Cheltenham Township’s 2026 budget planning will include discussions of potential funding cuts to the township’s library system.
One of those discussions will take place during the special Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, October 15 at 7:00pm. Another discussion will take place during the library board meeting on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00pm.
An additional budget discussion will be held on Wednesday, October 29, from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Presentations and discussion of the budget will also take place during the following meetings of the Board of Commissioners:
• Wednesday, November 5, 7:30 pm (Presidents Budget Message)
• Wednesday, November 12, 8:30 pm (Finance Committee Meeting)
• Wednesday, November 19, 7:30 pm (Board of Commissioners considers adoption of the Preliminary Budget)
• Wednesday, December 10, 7:30 pm (Finance Committee Meeting)
• Wednesday, December 17, 7:30 pm (Board of Commissioners considers adoption of the Final Budget)
In early September, residents began circulating a petition titled “Fight Cheltenham Township Library Cuts!”. It has 377 signatures at the time of this writing. From the description:
We, the undersigned urge Cheltenham Township and its Commissioners to reconsider the proposed $100,000 cut to the library’s budget for 2026. This cut will have a significant negative impact on our community, including: Reduced library hours Fewer services and programs A 10% reduction in part-time staff No cost of living adjustments for library staff This cut may save the average homeowner just $9 a year, less than the cost of two cups of coffee, but the impact on our library and its users is far greater. To illustrate, the library system has saved its users over $2.3 million so far this year! This number is based just on the price of materials checked out and doesn’t even include the countless programs and other services it provides. We believe that a strong library is essential for our community and ask the township to find alternative solutions that do not compromise the quality and accessibility of our library services. Thank you for your consideration.
More details below:
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Photo: Cheltenham Township