The Coplay Library Board never intended to let the borough off the hook for funding.

At the same time, however, Coplay Borough Council never intended to continue funding the library once the referendum passed.

In the May primary, Coplay voters approved a dedicated 0.38-mill tax which, according to former library board President Natalie Reichl, was supposed to replace the $72,000 in funding withdrawn by the Whitehall-Coplay School District.

"This information was discussed at many public library board meetings," she said reading from a prepared statement at the library board's July 11 meeting.

"Additionally, the explanation that the $72,000 replaces the school district's contribution appeared in the 1,400 brochures which were distributed to Coplay residents," she said.

The brochure, prepared to explain the referendum to voters, says the school district's contribution of $72,000 had been the library's "primary source of revenue." It goes on to say, "The proposed tax replaces the money the school district is no longer providing."

In addition to the funding from the school district, the library's budget also included an annual contribution of $16,500 from the borough and approximately $12,000 from the state.

"With regard to the $16,500, [the library] board had no indication at any point that the library would lose these funds if the referendum passed," Reichl said.

"If we had added $16,500, we could have lost everything if the taxpayers felt the amount was too high," she said.

Reichl attended borough council's Dec. 17 budget meeting to ask for financial support and said she left that meeting feeling positive that the message had been heard.

"Now there has been talk that the borough will withdraw that funding," she said. It would have been helpful for the borough to let the library board know ahead of time that it needed to seek the higher amount through the referendum, she said.

Borough Council President Lou Bodish said no one from the library board ever asked the borough to continue its annual $16,500 contribution. It was council's understanding that, if approved, the referendum would take care of the library's financial needs.

"I believe if council would turn around and give another $16,500 on top of the tax, the people in this borough would hang us," Bodish said.

He also said the brochure was unclear. It says the tax equals $38 per $100,000 in assessed property value, implying the average person would pay $38. However, the average assessment in Coplay is $141,000, he said.

A homeowner with the average assessment would pay approximately $53 in library tax.

Bodish said many residents will pay closer to $70. The library board should have made it more clear that most people will pay more than $38, he said.