VOORHEESVILLE — Next year’s $1.37 million Voorheesville Public Library budget is up about 1.6 percent from this year. 

District voters on May 20 will be asked to approve next year’s spending plan as library budgets are voted on when there’s a proposed increase in the tax levy; next year, the levy would increase from $1.29 million to $1.33 million. 

Voters won’t be asked to choose a library trustee though as incumbent Sarah Brunt is unopposed for her seat. The library 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 by email.

Brunt has served five years, and is running for a three-year term.

The library’s proposed budget for 2025-26 is under the state-set cap by about $26,300, and would raise tax rates for property owners in the towns of New Scotland, Guilderland, and Berne by a few pennies per $1,000 of assessed value at most, depending on the municipality. 

New Scotland residents’ tax rate will increase from $1.32 per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.35; in Guilderland, the rate will stay flat at $1.15 per $1,000; and in Berne, residents’ tax rate will increase from $2.28 per $1,000 of assessed to $2.29 per, according to the library.

Also according to the library, a home in the district with an assessed value of $300,000 will pay about $12 more in property taxes next year if it’s located in New Scotland; $9 more in Guilderland; and $21 more in Berne. 

The library expects some of its largest expenses to include:

— Salaries: An increase of $36,828 from $738,327 to $775,155, a 4.99-percent increase;

— Employee benefits: Down $6,610 from $259,902 to $253,292, a 2.54-percent decrease;

— Books, materials, e-resources, and software: A decrease of $8,000 from $116,400 to $108,400, a 6.87-percent decline;

— Contractual services: Up $3,397 from $52,537 to $55,934, a 6.47-percent increase; and 

— Building repairs and maintenance: An increase of $3,000 from $55,000 to $58,000, a 5.45-percent increase. 

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

— Real property taxes: Up $38,715 from $1,290,516 to $1,329,231, a 3-percent increase;

— Interest and earnings: Down $5,000 from $20,000 to $15,000, a 25-percent decrease; and 

— Donations: No change at $15,000.