BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Massena Public Library director says the library board will discuss seeing if an executive order would allow them to recast the vote to form a library district that collects their tax through the school district. She also says people should prepare themselves for the library to cut staff and shrink services.

“It probably could apply to a library district. That’s something my library board would have to think about … with advice from the North Country Library System,” MPL Director Elaine Dunne said. The library proposal was tacked on to the Massena Central School District’s 2020-21 budget vote as a separate item.

Town taxpayers currently fund the library through a portion of their annual tax payments to the Town of Massena. Under the proposal that was voted down on June 16, the Massena Central School District would have collected a library tax from all residents within their boundaries, which includes the Town of Massena and parts of the towns of Louisville, Norfolk and Brasher. Library officials have said that this would have residents in Louisville, Norfolk and Brasher paying their fair share for a library their residents use. Massena Public Library Director Elaine Dunne earlier this year said they had asked for the change to ensure stable funding. Primarily, the Town of Massena currently funds them, but the library would need more money than they are getting in order to continue offering the current level of services and staying open for their current hours, Dunne said.

The proposal was voted down by nearly a two-to-one margin, 1,640 no votes to 892 yes.

“It’s very disappointing. There will be library cuts, so be prepared,” Dunne said. “It means scaling down services. We will have to make budgetary cuts. When we do open post-pandemic, people will see a significant decrease in the hours we’re going to be open.”

She said that will likely include layoffs.

The library is now open for curbside service. Patrons can call and check out books and DVDs, or check them out online, and have the items brought out to their vehicles.

She said they are already dealing with staffing cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Town of Massena has already asked us to reduce our budget by $39,000,” Dunne said. “I’m sure those cuts will remain until the end of the year. And we expect further cuts for the budget of 2021.”

She said they have no summer staff this year, and the positions affected by the current cuts include part-time clerks, aids and pages.

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