|
Butterfield Library Do-over
Dear Editor:
It is with great interest I have been following the correspondence about the recent library vote.
It would appear that the town board has raised a question as to whether or not the recent referendum met its statutory requirements. If, in fact, the vote was technically deficient it is the obligation of the town board to ignore its results. In this matter, the board would not be acting out of spite, but out of legal necessity.
Rather than being cause for recrimination or legal action, the emerging situation should present an opportunity for the community and the library to carefully consider the best course of action.
As has been noted in the Letters section, last fall's vote was poorly publicized and, I believe, not adequately understood.
There should not be any question about the need to, and desired benefit from, the community supporting the Butterfield Library. The question is whether or not the taxpayers of Philipstown should be obligated, on an annual basis, to turn over hundreds of thousands of dollars to a private institution that is not accountable to the taxpayers and whose decisions are made behind closed doors.
Picture this: the Butterfield Library decides to pursue legal action against the town board. Some of your tax dollars would be paying for the town to defend itself in a lawsuit, while even more of your tax dollars may will going to the library to pay their costs in the same suit.
It doesn't make any sense. Furthermore it is just this lack of input that the taxpayers have with library decisions that makes unencumbered funding problematic. Clearly, if the town chooses to subsidize the Butterfield Library (to the extent that the library has requested) it should require that the library provide the town a seat on their board as well as open their meetings to the public.
Ideally, part of the funds provided would be earmarked for an endowment, contingent upon Butterfield providing matching amounts
from private sources. In ths manner, after a period of years it could operate, as does the Hamilton Fish Library, from their
own funds.
In closing, I would like to emphasize that this is an opportunity for both the community and the library to get it right, rather than descend into unpleasantness.
Joe Regele
Garrison
| 
