When Pine Plains voters go to the polls this autumn, they may have an opportunity to weigh in on how much of their property taxes should directly fund the town library, which has struggled with a flat budget and rising costs for the past decade.
The board of trustees of the Pine Plains Free Library agreed March 21 to move forward with the ballot initiative, which does not have the power to raise property taxes but would allow the public to commit a specific portion of their existing taxes directly to library operations, rather than having the town government determine how much the library will receive out of its general budget.
The move seeks to capitalize on the growing use of Chapter 414, a New York state law that enables libraries to put their budget up for a public vote on official election days. New York holds general elections on Nov. 7.
Chapter 414 votes have a high success rate in the state, and have been used by other Dutchess County libraries to address chronic underfunding. Rebekkah Smith-Aldrich, the executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System, has encouraged Pine Plains to follow suit.
The Pine Plains library – which at 225 years is the oldest in the county – is currently operating at a deficit of nearly $30,000. Director Alexis Tackett says without a budget increase, the library – which is currently open five days a week for a total of 32 hours – will be forced to reduce staff and many of the programs and materials it currently provides. It may also need to drop weekly operations to 28 hours.
This would also mean scaling back much of what the library offers. In addition to lending books and video material, The Pine Plains library currently provides over 500 services for the public annually, including one-on-one technology assistance, exercise classes for all age groups, children’s story time and craft programs, computer and printer access, ancestry database access, and tutoring.
Tackett, who also serves as digital manager for the New Pine Plains Herald, said use of the library has gone up 137% over the past 10 years, while its funding from the town budget has remained flat.
In 2013, the library’s public funding was $77,500 – an amount that, adjusted for inflation, comes to $100,083 in today’s dollars. Under the current budget, approved late last year, the library is allocated just $99,500.
This falls $29,000 short of the year’s operating costs, which are projected to climb still further in 2024 as inflation and minimum-wage hikes take hold. The aftermath of the Covid pandemic, which has sparked a double demand for both digital and physical materials, is contributing to higher costs as well.
Tackett estimates that, without relief, the library’s deficit will surpass $35,000 next year. At the current rate of spending, the library’s existing fundraising reserves – which are meant for building improvements and not daily operations – will be exhausted by 2026.
The 414 ballot initiative is aimed at finding a sustainable solution that would guarantee stable library operations for at least the next several years. To that end, voters will be asked to support direct annual funding of $166,900 to meet the estimated hike in operational costs.
If the measure is approved, the library budget is protected from cuts by the Town Board and the town must either raise taxes or reduce other budget expenditures to fund the additional $67,000 needed to meet the library budget. In the event the library once again requires an increase in future, the library board would need to put the budget back on the ballot that year.
If the 414 measure fails, the library will remain dependent on the discretion of the town government for its allocations. The town’s $1.52 million 2023 budget, which includes salary raises for elected officials and increased spending for celebrations for the town’s bicentennial, must cover expenses for everything from veterans services and road maintenance to weather emergencies. The town also covers utilities and maintenance costs for the Main Street building that houses both the library and the town Community Center.
Town Supervisor Brian Walsh told the Herald he supports the library’s right to put the issue on the ballot and said the town’s attorney, Warren Replansky, is looking at the logistics of how the initiative will work. Walsh added that the town faces its own rising costs and a wide range of priorities, including initiatives — like summer camp and recreational sports — where public demand is growing fast. He did not indicate whether the town would raise taxes in the event the 414 initiative succeeds.
Sarah Jones, a member of the Town Board who attended the library meeting, said she did not see a “downside” to putting library funding on the ballot. “I’m not all that optimistic that the town is going to adequately fund the library,” Jones said. Acknowledging that use of the library has increased, she added, “people want more hours, and this [vote] is a way to get that.”
A petition drive will soon be launched to obtain signatures of support to put the library budget on the ballot. Under town guidelines, 10% of the total town voters in the 2022 gubernatorial race – or close to 200 signatures – will be required by August for the petition to be valid.
(Daisy Sindelar contributed to this report.)