Bethel Township voters will decide whether to raise the library tax (and ONLY the library tax) from .027 mills to .037 mills — an increase of $1.00 per $100,000 of
assessed property value.

• On a home assessed at $250,000, it equates to $2.50 more per year.
• On a home assessed at $400,000 home, $4.00 more per year.

The best way to do this is to review your 2026 tax bill

• Look for the assessed value of your home
• Multiple that by .027 gives you the current amount (which should also show on your bill)
• Multiple the assessed value by .037 will give you the amount should the referendum be passed

• Early 2026: Bethel Township officials, library liaisons, the Solicitor, and the Township Manager met several times to review historical funding and determined a referendum was the best path forward.
• June 2026: The Library Board of Trustees formally requested the referendum.
• August 11, 2026: The Township Board approved the Solicitor’s proposed ballot language and sent a certified copy to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections.
• November 3, 2026: Bethel Township voters decide the question on Election Day.

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Residents originally voted on this tax back in 2006. A 2021 countywide property reassessment legally required the Township to reduce the rate to .027 mills so revenue stayed flat. This question asks voters whether to raise it back above that level, to .037 mills.

“Do you favor increasing the annual tax on the assessed value of all taxable real property situated in Bethel Township from .027 mills to .037 mills to aid in maintaining the Rachel Kohl Community Library?”

Three reasons:

1. Bethel currently funds the library well below the state’s guidance of $5.00 per resident per year.
2. Major repairs — roof, HVAC, and restrooms — are being deferred while monthly patch-repair costs continue.
3. Library use is high and still rising, even as digital content has not replaced physical use.

The increase would raise Bethel’s library funding from about $36,000 to about $49,000 a year — roughly $13,000 more. That would bring Bethel’s per-resident funding from $3.68 to approximately $5.00, the threshold that unlocks additional state funding (Quality Libraries Aid).

Not automatically. Every municipality the library serves (Bethel, Chadds Ford, Chester Heights, Concord, and Thornbury) must each reach $5.00 per resident before the extra state aid becomes available. If Bethel voters approve the increase, one more municipality would still need to act for us to apply for the funding.

The library tax stays at .027 mills. The Township Board could still raise it at a later date but would be doing so after voters had said no.

No. Circulation, visits, and program attendance are all above their 2017 levels — circulation is up 25% and programming is up 58% since 2017. Bethel residents also still borrow more physical items than e-books. Over 200 events are held at the library each year.

Local fundraising already supplies about 33% of the library’s revenue, its second-largest source after township funding, and it covers day-to-day operations. It has not been sufficient to fund a roof or HVAC replacement.

No. It addresses deferred repairs and brings Bethel’s support to the state’s guidance level. The library will still rely on fundraising, grants, and county and state support for the rest of its budget.

Most township services work this way — residents fund fire, EMS, and parks whether or not they personally use them in a given year. This is one of the reasons the question is being put directly to voters rather than decided solely by the Board.

In the past few years:

• Expanded Children’s Library, reconfigured space for tutoring and quiet study via a Keystone grant and single donor gift.
• Increased full-time and part-time staffing, increasing wages to be market competitive, funding health care allowances and retirement savings contributions for full-time staff; as well as increases professional development and tuition reimbursement funding for staff. The result of which has contributed to a reduction in staff turnover.
• Reorganize hours of operation that enabled the library to operate 7 days a week year-round without increasing staffing costs.
• Replaced building side (with support from member townships)
• Kept the aging AC system running through interim repairs
• Repeatedly patched the leaking and aging roof
• Improved fiscal management and reduced near-term financial risk since past insolvency concerns

In 2026:

• Outreached to and received funding for summer programs from local businesses
• Held our annual fundraising dinner
• Secured modern furniture from other libraries for the cost of a rental truck only
• Applied for various grants to fund new and existing initiatives
• Held two book sale fundraisers

No, the annual appeal is an important part of helping the library budget for and support the total operating costs. By its very nature it is not guaranteed and therefore can be a challenge to budget for.

Volunteers provide vital support to the library and support both patron-facing roles like circulation desk as well as behind the scenes roles such as supporting the annual book sale.

Bethel Township has two liaisons who are appointed by the Supervisors to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Library for a 3-year term. Library bylaws limit the number of terms to three or a maximum of 9 years. Openings are advertised by the Township, and residents may apply for consideration. 

There is a current opening, because of a resignation, due to work commitments, that the Township is actively looking to fill. Please contact the Township directly for more information. The deadline to apply is October 23rd, 2026.

The Rachel Kohl Community Library is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not owned or operated by Bethel Township. It is funded jointly by five municipalities — Bethel, Chadds Ford, Chester Heights, Concord, and Thornbury — with trustee seats allocated by population (Concord: four, Bethel: two, one each for the others). Bethel currently provides about 7% of the library’s revenue.