Times are Tight

The United States seems to be facing recession, and New York State, with its dependence on financial services for tax income, is especially hard hit. Although IBM is doing well, unemployment in Dutchess County is on the rise and the value of houses continues to decline. Locally, I see some empty stores where there used to be thriving businesses. Despite all this, inflation has continued the steady rise in the cost of living.  So it is not surprising that the Town of Pleasant Valley is worried about its expenses and considering the possible need to raise taxes for the next fiscal year.

In an article about this problem on the front page of the October 21 Poughkeepsie Journal,  the Pleasant Valley Town Supervisor Frank Susczynski commented to the effect that the Town has no control over some spending, such as the $265,000 annual allocation to the Library.  Susczynski suggested that that amount can only be changed through a Town referendum which residents could petition for.

The newspaper report seems to imply that citizens of Pleasant Valley might petition to have the Library funds lowered.  But the New York State Law that allows association libraries to call referendums on the Town's annual contribution does not permit this. The law envisions a petition put forth by the association library, which is then signed by at least 10 percent of the number of votes cast in the Town in the previous gubernatorial election, that would be used to raise the Town contribution. There seems to be no provision for lowering it. 

Different types of New York State chartered libraries have different means of acquiring funds.  Library District libraries have annual elections of trustees and annual budgets to be approved or disapproved--similar to school districts--for example.  Before 1995, association libraries like the Pleasant Valley Free Library were largely supported by their Town and by donations of various kinds, but there was no guaranteed support at all.  Since 1995 the association libraries have been able to use the petition method, known as "Chapter 414," to guarantee a level of support. 

Times really are tight.  The Pleasant Valley Free Library has started the budget process for 2009.  We are contemplating no new programs, the same staff levels, and the same level of maintaining the collection, but inflation will add thousands of dollars to expenses.  Fortunately, the way we and most other association libraries use our Chapter 414 money is to hoard as much as we can for the first two or three years after a level is set by the Town voters.  Then, as inflation and growth eat away at the Town money each year, the time comes when we can no longer use the money saved and must dip into it until we have used it all. Then it is time for another approach to Town voters. Fortunately, the Library has not reached that point this year, since--as you know--times are tough.