The New Rochelle Public Library will increase its budget by $95,000 and this is caused by decreases in the tax rolls according to Greg Varian, Library Trustee. He told the New Rochelle Citizens Reform Club on April 20 that the tax increase will be 2.49% and the average taxpayer will pay only $8.38 more. Cuts in the present library budget included restructuring and reducing the staff.
The Library Director, Tom Geoffino, felt the budget was “fiscally prudent.” The Trustees had spent many hours finding ways to cut. He acknowledged New Rochelle’s “pretty heavy tax burden,” and felt the library board had been fairly conservative. A high level administrative position and a clerical position were cut. The library will stay open on Sundays from September to mid-June and hours will not be cut. Computers will remain. Grants and our state elected officials are both being used to obtain more computers.
Marino Michelotti spoke about disturbances by “kids in the young adult section.”
When police officers had been there a few weeks ago it was quiet, but the noise returned after they left. Geoffino responded that noises on the first floor can be heard on the third floor and they are trying to mitigate some aspects of this problem by possibly renovating the first floor. Two people work on security and there is a state grant to put in security cameras. They are working with these teens that have no place to go. Diana Sakow felt the library has become a community center and in her view should not be used for baby sitting.
The library budget vote will take place on May 19, 2009.
12 thoughts on “A “Fiscally Prudent” New Rochelle Library Budget”
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This is not by any
This is not by any definition a library worthy of a city of 80,000 or so residents. it’s research and reference facilities leave much to be desired, there is little control inside over use of cel phones, horseplay, and the like.
this can be fixed, but the issues are much larger than that and Ms.Godfrey has framed the picture rather well. It is interesting not only to track the budget/tax situation, but to look at the relationship between the library and school district. why a library budget and oversight was unbundled from the school budget at some point and why a separate tax base was set forth years earlier from the city tax budget are equally mischievious. residents ought to be able to see clearly relationships among provided services and not see the migration of bits and pieces of traditional budget lines — refuse collection, library, etc. from a municipal entity to some separate revenue fee or tax source.
If this is going to remain the case, then at the minimum we should demand quality and security adn surely there are enough resources in place elsewhere in the city, school, and library budgets to ensure this happens at no further expense to the taxpayer.
warren gross
It’s long been known the
It’s long been known the library trustees have been stealing money anyway. They all need to be investigated.
yeah, for a library that is
yeah, for a library that is horrible and is a waste of tax payer money. The people who claim to use it don’t even pay taxes in new rochelle. They arent even citizens of this country. They don’t even vote cause they’re illegal aliens of this country. It’s time New Rochelle takes back it’s city so it doesn’t turn into port chester. We’ve given enough to the illegal aliens who don’t spend any money in our city anyway.
Whoever this person is is so
Whoever this person is is so full of hate and misgivings that they should be denaturalized or sent to the north pole to be alone in his silly thoughts. What throw back to the days of neanderthals! You are the illegal alien if you are not a native american. Get a life and loosen your fruit of the loon.
This quote here ‘”He told
This quote here ‘”He told the New Rochelle Citizens Reform Club on April 20 that the tax increase will be 2.49% and the average taxpayer will pay only $8.38 more.”‘ The taxpayers of New Rochelle if that budget is past will have to pay $8.38 more then what they already pay for tax’s? So if I get a job in New Rochelle then $8.38 would be taken out of my check/cash???
I presume this $8.38 refers
I presume this $8.38 refers to real estate taxes.
ok thanks
ok thanks
Reply by Peggy Godfrey
The
Reply by Peggy Godfrey
The $8.38 in increased taxes necessarily refers to the real estate taxes because that is what the budget represents. However, I can understand the frustration of taxpayers because the library had to have three votes by residents to remove the library from the city budget and add a separate library tax. When New Rochelle residents faced a third vote on whether the library should be allowed a separate budget, they were threatened if they did not approve a separate library budget the library would close.
The voters rejected the
The voters rejected the library budget 3 times when 1st proposed. Why? Because we’re already overtaxed and Idoni’s refusal to lower the City budget by the same amount of Library budget and all in an end around to avoid the tax cap that was put in place when the City received the right to charge & collect sales tax.
To make matters worse, the 1st budget was for $3.1M and included a $400k reserve. The 2nd budget was for $3.1M with no reserve. Thats almost a 15% increase right off the bat. So who got conned here? I think we all did. And now we have a garbage tax thats not tied to what it costs to collect the garbage. Its just a fudge factor that can be arbitrially increased or decreased. I bet you don’t have to pay the garbage tax if you live in Trumps Tower.
Why are we expanding the
Why are we expanding the library budget? The New Rochelle library is a place for known sex offenders to spend time with small children that are there for the programs. The expansion of programs at the library are just a means to justify its existence. There are already too many employees and too many homeless hanging around serving no purpose.
Is this a joke?! They’re
Is this a joke?! They’re increasing the budget during these time periods? Who are the Library Trustees? They should be let go and fired immediately! This is a complete disgrace. Do any tax paying members of New Rochelle even use the library anymore?
This sounds like Yogi Berra:
This sounds like Yogi Berra: “no one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”.