Independence for Library Funding

An article in today’s Poughkeepsie Journal reported that the Supervisor of the Town of LaGrange opposes the proposition on the Town ballot that would increase LaGrange Library funding by 17%. This sounds like a lot until you learn that because of a low base tax, the total increase would impact the average household by just $14.21 a year, less than the cost of a quality paperback book. Another way of viewing the increase is also telling. In 2008, when library-funding support from the Town was completely at the Town Board’s discretion, the amount was frozen at $599,280, so there has been no increase in 2009 or 2010. Through the magic of compound interest, an increase of just 5.3% a year since 2008 would be equivalent to the 17% increase proposed for 2011 over 2010. The Town itself is proposing a budget for 2011 that would result in a total tax of $736.44 on a $323,000 home, so the proposed tax on a typical home with the Library increase would amount to $750.55.

Town Boards or Town Supervisors often oppose increases in library funding through direct approval by voters, which for free-association libraries in New York State is known as Chapter 414 funding. I do not think that this is always because they are opposed to libraries—although in some cases, the Board or the Supervisor clearly is—but more because they feel that they should control every aspect of the Town budget, rather than have voters in charge. I don’t have all the facts and figures to prove it, but my impression is that when local government is in charge of library budgets, for example in larger cities, library services are among the first to be cut when there is any economic downturn. Branches are closed and staff and open-hours are reduced. But when the voters are given a direct choice, they nearly always approve modest increases in library funds that permit maintenance or even improvement of library services.

The Pleasant Valley Free Library also is taking its case to the voters for a modest increase in funding so that current staff and services can be maintained in the face of reduced funding from the state and country and increased costs. The proposed increase in funding is from $265,000 to $360,000. Since this would be the first increase in four years, it is equivalent to an 6.3% increase each year over the base from 2007 to 2011, but because the Library commits to maintaining the same level of Town funding for at least another three years, by 2014 the rate of increase from 2007 will be just 4.5%, not much higher than the general rate of inflation and comparable to the rate of library-cost inflation. I expect the voters of Pleasant Valley to view this as a reasonable way to maintain their Library and that the proposition, which will come before voters on November 2, will be approved. My hope would be that the voters in LaGrange will also want to continue their own library services with a vote in favor of library funding.

Library Finances UPDATED (Again)

The Poughkeepsie Journal on October 27 ran a couple of articles that touched on library finances, a subject much on my mind these days. 

The front page article headed "Mortgage revenue loss freezes salaries" discussed the problems the Town of LaGrange was having in these difficult economic times.  Among other measures to reduce expenses, the paper noted that the LaGrange Library had first asked the Board to increase the allocation of town taxes from $599,280 to $647,222, and had come back with a smaller request of $614,262--calculated from percentage increases of 8% and 2.5%. But even the second request had to be turned down because of the income shortfall, so next year's budget will include just the same $599,280 from the Town as in 2008, despite a 17% increase in library usage in 2008 and the likelihood of an additional increase in usage in 2009.  More and more patrons are checking out more and more items and also using the computers more each year in every library in the County. 

Next door in the Town of Wappinger, the Grinnell Library is going to the voters instead of to the Town Board for an increase.  They are asking for what seems to be a huge 58.8% increase from $314,874 annually to $500,000.  The Grinnell Library is in the Village of Wappingers Falls, and the Village also contributes to it, currently $35,000 a year.  It also serves the Town of Poughkeepsie, which adds another $50,000 per year.  

When a library goes to the voters for an increase, they normally ask for a high percentage increase because this level of funding if approved is normally going to last for several years. The previous increase in Wappinger Town funds for the Grinnell Library, from $100,000 to $314,874 was in 2002, after a vote in 2001.  Some of that first year's additional $214,874 was saved for the future.  Since there was a seven year gap between the 2002 increase and the one being asked for to take effect in 2009 (if passed by the voters), the economics would be that the library saved some of the money each year for three years, then spent all of the fourth year's $314,874 the next year, and used its savings to supplement the income for the last three years. Costs go up each year, but the Town money does not. In fact, the library will have spent more of the Town money than $314,874 in 2008.  I don't have access to the Grinnell Budget, but it is likely that they used something like $400,000 to $450,000 of Wappinger Town money in 2008. When you look at the actual expenditures, the increase from $314,874 to $500,000 is not the nearly 60% jump it would seem to be on the surface.

Adriance Library, which serves both Poughkeepsie City and Town, is also asking for voters to support an increase on November 4.  Adriance needs an additional 8%, which they calculate will cost the average City resident $15 a year and the average Town resident $20 annually.  This is about the cost of one trade paperback book (or less). Recall that  if there were no free libraries, not only would everyone have to pay for the books and other materials that they now can borrow for free, but also publishers would need to raise prices drastically, since the sales of thousands of copies to libraries increases volume which enables lower prices. 

With a smaller circulation and a smaller population served, the Clinton Community Library asked voters to approve an increase in Town funding from $63,000 to $110,000 per year. 

Follow Up:  All three library budget increases were approved by the voters: Adriance by a lopsided vote of 6,107 for to 3,531 against; Grinnell by a closer vote of 2,828 for to 2,358 against; and Clinton by 583 for to 527 against.