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Ephraim Library board adds unincorporated Chester to service area
Summary
The Ephraim Public Library board voted March 18 to add nearby unincorporated Chester (about 307 residents) to the library's service area, waiving the $10 nonresident fee and increasing the library's population count for grant calculations.
The Ephraim Public Library Board voted on March 18 to include the nearby unincorporated community of Chester in the library's service area, a change the director said will make Chester residents eligible for free Ephraim library cards and could improve the library's grant calculations.
Director Michael Thompson told the board the state indicated the change can be made if the board records its approval in the minutes. "If you live in Chester, you get a free Ephraim card," he said during the discussion. The director said Chester's population is roughly 307 people and that adding those residents would be a negligible budgetary burden for the library but could help the library's standing when state grant formulas are calculated.
A motion was made and seconded to call for a vote to add Chester to the service area; the board responded "Aye," with no nays recorded on the audio. Following the vote the director said he would submit the minutes to the state so Chester could be incorporated into the official service counts.
Board members asked about potential downsides, such as increased demand on collections, but participants said the likely population increase would be small and manageable. The board did not attach conditions to the approval and recorded the action for the state.
The action will take effect after the director files the meeting minutes with the state, which the director indicated he will do. The board did not identify any immediate operational changes tied to the approval beyond updating service records and grant calculations.
