Library Asks Voters for $120k Increase Saturday

The East Hampton Library is asking registered voters in the East Hampton, Springs and Wainscott school districts for a small increase to its annual budget during a vote on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If the proposed budget is approved, the tax increase for the average property owner will be $7.58 for the 2013 calendar year.

"The library may hold a budget vote once per year to ask for an increase, just like the schools do," Dennis Fabiszak, the director, said on Monday. "In 2011 the library did not increase its budget so we had no vote. This is only the third budget vote/proposed increase in the past 7 years."

The library expects to take in $1,989,605 — about $1.4 million of which is from library tax, a $119,720 increase. The rest comes from private funding and donations, fines, fees, State Aid, and transfers from fund accounts.

Expenses are budgeted to increase by $120,377 to just under $2 million.

Most of the increase will be to hire a part-time custodian and for the creation of a Young Adult Department, serving students in grades 9 through 12, Fabiszak said. Funding for personnel was increased by $105,228, bringing the total for staff salares, taxes, social security, benefits and insurance to $1,387,705.

According to library officials, the community and the library board has donated about $15 million to the library since 1995, significantly reducing the necessary taxpayer contributions to operate the library or add onto the library.

The $3.5 million from the 1996 building project and and the $4 million for the current project are included in h $15 million figure, Fabiszak said. "It is important to note that 100 percent of money spent on the Children's Addition construction project has come from private donations," he said.

There is also a $10,900 increase in money set aside for library material, such as books, audio books, periodicals, DVDs, music, and Ebooks, bringing the total to $135,00.

Programs will have a budget of $39,000, a $1,000 increase to cover children's programs, adult lectures, computer classes and Young Adult programs, and the like.