Residents press commissioners on library budget cut; county administrator says funding will be restored

Several residents at the Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners meeting urged clarity after they believed the county library’s budget was cut by about 24 percent.

Fairfield Township resident Shoshana Osofsky said she was “really disturbed” by what she described as a near‑quarter reduction in funding and asked whether the cuts stem from state or federal shortfalls and whether the library still meets state funding requirements. Mark Cioppini and Sharon Shappini, both active with library volunteer groups, asked for details about how services and staffing might be affected and urged the county to restore any shortfalls.

County Administrator Kevin Spinga responded that some of the public concern likely reflected a budget reappropriation process already under way. He said the county “overfund[s] by state statute” and described that reappropriation to return the library to full funding as being “in process,” adding that the county was committed to meeting library needs. Spinga asked residents to work with library leadership for specifics and said board leadership and the library board were aware of the funding mechanics.

During the meeting the commissioners also introduced Nicole Gardner as the newly appointed director of the Cumberland County Library. Gardner said she had been on the job for two weeks and looked forward to working with staff and community partners.

Speakers asked for plain explanations about how any interim reductions would affect programs for children, seniors and other regular library users and whether the county’s funding met the statutory minimum for county libraries. County staff said they would provide officials and the library with details about the reappropriation and that the commissioners are committed to resolving funding questions publicly.