Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library officials are preparing for a vote on the proposed 2025 budget.
The proposed budget has a tax levy just over $5.25 million, an increase of roughly $150,000, and is under the state tax cap. The total budget is roughly $5,370,000, less than a $200,000 increase.
Library Director Alex Gutelius says staying within the tax cap is always a priority.
“As we’ve been coming out of COVID, we’ve been focusing on a couple of things. One is programming, changing our programming, but also we’ve been doing some renovations to our building. Not that that’s included in our operating budget, but those are some of the priorities that the board are looking at. Also, we have a fairly large staff here so that comprises a large portion of our budget so we have to look at what we’re paying them including benefits—that’s always a large part of the overall cost of the budget. But we want to increase the number of the programs that we are offering and increase our outreach into the community,” said Gutelius.
Staffing takes up a majority of the budget with a proposed line of $3.3 million.
Gutelius says the library’s preschool programming would receive support from the budget. It currently serves up to 60 kids and parents at weekly story time events.
She adds that the library is also turning its attention to serving residents with special needs.
“Just this next month we are going to be having our grand opening of our new sensory room which is a room that w have designed for children and adults who need a place to decompress. Or if they’re meeting with a counselor or somebody, they can use the sensory room, it has items in there that are soothing to both adults and children,” said Gutelius.
Gutelius is confident that residents will pass her library’s budget.
“I think we have a very supportive community. Obviously, people can vote—they may have objections to certain things in the budget and they’re perfectly willing to vote any way that they feel is appropriate. Generally, we have enjoyed great support from the community. The last 10 years or so the number of yes votes has been over 80%,” said Gutelius.
The Friends of the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library runs an extensive get out the vote campaign, including the distribution of street signs, newsletters, annual reminder emails, and information sessions including one September 5th.
“I am 100% confident that it will pass. There has never been a time that the library budget has not passed,” said Jo Anne Robbins.
Jo Anne Robbins helps lead that campaign; she’s more worried about the number of voters than she is about the budget passing.
“Every year, our percentage of yeses go up. The number of votes has not gone up much in years—the number of people actually taking time to come to the library, to come to the board room, to check in with their drivers’ licenses and vote. And this is kind of disappointing because our library has great programs and services that are heavily used by our community,” said Robbins.
Trish MacEnroe is the co-president of the Friends organization. She says pandemic-era programming and the continued commitment to serving locals has fostered consistent support for the library’s budgets.
“I think the library has been very prudent in its budgeting and I think that they have worked hard to keep the budget in-line with what they know is comfortable for the taxpayers of our community. The library does programming that has an appeal for all, and I think the inclusiveness and the creativity and the welcoming nature of our library is what builds our support and keeps our support in place and keeps me optimistic that the budget will pass,” said MacEnroe.
The budget vote is September 12th.
