Should Township Library Tax be Scrapped?

Salisbury Township's Board of Commissioners are reviewing whether the current township library tax should be scrapped.

That decision would eventually be made by township voters if commissioners ultimately decide to place a referendum question on November's ballot.

The library tax, which amounts to 0.06087 mills, allows residents to utilize the Allentown Public Library or any other local library.

If the levy is lifted, those who want to use out-of-town library services, would have to pay for it out-of-pocket. Salisbury Township does not have a public library.

The Salisbury Township library tax system began in 1993, commissioners said.

The township pays $81,559 from the tax collected for citizens to utilize libraries in other jurisdictions, mainly Allentown.

One of the problems commissioners face, said Township Manager Randy Soriano, is taking away a quality-of-life issue for residents. "The moment you take that out, someone is complaining," he said. "Who knows, they may vote to keep it."

Commissioners, during a Thursday night workshop meeting, said they wanted more information before making a decision on the matter.

"After hearing what it costs today, how many families really use the library?" said commissioner Debra Brinton. "Out of 5,000 households, maybe 1,000 households use it. Is it worth it?"

Commissioner Robert Martucci said that recinding the library tax could offset a coming increase in township taxes.

"We can't avoid a tax increase. It's coming. Maybe this is a way to offset it," Martucci said.

Soriano said a meeting will be held with Allentown library officials to determine how many Salisbury Township residents actually hold library cards.

Any change to the current township library policy would not occur until Jan. 1, 2015, at the earliest, commissioners said.

Commissioners must first pass a resolution to place a referendum on November's ballot. The Allentown library must be notified of the change by April 1, 2014 and the library levy would end at the beginning of 2015.