Bartlesville City Council routinely approves accepting a federal grant to fund the Bartlesville Public Library's literacy and citizenship program.
Irina Meade is one of dozens helped to learn English through the program.
"Library is not only place for learn English language," she said, "It is place I can understand culture. American culture."
Over the past 11 years, immigrants from more than 50 countries used the service to learn or improve their English language skills. The program also tutors those preparing to take the U.S. citizenship test.
To prep for her citizenship test, Meade told 2 News her teacher, "Make for me a special test in real time how I will have test in immigration center in Oklahoma City."
After passing and becoming a U.S. citizen, Meade's photo went up on the library's wall, celebrating those the program helped.
During theJanuary city council meeting, Councilor Tim Sherrick questioned whether the program teaches language and citizenship to people in this country illegally.
He asked, "Would it be too large an encumbrance for the library to require that they present a green card when they come in to receive these services, or a driver's license?"
"We don't require that for any other program or offering the library has," replied Bartlesville Library Director Kiley Roberson.
"If you are teaching language and citizenship to people who are here unlawfully," Sherrick said, "and they use your resources then to somehow gain the IDS required to present to their local election board, we could potentially have an election integrity issue arising from a program like this."
"We do not teach people how to get fake IDs at the library," Roberson said.
The vote on whether to accept the $14,000 grant for this year failed on a 2-2 tie vote. Without the funds the Library would likely discontinue the program.
Councilor Larry East told 2 News, "I'm going to recommend that it be brought up for reconsideration next month, that our next council meeting and do what we can to get that passed so that we don't lose the grant."
When the council revisits whether to accept the grant we will update this story with the results.
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