The Pike County Public Library (PCPL) issued a statement late Tuesday night, expressing disappointed that the proposed dedicated library tax was defeated.
With 18 of 18 precincts reporting, the library tax  proposal received 7,437 “NO” votes and 1,714 “YES” votes. The referendum was defeated in every precinct. The referendum had asked for a one mill tax to support the county library system.
The “NO” vote amounted to 81 percent of the total vote.
“Clearly, the voters of Pike County have made a choice today,” said PCPL Board President Maleyne Syracuse. “Unfortunately, without the increased funding from the library tax, we have no other option but to make difficult decisions about service cuts that will be necessary to balance our budget.”
The PCPL’s state funding has been cut by approximately $50,000 for 2010, and the county funding appropriation, which is granted at the discretion of the Pike County Commissioners, has not been increased in a decade.