POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Public Library will soon hold a vote on its proposed $674,759 annual budget and new trustees.
The library will host a public hearing on the proposed budget for …
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POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Public Library will soon hold a vote on its proposed $674,759 annual budget and new trustees.
The library will host a public hearing on the proposed budget for 2025-2026 on Wednesday, June 11 at 6 p.m.
The vote will be the following week on Wednesday, June 18 from noon-8 p.m. at the library at 2 Park St.
"Casting your vote is one of the most important ways that you can help support your library," writes Annie Davie, Potsdam Public Library director, in the library's newsletter to patrons.
The budget for the 2025-2026 year, which will cover the library's operating expenses from July 1 to June 30, features a tax levy of $648,089 to cover the total expenses of $674,759. The budget represents a $27,312 increase over the current fiscal year's amount.
As in year's past the lion's share of expenses for the library's budget are personnel expenses at $546,679, with salaries making up $359,993 of that.
"We are requesting a small increase in funding this year, within the tax cap limit, which means that our funding will almost keep up with inflation. The proposed increase amounts to $4.77 total for the entire year for a $100,000 property (or about 40 cents per month)," Davie said.
The tax rate for school district residents to cover the library budget will increase from $1.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $1.13 per $1,000 of assessed value.
To view a copy of the budget visit https://tinyurl.com/2vsnkkpn .
In addition to the budget vote, seven candidates are running for four open library board seats. Three of the seats are a full three-year term, and one is the remainder of a vacant seat with one year remaining in the term. Kadi Haley, Susan Dillon, Kayla Riley, Tim Yip, Sonja Jensen, Rebecca Weld, and Kate Krueger are running for the seats.
Kadi Haley is a North Country native and resident of Potsdam. She holds a master's degree in social work and has experience as a project manager. She is also a Master Food Preserver volunteer with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, and helps teach food preservation and promote sustainable living.
"As a mother and avid reader—raising two more!—the library has been an integral part of our family life. Whether checking out books, attending programs, or spending time in a welcoming space, the library has been essential to us," she writes on the library's website.
Susan Dillon has lived in Potsdam since 2006. She is a Potsdam Food Co-op board member, an amber of the Canton Unitarian Universalists and the Potsdam Presbyterian churches, and of the SOAR senior education group. She holds degrees in art administration and museum studies and has worked as a gallery director, museum curator and for financial and brokerage corporations.
“My contribution to the Potsdam Library Trustees will be using my community connections and communication skills to enhance local community experiences within the library. I have always been a library member and consider libraries to be one of the greatest assets of a locality," she says on the library's website.
Kayla Riley has lived in Potsdam since 2000 and is a public school teacher of English at Parishville-Hopkinton Central School. She is a facilitator of the SLC Arts writers group and has served on the boards of the Potsdam Food Co-op and SLC Arts.
"If elected, I am committed to ensuring that our library continues to thrive, embracing innovation while honoring its rich history. I would be honored to contribute my experience and passion to support the library’s mission and its vital role in our community," writes Riley on the library webpage.
Timothy Yip is a music business professor at Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, and says he wants to support programs for families and children at the library.
"He is running for the library board because he truly sees it as the heart of Potsdam and wants to help strengthen the community it serves through constructive programming and the promotion of literacy. Tim loves the library, it's fantastic team, and library books. He particularly appreciates Walt Disney’s quote about books: 'There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island,'" the library's web page says.
Sonja Jensen has lived in the North Country for the last 10 years and has studied sociology at St. Lawrence University and worked for GardenShare. She is currently the St. Lawrence County Mobility Manager at Volunteer Transportation Center. Jensen is the former Canton Farmers Market manager, and is the market's board president.
"Sonja believes that libraries serve an important role in the community and society at large by providing free access to information and entertainment; a place to relax, work, and gather; and other important resources for our community," the library's web page said.
Rebecca Weld has lived in Potsdam for the last 15 years. She previously led her own architectural firm Renew Architecture & Design, where she worked on many local design projects in the North Country, including the Potsdam library’s extensive recent renovation. Weld now works for an architectural firm with offices in Canton that specializes in libraries and education architecture, the library web page said.
“The library is one of the last places a community can gather or hang out, and as such, she believes it’s a necessary and vital place to work for and support,” the web page said.
Kate Krueger is a professor of literature and director of the Honors Program at Clarkson University, and has significant experience with budgeting, organizational management, and event planning. She has also helped to organize student volunteering projects with local organizations and has volunteered with RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).
“A lifelong book lover and daughter of an English teacher, Krueger loves all things library-related and is eager to get involved with the Potsdam Public Library in order to support this amazing hub of activity and community,” said the library web page.
Any registered voter living within the geographic boundaries of the Potsdam Central School District may cast a ballot in the upcoming election and budget vote.
For more information on the vote and for details on the budget and the candidates visit https://potsdamlibrary.org/vote-on-june-18th/ .
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