OLEAN — Olean Public Library officials are seeking voter approval for the largest tax increase in decades.

The library announced this week a $2.06 million budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, a 40.25% spending increase due largely to capital improvements and staffing costs. State aid and existing reserves will cover the capital work, but a 28.9% tax increase — over $325,000 — is driven primarily by staffing costs and no longer using savings to cover day-to-day expenses.

“The Olean Public Library Board of Trustees has been extremely prudent with budgeting and taxation, not increasing taxes for Olean City School District residents for 8 of the past 15 years,” said library Director Michelle La Voie in a statement. “The Library has not exceeded the property tax cap levy since it was implemented in 2012. However, rising costs, in addition to the need to replace a number of staff positions lost over the past 10 years, and adding security personnel for all open hours, makes a tax increase to cover these additional expenditures necessary.”

The library will host a public budget hearing at 6 p.m. June 10 in the library’s gallery to answer questions ahead of the June 26 vote.

Property taxes are expected to rise 28.9% under the plan, to $1.45 million across the Olean City School District. The budget also eliminates the use of more than $208,000 in fund balance used to limit tax increases in the 2024-25 budget. The 2024-25 budget, approved by 76% of voters in May 2024, increased taxes by 2.35%

Library officials noted the tax increase would be about $42 on a property assessed at $75,000. Library taxes are included as a line on school district property tax bills.

“This is still a bargain when one considers everything that is available to borrow and participate in at the Library,” La Voie said. “With streaming videos, Netflix series on DVD, and downloadable e-books and audiobooks, patrons stand to save at least $65 per year alone just by using the Library. Last year, people visited the Library over 95,000 times, including 9,637 attending 465 programs, checking out over 118,000 items, signing up for over 7,600 sessions on the Library’s public computers, and connecting to our WiFi over 10,000 times.”

Appropriations increased 40.25% in the new budget, with the majority coming from capital improvement work. The budget calls for $376,000 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades; as well as $91,500 to renovate the restroom facilities at the library. Both projects aim to work on systems dating back to the 1970s when the building was converted from a grocery store into the library.

The budget sees an increase in state aid — with $253,000 for the HVAC project and $69,000 for restroom construction. In addition, the library plans to use $145,000 in capital reserves — funds previously set aside by the library board for construction work — to fund the balance of the projects.

All categories of staff costs — salaries, retirement, insurance and taxes — rose in the new budget by 11%, accounting for $1.22 million of the budget. Retirement costs alone rose 55%.

Officials noted that library salaries have risen 77% in the past 10 years, mostly from minimum wage increases — from $9.70 an hour to $15.50 an hour.

“There have also been significant inflationary increases for nearly everything,” La Voie said, noting that fuel and utility costs have almost doubled in a year, and the cost of circulating materials like books have also risen 15%

All of this comes as interest in the library has increased. Officials noted that the library saw 10% more visitors in 2024 than in 2019, attendance at library programming is up 36% in that time, and overall borrowing figures at the library are also up.

“In order to produce a responsible budget, spending was trimmed where possible and where it would have the least effect on patron services,” LaVoie said.

The purchase of library materials and binding is set to stay relatively flat, rising just $200 of the $158,000 set aside for the 2024-25 budget. In addition, administrative expenses — including technology purchases, publicity, staff travel, and postage — dropped about 12.5% in the new budget, or about $15,000.

Voting on the budget proposition and election of a library trustee, in addition to a bond vote for an upcoming Library expansion project, will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 26 at the library.

Library officials announced earlier this month that a $7.9 million project is under consideration to expand the library with a partial second floor. Officials hosted a public meeting on May 16 to answer questions about the project, with a second meeting set for June 14. A bond issuance to borrow the money to complete the project will be on the ballot with the budget.

All residents of the Olean City School District who are registered to vote in general elections may vote. Absentee and early mail ballots are available.

The budget is available online at www.oleanlibrary.org/about/administration/budget.