VOORHEESVILLE — At $1.44 million, the Voorheesville Public Library’s proposed budget for 2026-27 is up about 5 percent from this year’s spending plan.

Residents of the Voorheesville Central School District on May 19 will be asked to approve next year’s budget because proposed library spending is voted on by the public when there’s an increase in the tax levy; next year, the levy would increase from $1.33 million to $1.38 million.

Trustee Marielle McKasty Stagg is not running for another term. Currently, one candidate, Samantha Bailey, is running for the open seat. 

The library last year amended its charter with the state to change the length of board terms from five years to three, “to try make the position more appealing,” the library’s director, Sarah Clark, told The Enterprise at the time. 

The library’s proposed levy increase for 2026-27 is under the state-set cap, Clark told The Enterprise by email this week, and would raise tax rates for property owners in the towns of New Scotland, Guilderland, and Berne by about a nickel per $1,000 of assessed value:

— New Scotland residents’ tax rate would increase from $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.39; 

— In Guilderland, the rate would increase from $1.16 to $1.21 per $1,000; and 

— In Berne, residents’ tax rate would increase from $2.30 per $1,000 of assessed to $2.39 per $1,000, according to the library.

Also according to the library, a home in the district with an assessed value of $300,000 will pay about $15 more in property taxes next year if it’s located in New Scotland; $15 more in Guilderland; and $27 more in Berne.

The library expects some of its largest expenses to include:

— Salaries, which would increase from about $775,000 to approximately $799,000, a 3.1-percent increase;

— Employee benefits, which would increase from about $253,000 to approximately $283,000, an 11.8-percent increase;

— Books, materials, e-resources, and software, which would increase from about $108,000 to approximately $113,000, a 4.3-percent increase;

— Building repairs and maintenance, which would increase from about $58,000 to approximately $61,000, a 5.2-percent increase; and

— Contractual services, which would increase from about $56,000 to approximately $59,000, a 5.9-percent increase. 

On the income side of the ledger, some of the library's largest revenue generators are expected to be:

— Real property taxes, which would increase from about $1,329,000 to approximately $1,384,000, a 4.1-percent increase;

— Interest and earnings, unchanged at $15,000; and

— Donations, which would increase from about $15,000 to approximately $23,000, a 53.3-percent increase.