Saturday, April 27, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
By CRAIG FREILICH POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Public Library referendum asking for an $8,000 funding increase was approved in voting Wednesday on a vote of 183-79. Three new trustees for the library board …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
By CRAIG FREILICH
POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Public Library referendum asking for an $8,000 funding increase was approved in voting Wednesday on a vote of 183-79.
Three new trustees for the library board were elected, and one incumbent was re-elected.
The funding for the library will increase from $519,000 a year to $527,000.
That will mean a tax increase in the library district. On a $100,000 property, the tax bill will rise by $1.48 from $95.94 to $97.43.
The funding is to replace old computers, keep the library open seven days a week, and allow for the purchases of print, video and audio materials, according to Interim Library Director Paul Schaffer.
“The board and I are quite please with the result,” Schaffer said. “I’m happy the library patrons and the rest of the community are supportive of the library,” he said.
Elected to the library board were David Trithart and Sandra McCloy for three-year terms, Kathy Love for the one-year left in one former trustee’s term, and incumbent Richard VanLeuven, also for a three-year term.
Earlier this month the library got an offer from the office of state Sen. Joe Griffo, offering $10,000 they said they could secure, “on the condition that we would cancel the referendum,” Schaffer said.
“The board thought it would put us in an awkward position, being so close to the vote,” he said. The referendum had already been scheduled and advertised.
The board consulted an attorney experienced in library affairs, and he told them that it was probably not a good idea.
Another factor was the fact that a vote would automatically add the extra money requested to the budget, while a contribution would not. If they accepted the senator’s largesse, any subsequent budget would have to jump to include the amount they wanted in this vote plus whatever else they would ask for in the next vote.
“I believe the senator sincerely thought we could use the money for computers. I think he wanted to help, but the board didn’t want to go along,” Schaffer said.
“With the tax cap it’s difficult to obtain a bigger increase,” Schaffer said, so the board turned down the senator.
