the meeting, council accepted the resignation of Councilman Michael Mazur.

Councilman Matthew Recker cast the opposing vote.

"I don't know what the benefit of [the library] is," he said after the meeting. "The Whitehall library is right there. I don't agree with funding it."

Even if passed, the referendum would not require the borough to fund the library. Instead, the ballot question asks taxpayers if they are willing to pay a dedicated tax in order to support the library. In December 2012, library board President Natalie Reichl estimated the amount needed per Coplay homeowner would be about $35.

Without a home library, residents wishing to use other libraries must pay an annual fee of about $40.

During the meeting, Recker asked if the borough could get information on the number of patrons using the library on a daily basis and whether the traffic warrants being open six days a week. Many neighboring libraries, such as Northampton and Whitehall, have cut back hours in recent years.

"I'm all for the library. I'm just curious to know if it needs to be open six days," Recker said.

"We could ask," said Bodish.

Borough Secretary-Treasurer Sandra Gyecsek said she would find out.

Reichl attended the meeting but did not speak. Nor was she asked questions by members of council.

Contacted after the meeting, Reichl said the library board is pleased to have the support of council in getting the referendum question on the ballot.

She also addressed Recker's comments.

"If Mr. Recker has questions about how efficiently the library is run, we ask him to come to any of our public monthly meetings," she said. "Both our bookkeeper and librarian provide monthly, detailed reports which leave no doubt as to the streamlined operation of the library and its funds."

Recker is chairman of the borough's recreation committee. Last year, he reported, the pool lost $30,000.

"Taxpayers have every right to know how their money is being spent, and I know many people question the borough pool's $30,000 loss," Reichl said. "We are proud of the cost effectiveness of our operation and want no concern unanswered."

In 2011, the Whitehall-Coplay School District passed a resolution saying financial difficulty would make funding the Whitehall and Coplay libraries "unlikely" in the future. The resolution ended a 1972 agreement with Whitehall Township through which the school district agreed to fund the library and the township would fund recreation.

The school district continued to provide approximately $71,000 in funding to the Coplay library for the 2011-12 school year. The figure remained in the district's preliminary 2012-13 budget. However, it was reduced to $48,000 in response to an undated, handwritten memo bearing the names of Council President Lou Bodish, Councilman Joseph Groller and former Councilman Marvin Mann. They requested $48,000 as "one-time, wind-down funding" for the 2012-13 school year.

This left the Coplay library $23,000 short. The borough agreed to cover the shortfall for the 2012-13 school year, but has made no promises since. A total of $28,332 is budgeted for the library for 2013. This figure includes the $16,500 the borough funded the library in 2012 plus $11,832, which represents the second half of the approximately $23,000 shortfall created by the school district's funding reduction.

The Whitehall library was successful in getting voters to agree to a 0.7-mill dedicated library tax in November 2011. District Superintendent John W. Corby told The Press in April 2012 the Coplay library traditionally received about one-sixth of the funding given to Whitehall.