Council President Gloria Calise noted that nearby townships with libraries needed a 3-mill tax base to maintain those facilities. She said that a referendum to raise taxes for a library had been placed on the ballot in the past and that more than 90 percent of the township's residents had voted against an increase in taxes "for anything."
Councilman Edward Lehr said: "The important question would be: 'Would you like to have a library that would raise your taxes two to three mills?' "
Calise appointed Soufer as chairwoman of a committee to do a feasibility study on whether a library could be established in Horsham. She told Soufer to report her findings to Michael McGee, the township manager.
"It's obvious that it's feasible," said Soufer, who added that she had talked with people who had done studies on the subject. "The bottom line was money."
"It usually is," Calise said.
Councilman Joseph Hari said previous studies had shown that the Hatboro- Horsham High School library, which is open to the public on Wednesday nights, was underused. He suggested that efforts be made to update the school library rather than build a new one.
Soufer countered that the school library was a poor substitute for a community library. "We have an information explosion going on," she said.
