One of the propositions on the hopefully soon-to-be-received Greater Amsterdam School District ballot is to increase public funding to the Amsterdam Free Library by 9.1% from $220,000 per year to $240,000.
According to Director Nicole Helmsley, the library has been operating at a deficit, relying on endowment funds to fill the gap. The proposed increase will close that gap.
She provided the following budget which shows the library’s projected revenues and expenses.
In 2016, voters approved a proposition to allow the school district to collect an additional tax levy of $200,000 to fund the library. Voters approved an increase to $220,000 in 2018.
This year, voting on the budget, propositions, and school board members will be done by ballots mailed to each eligible voter which can be returned by mail or at drop boxes located at each of the districts schools. Currently, the deadline for returning ballots is June 9, however delays in getting the ballots mailed out by many districts including Amsterdam have prompted calls for Governor Andrew Cuomo to extend the deadline.
Click here for more details on the 2020-2021 GASD proposed budget
