Alexandria Redux

This opinion piece appeared in the Townsman, September 11 edition

Fellow Townsman, from Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary:

"Library n., 1. a place set apart to contain books, periodicals, and other material for reading, viewing, listening, study, or reference, as a room, set of rooms, or building where books can be read or borrowed."

With the second consecutive defeat of the Woodstock Library budget on September 4, an unprecedented event in Woodstock's cultural history, it is time to give thought to this extremely important institution. I say thought as opposed to bashing. Fellow citizens as plain and simple as you and me, unpaid, and who give their time to the library constitute the board of trustees responsible for its policy, upkeep and operation. However critical we are of their decisions their dedication deserves our respect. With that agreement let us continue.

Last year's defeat of the library budget, the product of an outpouring of seething voters was easy to comprehend. Taxpayers were expected to digest and approve a very expensive capital project with barely two weeks notice. Even people normally very sympathetic to the library's mission felt profound doubt and cast their votes against the budget more in sadness than anger.

Rather than take its lumps, some library trustees compounded the error by whispering blame of certain individuals and/or issuances against the public's lack of "understanding." When it comes to money the public does not wish to understand, it need be persuaded. Five million bucks is a tough argument requiring almost five million reasons to support it. "More meeting space" didn't cut it. It should be noted that when a library budget is defeated it automatically defaults to the previous year's budget, and therefore the January 2008 tax levy for the library was identical to that of January 2007.

This year's proposal would have seen the library budget increase 15% from $466,000 to $537,000. Whether residue from the public's sense of breach of trust from last year, or a new found deeper interest in the library budget, this year's turnout for the library budget vote was high, almost 600 voters, and the margin of defeat convincing (362 nay to 232 yea). Most tangibly this means the January 2009 tax levy for the library will be identical to that of January 2007. Good year for tax haters, but good for the library?

Yes, good for the library. As much as we love and need libraries, they are publicly financed and everybody employed by or overseers of libraries can expect and should expect the taxpayers' interest. Our library trustees have not been diligent in this regard.

A couple of weeks ago, well before the September 4 vote, I read a letter to the editor that said;

"No doubt the library trustees believe that having to work within an austerity budget this year is reason enough for taxpayers to vote yes on a 15% budget increase for 2009. So I decided to compare budgets of several libraries in the area and am left scratching my head as to why there is such a discrepancy between the operating budgets of our town library vs others.
"Here are the numbers for 2008: The Town of Saugerties (population 19,868) Library is operating on a budget of $419,969. Town of Ulster (pop. 12,544) Library budget: $250,822. Rosendale (pop. 6,352) Library budget: $223,700. West Hurley (pop. 2,105) Library budget: $161,990. Stone Ridge (serving Marbletown, pop. 5,854) Library's '09 budget of $217,642 just passed. The Woodstock (pop. 6,241) Library is now operating with a $465,296 budget and we are being asked to increase that budget to $537,772! I think the trustees have a lot more explaining to do. I bet you can guess how I'll be voting."

Mary Ann Ahroon, a taxpayer and a woman who has made enough of her own contributions to the community to deserve our respect, signed the letter. I was certain that somebody from the library board of trustees would write a response, and I even expected his or her response to be reasonable. There was plenty of time before the budget vote.

I had been naïve to think so; there was no response to Ms Ahroon's query. This was a terrible mistake on the library board's part. It only made people think, including me, that perhaps there was no reasonable answer. These days money is too precious to give up based on simple declarations of need.

The trustees of the library have an obligation both to the institution and the public. I predict that unless they respond to Ms Ahroon's letter, and other matters, including prompt filings with Ulster County Civil Service and addressing routine maintenance of the current facility as recommended by a report dated April, 2007, the January 2010 tax levy for the library will be identical to that of January 2007.

I have to admit when reading the April, 2007 report I was surprised to see the library had recently installed an in-ground oil tank.

It's yours to fix, trustees. Good luck.