A petition titled “Fight Cheltenham Township Library Cuts!” has been circulating through greater Glenside’s social media outlets.

The petition, which launched last week and has 244 signatures at the time of this writing, is pushing back against a proposed financial cut to the library’s budget for 2026.

From the petition’s 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. 

Lauren Walter, public information officer for Cheltenham Township, says the petition is premature.

“The township’s budget process is still in preliminary stages at the staff level,” Walter told Glenside Local.  “The proposed 2026 budget has not yet even been presented to the Board of Commissioners, and as such, this petition is premature.”

The township’s first Public Budget Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30 from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Walter noted that the library budget will likely be discussed at the October 7 Public Budget Workshop. 

Regarding the township’s public budget process, the following was taken from Commissioner Brockington’s message prior to the August 6 Public Works Meeting:

Additional budget discussions will be held on:

• Tuesday, October 7, 6 pm to 9 pm
• Wednesday, October 29, 4 pm to 8 pm

Presentations and discussion of the 2026 budget will occur at 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)

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