Thank you, voters of the Hamilton Central School District, for supporting the library’s tax levy increase in previous years.

Supporting us in this way shows that you feel, as we do, that equitable access to information and services is important to our community and paramount to our democracy. Libraries are a safe space, where you do not have to hold any political or religious belief to enter. Even if you just use our bathroom, we don’t ask for anything in return. We provide a warm space in the cold months and a cool place in warm ones.

This year, we are increasing our budget by about 11%, from $331,164.73 to $368,088.72. While an 11% increase is certainly a higher increase than in the last few years, since 2020 we have seen an average increase of about 5%. Most years, our budget went up because of rising costs associated with minimum wage and inflation. Without these increases, we would have had to cut services and hours.

This year is no different when it comes to dealing with the rising costs of minimum wage and inflation, but we’re also seeking to convert our part-time Program Coordinator position to full-time status. To borrow a library term, this move is long “overdue.” Since I started here in 2018, we have had trouble retaining someone in this position for more than a year. Offering benefits and more hours will enable us to keep someone for the long haul, which will help us develop our programs not only in quantity, but in quality. There will be consistency among all programs, all year long. Already, the person in this position is stretched thin between programs and their other duties, which include managing our social media accounts and room reservations. More hours (11 more a week, to be exact) would mean more time spent doing what’s in their job title.

As you can see, half of our funding comes directly from that School District Tax Levy I’ve been referencing. The other half comes from a variety of sources, including the Village of Hamilton, townships of Hamilton, Madison, Lebanon, and Brookfield, Madison County, NY State, private donations, the Friends of the Library, and various account transfers from bequests and previous years’ fund balances.

– HPL Library Director, Travis Olivera

Thank you for reading, voting, and using the Library.

The Budget Vote will be held on May 20th from 12 pm-8 pm, at Hamilton Central School in the Bus Garage.