Library budget gets resounding yes from voters
Residents gave the Shelter Island Library a vote of confidence Saturday by approving a $700,339 budget for operation of the Shelter Island Library in 2017.
The vote tally was 129 to 31.
“I’m happy with the direction we’re going and I’m happy with vote,” Library Director Terry Lucas said.
There were a lot of people out to vote on such a rainy day, she said.
The budget adds $22,700 to the spending plan for the current year and will cost an average Island median household an additional $4.66 for a property assessed at $770,000, according to Library Director Terry Lucas.
Additional spending results from increases in memberships and professional licenses, fees and dues. That’s budgeted for $64,874 for next year as compared with $58,500 in the current year.
Among the fees is membership in the Suffolk County Cooperative Library System that provides sharing services of books with libraries throughout the area.
There’s an increase of $3,530 for books and other media to replace old and worn classics and bring non-fiction materials up to date.
Library services extend beyond borrowing of books and materials to various community programs for young children, students and adults. Supporting costs for those programs is slotted to increase from $12,500 to $17,350.
Salaries, benefits and employee taxes are up by $3,790, a number that might have been higher had there not been several staff turnovers this year.
