GUILDERLAND — The nine trustees of the Guilderland Public Library “are all full in support” of the $46 million spending plan that will go before voters on May 19, according to the board’s president, Corie Dugas.

She describes the $4,644,478 plan — a 2.8-percent increase over this year — as “a business-as-usual budget.”

“We aren’t making any significant changes,” said Dugas, who is in her second year as president of the board. “We’re just continuing the operational costs that we did last year.”

Almost all of the budget — $4,609,028 — is funded through local property taxes. The remaining $35,450 is from fees, gifts, grants, and donations.

The levy is under the state-set tax cap, meaning a simple majority vote will pass the budget.

“We know there are some economic challenges right now,” said Dugas, “so it was important for us to come in within the tax cap.”

The library has never suffered a budget defeat. Last year’s budget passed handily with 72 percent of the vote.

Expenses

The largest expenses — nearly $3.5 million of the $4.6 million plan — are for salaries and benefits. The library employs 60 to 65 people.

“Those are the people that are working to make all of the programs happen and to process all of the books so that you can get them to read,” said Dugas, who works as the executive director NELLCO Law Library Consortium.

The next largest expense is for library materials at $400,000, which is a $10,000 increase over this year. The library has a collection of around 228,000 items.

“We want to continue to get new books that people want to read and make sure the wait times aren’t long on those and also that we have good support for books that have been out for a while that they’re still maintaining them in collection,” said Dugas.

She noted, “The cost of getting digital resources is higher than the print books. It costs more to get an ebook or an audiobook than it does to get the actual physical one that you hold in your hands.”

The cost for library events and classes is holding steady at $43,000, up $1,000 from this year. Guilderland hosts over 267 programs annually.

Being prepared

The biggest budget increases are because library leaders want to be prepared.

“We did get this fantastic new library renovation that made our space a lot more useful,” said Dugas of the $8.8 million project that expanded and upgraded the library in the midst of the pandemic. “But not all of the systems were replaced at that time,” Dugas noted.

So next year’s budget allots $98,300 for professional services and auditing, up from $81,000 this year because the library is hiring a professional to do a system-condition report.

“So that way, hopefully we don’t encounter anything unexpected like Farnsworth Middle School did,” said Dugas, referencing the boilers that stopped working at Guilderland’s middle school in April, forcing classes to be taught remotely for several days.

“We want to see what the life expectancy is on our systems so we aren’t caught by surprise,” she said.

Similarly, the line for capital improvements has the largest increase, not quite doubling, from $120,142 this year to $204,219 next year.

“Right now, we don’t have anything major planned for a good portion of that funding,” said Dugas, stressing that the funds are to be used as needed once the library’s systems are evaluated.

Improvements

She went on, “But we do have some improvements that are coming in.”

The library is getting a new camera system to improve security, Dugas said, and is also getting some new terminals “so that the public has the best technology that they can use for those that come in.”

Library leaders decided to maintain the skylight that runs along the original spine of the building, part of the 1992 construction that was not addressed in the recent renovations.

“Most of it has been resolved,” said Dugas of leaking from the skylight. “We still really want to maintain it. We know that the community appreciates the fact that we’ve got this natural light coming in and so it’s become important to us.”

The Enterprise asked what was happening to the large front room that had been set up as a café as part of the renovations, but closed abruptly in February 2024 as a café owner leveled charges of racism against library staff, which turned out to be unfounded.

“When the long-range plan launches on July 1st,” Dugas said, “there’s going to be a whole section about what the anticipated uses are of that space to make sure we’re not losing out on a few hundred square feet of library space and to make sure it really is meeting what the public’s needs are.”

Nothing in the long-range plan has yet been approved, but the board wants to meet “the community’s desire to have either upgraded vending machines or something like that, that will appease those folks that want coffee when they were in the library,” Dugas said, but would also allow the space to be used for “hands-on activities for programs that perhaps involve needing to see a demonstration and physically getting into the space.”

DEI

Asked about the library’s stance in dealing with a federal administration that is against diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dugas said, “We’re really just hyper-focused on what is happening in our community and serving the needs here.

“And so Guilderland has this lovely, beautiful diverse community. So we’re really focused on making sure that everybody in town can come to the library, feel like this is a great place to be — that it’s for them, that we have the programs and resources and services that they want and need.”

Asked if the library had been pressured to remove certain books or programs, Dugas said, “We have had challenges in the past to different books that were displayed within the library, and we have a policy — and so we direct people to that policy. 

“We have not encountered challenges to the programs that we offer in recent years,” Dugas continued. “So we just keep going through with how we believe in the freedom to read. We believe in having a wide variety of resources to hit the needs of the community. So we just move forward and have not experienced backlash from the community for which we’re really grateful.”

Dugas said of library leaders, “We all have a very strong commitment to making sure that the library is a space for everyone in Guilderland.”

Dugas concluded, “Our budget really reflects what we want to do ….  As board members, we really want to support the library and continue to support the community.”

Elections

In addition to voting on the library budget on May 19, residents will also elect library trustees. Two incumbents — Matthew Grunert and Tony Rivera — are running unchallenged for re-election. The posts on the nine-member board are unpaid.

The library follows the Guilderland school district’s boundaries — which includes parts of Bethlehem, New Scotland, and Knox as well as most of the town of Guilderland — but is governed by its own elected board, which has the power to set policy and to levy taxes.

Grunert, who was elected last year to fill an unfinished term, works as an information technology consultant for a local not-for-profit in support of New York’s state and local government.

He says on the library’s webpage that he is running “because the work we’ve started this past year is far from over, and I believe that I have unique and complementary perspectives to add to that conversation. I am a strong proponent of good governance, responsible civics, and community engagement as a driver of organizational success.

“This past year I’ve worked to modernize our library’s policies, negotiate contracts with our members’ labor unions, facilitate development of our physical building, and build stronger ties between the town and school boards.”

Tony Rivera, who works as an infectious diseases pharmacist at the Albany VA hospital, has served on the library’s board since 2021.

He said he is running again because he and his family have benefited from the library and he would like to give back.

Rivera continued, “Over the past 5 years, the library has had many positive changes, and I would like to continue to be involved in the library’s growth and development. I would like to explore the potential to develop other services, such as community gardens, maker spaces with 3D printers, and expand classes and seminars on retirement, personal health, and saving for college.”

Voting districts have been consolidated this year since Albany County no longer funds school and library elections. Rather than polling at all five of Guilderland’s Elementary Schools, district residents will vote at one of these three schools:

— Altamont Elementary for residents in the Altamont Elementary School catchment area;

— Pine Bush Elementary for residents in Pine Bush and Lynnwood elementary school catchment areas; and

— Westmere Elementary for residents in the Guilderland and Westmere elementary school catchment areas.