Details about the Allentown Public Library Tax Referendum on the Nov. 5 Lehigh County General Election Ballot have been released.

The referendum is the first such in the 20 years since Salisbury Township residents first voted to approve the library tax.

Here is the referendum as it will appear on the ballot:

"Referendum To Continue Library Tax

"Do you favor continuing the library levy, which is currently set at a rate of .06087 mills on each dollar of assessed valuation or .6087 cents on each $100 of assessed valuation on taxable real estate in Salisbury Township, to fund library Services through the Allentown Public Library system for all Salisbury Township residents?

"Yes, No"

The statement from the Lehigh County Board of Elections, provided to the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners and reviewed at the Sept. 26 meeting, states, in part:

"The purpose of the question is to determine whether the voters of Salisbury Township wish to continue the imposition of a real estate tax levy which may only be used to support a local library providing service to township residents.

"Although the township commissioners may not impose or discontinue such a tax without voter approval, the township commissioners may increase the rate without submitting the question to the voters. It is not the present intent of the commissioners to do so."

The township board of commissioners reviewed the referendum at the Sept. 26 township meeting.

The election board approved the referendum Sept. 20.

Township commissioners voted Aug. 22 to place the referendum on the municipal election ballot.

The vote was 3-2, with board President James Brown, Vice President Robert Martucci and Commissioner James Seagreaves voting in favor of the referendum ballot and Commissioners Joanne Ackerman and Debra Brinton voting against it.

The vote followed a one-hour discussion and a presentation by Renee Haines, Allentown Public Library director.

Township residents voted Nov. 2, 1993, to support a tax to fund the Allentown library.

The average tax levy is said to be $15. A library nonresident family membership is $40 annually.

There are 2,366 of 5,300, households, or 44 percent, that have Allentown library cards, according to Haines.

The township earmarks about $82,000 annually from the tax for the Allentown library.

Based on the 2,266 households use figure, that works out to about $34 per household cost in taxes.

The card gives holders access to the Lehigh Valley libraries, including Emmaus Publc Library and Bethlehem Public Library.

The Allentown library stepped up its summer playground outreach for the past two summers.

Martucci spearheaded the effort to place the referendum on the ballot.

He and some other commissioners have been concerned about the closing of the Allentown Library Southside Branch along Emmaus Avenue.