Voters in the East Hampton Library District will cast ballots on the library's $3.725 million spending plan for 2024 on Sept. 23.
The budget is up $311,837 over this year. Of that, just over $2.37 million will be raised by taxes. The increase in taxes per average household in the library district — which includes the East Hampton, Springs, and Wainscott School Districts — is $13.47 for the year.
The bulk of the budget — just under $2.76 million — is for personnel expenses, including salaries, taxes, Social Security payments, and benefits. The next largest expense, $220,600, will be for facilities.
Also in the budget are $218,460 for library materials, a decrease from this year; $121,600 for administration including supplies, materials repair, phones, copiers, and educational conferences for staff, among other things; $115,000 for programs; $85,850 for technology, and $49,517 for contracted services including membership in the county library system, research database fees, and database licenses. The library plans to spend $41,200 on general fund-raising efforts in 2024 and $10,000 on scholarships, in both cases the same as this year.
For its biggest fund-raiser of the year, Authors Night, it will spend $105,000, $10,000 less than this year, while it expects to bring in $300,000 in revenue from the night. The library plans to bring in $425,000 from private fund-raising and donations and $31,000 from fines, fees, sales, state aid, and payments in lieu of taxes. Also on the revenue side: $597,000 in transfers from investments.
Only voters in the East Hampton, Wainscott, and Springs School Districts may cast ballots on Sept. 23. The vote takes place in the lobby from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.