POTTSTOWN — City Council members wondered aloud Wednesday night why surrounding municipalities are not funding the Pottstown Regional Public Library at the state’s recommended level, while the municipality is providing double the recommended funding.

He The Pottstown Regional Public Library recently announced plans to reduce its hours by eight hours a week. due to an $81,000 budget shortfall, caused in large part by Upper Pottsgrove and West Pottsgrove townships not contributing the full amount recommended by the state, which is $5 per person.

The library serves as the official library for the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, but of the three municipalities, only Lower Pottsgrove pays the full amount recommended by the state, which is $5 per person, according to Angela Brown, executive director of the library . .

Pottstown, on the other hand, imposes a specific library tax and recently increased the millage, generating $212,199 for the library, which is more than $95,000 above the state recommendation. “Pottstown is definitely punching above its weight class,” said City Manager Justin Keller.

“Are we paying the bill for other municipalities not contributing?” Councilman Andrew Monastra asked during Wednesday night’s council meeting in which the township’s 2025 budget was being reviewed. “So your residents still benefit from using the library, but it’s our residents who have to pay for it?”

While Lower Pottsgrove Township contributes the full amount recommended by the state, West Pottsgrove contributes only $10,000, which is $8,000 less than what the state recommends based on its population. Upper Pottsgrove, which should contribute $31,000 a year, has not made any contributions for at least the past three years.

Last month, Brown appeared before Upper Pottsgrove Township commissioners to ask them to include funding for libraries in their 2025 budget. He said 7 percent of library patrons are Upper Pottsgrove residents.

So far in 2024, he said, Upper Pottsgrove Township residents have accessed the library 5,583 times. He received no public response from the commissioners.

Upper Pottsgrove commissioners also discussed their proposed budget Wednesday night, a budget that will likely raise taxes for the first time since 2009, but there was no mention of including a contribution to the library.

“If they paid their fair share, would our burden be less? —Monastra asked.

Library Board Treasurer Rich Bouher, who was in the audience, said that’s not how it works and said the library appreciates everything Pottstown does to support it.

“Maybe we should take a trip to other municipalities to discuss this,” suggested Mayor Stephanie Henrick. “I would be willing to accept that,” Monastra said. “You know how friendly I am.”