Libraries matter

[pbray]

Local election results were a mixed bag, but I was pleased to see that town voters approved a referendum to increase the library tax to $1.54 million, up from $1.37 million, a 12% increase.

Due to quirks of history and the way New York state governs itself, the Town of Union doesn't have its own library. Instead the village of Johnson City and the village of Endicott both have their own libraries, dating back to the days when they were the prosperous business and residential centers of the Town of Union. When the population started moving out to the suburbs, residents kept using the libraries but only the villages were taxed to pay for them. This system worked well enough until the businesses that supported the villages' tax bases started collapsing, at which point town funding became essential.

Twice in the past four years the issue of library funding has been put to the voters in the Town of Union, and twice we've come through and voted to increase our tax bills, to pay our share. It's nice to see our priorities are straight.

Comments

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

New York, it is my understanding, was faced with the reality of insisting that all library directors have MLSs, or accepting that many smaller, or lower-revenue communities couldn't afford to pay that kind of salary, and decided that small towns having libraries was more important.

Go, libraries!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

And it's not like our local libraries were swimming in funds to begin with.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

Far from it. Though Hammondsport recently got a grant to build themselves a new library, so it is no longer in the police station.
Like Dave Barry, I am Not Making This Up.