In spite of chief librarian Barbara Stephenson’s and incumbent library board Chairperson Marilyn Marsh’s opposition, the Port Hope library is still set to have a $10,000 reduction in funding from the Municipality of Port Hope, that is if the draft budget remains as it is.

It could have been much worse. In a budget meeting held on the 26^th of January, Port Hope’s council dismissed a motion to reduce the library’s budget by $17,000, changing it instead to $10,000.

According to Councilor Karen O’Hara, the reduction was necessary, seeing as how funding was donated by the library to the Friends of the Library, when it should have been used by the library’s costs like maintenance and the like.  She motioned for the reduction of $17,000.

Stephenson argued that the donation by Stage 49 Ltd, the company behind ABC’s TV series Happy Town, worth $15,000 is responsible for the negative reactions of local media and some in the community. She pointed out that the donation was received in good faith. Stephenson added that she didn’t even know council had an issue with the donation, so she was more than taken aback by the decision to reduce funding.

A next council meeting will be scheduled if councilors deem it necessary.