ZELIENOPLE — The Zelienople Public Library has cut operating hours, reduced hours for part-time employees and laid off director Jan Lawrence.

All that has been done because of a drop in local funding and a lack of state funds due to Pennsylvania’s budget impasse.

Lawrence, who was laid off in December, said it was a mutual decision between her and the library board to cut costs.

The Grove City woman has worked at the library for 25 years, serving as director for 24 of those.

Before the layoff, she worked 25 to 30 hours a week.

The library’s budget for 2016 is $190,000 while its income is $183,000.

Lawrence said the library has had deficits for “five or six years.”

She said they are the result of less government support and a decline in individual contributions.

Lawrence also said state aid has not increased for the past 10 years. The library has received $35,500 a year from the state.

“We know the portion of state funding for public libraries has been passed in the budget, but we don’t know when the funds will be released,” she said.

She said the library in the past had received up to $50,000.

“You take a hit like that and then your local government’s support either goes down or remains level, you start to dip into savings to cover your costs,” Lawrence said.

She also said increased costs for books and other materials don’t help.

The library’s operating hours have been cut by nine hours a week.

“After receiving state funding, we will return to our regular hours,” Lawrence said.

The library employs two full-time workers and three part-time workers, not including Lawrence.

Trent Geis, Jackson Township supervisor chairman and an incoming library board member, said the township will give $7,500 to the library.

Lawrence said the township last year also gave the library $7,500, the first money in several years.

She said the library receives about $34,000 from Zelienople and about $5,000 from Lancaster Township.

The library received less from Harmony in 2015. In the past, the library got $5,200 from Harmony. However, that dropped to $500.

Harmony officials are considering whether to give more. A debate over the contribution occurred at the Jan. 5 Harmony Borough Council meeting.

Council member Jason Sarver, who favors a higher contribution, said, “I know we have upcoming projects, but I wanted to see if we as a council could dig deep into or find any funds somewhere so we could give some money to the library.”

However, council member Jarod Stewart said while he supports the library, the question comes down to whether it is the borough’s responsibility to fund it.

“I think it’s a bigger, overarching issue of what charity we choose to support out of public money,” Stewart said.

Sarver responded by saying “the majority of the people” who use the library are from the borough.

“These are our people you’re seeing going to the library,” Sarver said.

Harmony solicitor Matt Racunas said more children and schools are using electronic sources and that fact along with the rising cost of books make it harder to justify donating to libraries.

However Joe White, who attended the meeting and is the chairman of the Harmony planning commission, said the library is a “very cost-effective and useful institution.”

“It’s such a convenient thing to all of us,” White said.

Council President Greg Such suggested a questionnaire be put in the borough’s monthly newsletter asking residents for their opinions.

The library does seek grants. Last year, it received an $18,000 grant to replace its lighting.

Lawrence would not say what grants the library is seeking this year.

The Summer Wine Walk Through Harmony in July raised $7,000 to $8,000 for the library. Another wine walk is planned this summer.

The library, which was built in 1975, has 58,000 items, including books, DVDs, audio books and other items. Lawrence said about 100,000 visits were recorded in 2014, and the library’s Internet work stations had 8,000 users.

“The board is hoping with the ongoing fundraisers they do that we can at least maintain our services,” she said. “I just hope the state gets this budget passed soon so we can get our money, and I can go back to work. This is hard for me.”