GARNERVILLE — Voters on Thursday approved a $5.2 million budget for the Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library for 2012-13. The unofficial vote was 122-61.
Under the spending plan, property owners in the Haverstraw library district will pay $6 to $10 more a year in taxes.
Two incumbent library trustees, Richard Freeman and Bonnie Koop, ran for re-election unopposed. Each will serve another five-year term.
Claudia Depkin, director of the library since January, said library officials have tried to contain costs by renegotiating maintenance contracts and refinancing debt service.
“We are really trying to keep things under control,” Depkin said.
Depkin sought support from voters , saying that if they visit the library and see all the programs and materials offered there, they would know that they are getting great value for what they spend.
The budget will require $4.9 million in taxes, up $90,486, or 1.9 percent, from the tax levy under the current budget, $4.8 million. The increase is under the newly imposed tax levy cap of 2 percent.
The total amount of the 2012-13 budget is $5,207,778, just $3,114 more than this year’s spending plan of $5,204,664.
The library will use some $90,000 less from its reserve fund to balance the budget, forcing the tax-rate increase. The 2011-12 budget included $296,000 from the reserve, while the amount is $204,628 next year. The biggest increase for 2012-13 is expected in employee benefits. The cost for 2011-12 was $945,350 but will go up by $40,992, or 4.3 percent, to $986,272.
