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Library Board Took Advantage of Obscure Funding Law
Dear Editor:
This letter is to all those residents who did not have a chance to voice their opinion regarding the Julia L. Butterfield Library board imposing a significant tax increase into the 2007 Philipstown Town budget.
For those residents who are not familiar with this issue let me enlighten you. The town board had planned for another generous contribution to the Butterfield Library, for 2007, but the library board ignored that contribution and tried an end run at the town's budget; by taking advantage of an obscure law that allows for libraries to receive funds from their town government.
There are strict requirements to initiate this process, and apparently they failed to follow the process. Particularly by selectively notifying only those residents predisposed to vote for this outlandishly high library contribution, and not defining the impacted population and other missteps.
Under the law every resident in Philipstown was to be notified about this issue, and they were not given that opportunity by the library board. The Library Board chose to keep this quiet. I believe most of the individuals who did this are very likely to be good people, who just wanted to do the best for the library, but I believe they were mislead by others who promoted the use of a obscure law that allowed for this underhanded and unscrupulous process.
Stand up and be counted, on one side of the issue or the other, but don't let the Julia L. Butterfield library board make the decision for you. These people get paid to be there and they want your money to pay themselves, some of them very handsomely. In 2005 they received $100,000 from the Town and had a total income of $216,620! More than $107,000 in 2005 went for personnel. By the way you have to dig pretty deep to find this information. What will their income be for 2007, when you include monies from the town, county and both villages?
If this is not defeated it may force the Town to have to fund the Library with an 80% plus increase over last years contribution to an unbelievable amount of $276,000, and this contribution will automatically be recurring every year, unless you care enough about rising taxes to come out and be heard.
It's your town budget, stand up and be heard at the Town Board meeting, Thursday April 12th 8pm at Town Hall on Main Street, Cold Spring.
Joselle Cunane
Garrison
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