Pottstown library warns state aid delay and possible loss of passport service could hit annual budget

Library director Bizholz told the Committee of the Whole on Nov. 5 that the borough library faces two risks heading into the 2026 budget cycle: a potential state funding impasse and a change that could remove the library's ability to serve as a passport acceptance facility.

Bizholz said annual state aid to the library is about $140,000 and that passport acceptance generates about $140,000 in annual revenue. He cautioned the state aid could be delayed if a state impasse is unresolved by January and said the passport role could be removed by the State Department's program changes; he cited a recent example at Jenkintown. Bizholz told council the combined hit "would be a $240,000 hit to our budget of 700 and something thousand dollars," and said the library would pursue fundraising and other measures to mitigate the risk.

Councilors asked whether local lobbying or outreach could help preserve the passport acceptance role; Bizholz said passport acceptance is a federal function administered through the State Department and that local lobbying might not help and could draw additional scrutiny. Councilors and staff noted the library routinely rates highly in acceptance facility surveys and that the Ricketts Center and other local partners rely on the library's services.

Bizholz said the library had a cash cushion compared with a year earlier but warned that the combined loss of state aid and passport revenue would still be substantial and could require additional fundraising or program adjustments.