BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The Potsdam Public Library will hold its annual vote on June 21 and is asking for Potsdam school district voters to approve an increase in funding and elect a new library board trustee.

The polls will be open from noon until 8 p.m. in the basement of the library at 2 Park St.

The funding increase will change the current library tax rate for district residents from $1.04 to $1.05 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

A public hearing on the funding increase will be held at the library on June 14 at 6 p.m.

“This year the tax cap amount is quite a bit less than in previous years,” said Library Director Annie Davey, “and at the same time, our baseline expenses have increased more than in previous years (things we have no control over, like New York State retirement, insurance, etc., and essential library expenses like our catalog fee, and our ebooks service), which leaves us in the position of having to make cuts (professional development, for example), and with nothing left at all to allot to staff raises (we have fallen behind the cost of living increases over the past few years).”

The increase will help fund the library budget for 2023-2024, which calls for $638,711, a decrease from the current year’s budget of $644,405.

A large portion of the budget expenses for 2023-2024 are personnel costs with $422,588 covering the cost of salaries for full and part-time employees, versus $418,671 designated for the current year.

The budget proposes that the majority of the expenses will be covered by a levy of $606,664 in Potsdam school district taxes. The school collects taxes on behalf of the library in its normal levy. In the current year the budget is covered by a levy of $594,769 in school taxes.

The increase will increase the tax rate from $1.04 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $1.05.

“We have also been trying to raise money through donations to help with the last renovations (including asbestos abatement in staff areas) but it's been a tough time for fundraising. We're so grateful to those who have been able to donate this year,” Davey told North Country This Week.

The library budget for 2023-2024 can be viewed online at https://tinyurl.com/3f3ujkdj .

School district voters will also be called to cast a ballot for a new trustee.

“We have two open trustee seats. Two of our longtime trustees (Kathy Love and Maureen Taylor) will be coming to the end of their term limits this year after serving for 9 years,” said Davey. “We have only one person who will be running. We are excited to welcome Janice Brown to the board.”