Community Corner
Voters Approve Smithtown Library's $13.8M 2014 Budget
Three library trustees, two new, were elected to the board on Tuesday.
Town of Smithtown residents approved a robust $13.8 million budget for the Smithtown Special Library District on Tuesday.
The Smithtown Special Library District's $13,841,683 budget budget for the 2014 fiscal year was approved, 1,006 votes to 577 votes against.
Three trustees were elected to Smithtown Library's Board: Joseph Vallone with 1,174 votes; Diana Schilling-Held with 1,165 votes; and Gerard Cairns with 1,076 votes. Library trustees will serve a three-year term from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2016.
Under the 2014 library budget, the average homeowner whose house is assessed at $6,000 should expect to pay a library tax of $307.57, a yearly increase of $6.74.
"We started the year with all four buildings being fully operational. The public has been excited with the renovated/expanded building projects as visits, reference inquiries, circulation and programming attendance are steadily increasing along with the demand for additional services," reads the library's October 2013 newsletter.
The largest portion of the library's $13.8 million 2014 budget at $10,218,895 will go towards covering employee salaries and benefits. The second largest expense of the library district is its debt service from the recent series of renovations and expansions, approved by voters, at $1,718,988.
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