By LOIS THOMSON

Ben Avon is considering eliminating the Bookmobile service in the borough. In drafting the 2010 budget, council member Judy Konitsney, head of finance, said at the Oct. 20 council meeting that she recommends not renewing the service for the coming year.

The Bookmobile comes to Ben Avon once a week for an hour, and she said that on average, 24 people have been using it, of which 16 are borough residents. And at a cost of $9,115, that averages out to $11 per person, per hour. Ben Avon Heights had contributed to the cost in 2009, but is not planning to do so next year.

Konitsney recommended putting the money instead into an account for the codification of the borough's records, which could cost $6,000 to $7,000. Council president Ken Opipery Jr. agreed that is something to be considered: "With the right-to-know law (in place), it's important to have something like that."

Ben Avon's right-to-know policy was established Jan. 1, 2009, in accordance with state law that certain borough records must be open for public inspection.

Borough secretary Carmella Hallstein explained that a codification company would come in and scan all of the borough's ordinances and review them, then recommend which ones could be eliminated, which could be consolidated, which ones were duplicates, etc. If someone makes a request, the information could be located more easily and efficiently.

Council member Dan Herchenroether called the Bookmobile a "luxury," because residents can get books at the library.

Council member Mark Colenbrander said he understands the wisdom of dissolving the service, but he admitted he would hate to see it go.

"The Bookmobile is nice for the community to have," he said. "I'd rather try to keep it because we don't have a library."

Herchenroether clarified his statement, saying, "I don't take lightly axing the Bookmobile, but you have to trade things off. I have a serious problem asking our residents to foot the whole bill. And codification has a high value. I'd be happy to explain to any resident why we axed the Bookmobile."

Council member Sue Weiss, who said that because the budget draft had just recently been distributed, she was not expecting to discuss the topic at the meeting, and said she would like a little more time before making a decision. "I'd like to see a way to keep it. We've found money before for things." Opipery said he had inquired about getting some grant money for the Bookmobile.

Herchenroether made a motion to cancel the Bookmobile service and put the money into a codification account. The vote was 3-2 against that idea, with Herchenroether and Konitsney voting in favor. Lloyd Corder and Todd Smith were absent. Council then decided to wait and see if Ben Avon receives any grant money before making a decision.

Colenbrander pointed out that the residents may not know that the borough pays for the Bookmobile, and council agreed they should get the word out to the community and encourage the people to take advantage of the service.