A quirk in the library funding formula is hurting the Poughkeepsie Public Library District’s ability to raise money, library officials said this week, and they hope to tweak that formula to allow them to raise more of their money through property taxes.
Library Director Tom Lawrence explained that the library district can only fund up to 75 percent of its operating budget through taxes levied from property owners in the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, with the remainder drawn from Dutchess County, private foundations and individuals. The library district is now seeking permission from the state legislature to increase that cap to 90 percent by 2010.
Essentially, he said, for each dollar the library brings in through fundraising, it can levy $3 in taxes. “The problem is that if we lose $1 in fundraising, we really lose $3 in our tax levy,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re not penalized because some of our efforts haven’t been successful.”
Lawrence said that like many local governments in recent years, the library district has struggled to keep up with the rising costs of benefits for its 70 employees, a factor that is largely out of the district’s control.
He added that the library district’s 75-percent cap is highly unusual. “We’re the only one with a cap in the whole state,” he said. “It’s a local quirk.”
Still, the district isn’t looking to eliminate the cap entirely. “That’s not our plan. If the local taxpayers are feeling our pressure, they’ll start defeating our budget.”
The library’s budget is approved by voters each year. For 2005, that budget is $3.6 million.
The change in the budget formula requires a home rule request from the Common Council and Town Board, and sponsorship by State Sen. Steve Saland (R-Poughkeepsie). Both municipal governments endorsed the change this week.
On the Town Board, only Mike Cifone (R-Ward 4) voted against the budget change. Taxes in his ward, which includes the Fairview Fire District, are high enough, he said this week. “I don’t believe taxpayers in the city and town should have to fund a library that not everyone chooses to use,” he said. “I didn’t think another tax increase was warranted right now.”