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Library liaison asks Bethel supervisors to clear path for November 2026 referendum to increase funding
Summary
Garrick Weaver, a liaison to the Rachel Cole Library, told supervisors the library has stabilized after near-closure in 2017–2019 and asked the board to allow a November 2026 referendum offering two funding-duration options; he said an increase could help the library meet a $5 per-resident benchmark that unlocks state matching funds if all service-area municipalities comply.
Garrick Weaver, a liaison to the Rachel Cole Library, presented to the Bethel Township Board of Supervisors and asked the board to allow residents to vote on a funding referendum in November 2026.
Weaver summarized nine years of financial and operational recovery: renegotiating the library mortgage in 2019 to a roughly 3.5% rate and 30-year term, a private $50,000 loan that kept the library operational (now repaid), and a mix of fundraising and program-driven revenue that has increased circulation and programming. He said the library now serves multiple municipalities and is run by a volunteer board that includes CPAs and other professionals who can model fiscal impacts.
"Libraries are the gateway to knowledge," Weaver said in his presentation, and he told supervisors that sustainable funding would let the library address deferred capital needs such as HVAC, roof and bathroom repairs.
Weaver asked the board to permit a referendum with two options: a shorter-term option projected to raise roughly $13,000 annually and a longer-term option projected to raise roughly $26,000 annually. He estimated the per-resident cost would be roughly 11 cents or 22 cents per month under those options, and said an addition of roughly $13,000 to current township contributions would move the township closer to the statewide $5 per-resident benchmark used to determine eligibility for state matching funds.
Board members and residents questioned the mechanics and effects of the proposed increase. One supervisor asked whether both options would be placed on the ballot; Weaver said the intent is to seek permission to put a referendum before voters and then finalize the exact option based on financial modeling. Another board member noted that the $5-per-resident match requires compliance across all municipalities that the library serves; Weaver said that, under current law, state matching is contingent on multiple municipalities meeting the $5 level and that he had already reached out to area state representatives for guidance.
Weaver also clarified the library's local service footprint, estimating about 40,000 residents across the library's five municipalities, and described recent fundraising and one-time donations that supported projects such as siding and a children's room expansion.
No formal motion to place the referendum on the ballot was recorded during the meeting; Weaver's request was taken under advisement and the board asked staff and the library to work together on referendum language and fiscal details.
Next steps: the library will work with township staff on proposed ballot language and final financial modeling; the board has not yet scheduled a vote to authorize placement of the measure on a ballot.
