Editor’s Note: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that a proposed 30-year bond issuance to fund a $7.9 million expansion at the Olean Public Library would, on a property assessed at $75,000, result in a total tax increase of about $65 per month. Correctly, an approved bond issue would result in about a $5.41 per month increase on property taxes on a parcel assessed at $75,000, or $65 PER YEAR. The Times Herald regrets the error.

OLEAN — In eight of the past 15 years, the Olean Public Library’s board of trustees did not seek a property tax increase from the community for its annual budget.

“That was something that you could do for the benefit of the community,” the library’s director, Michelle La Voie, said Tuesday evening during a public hearing on a proposed operating budget for 2025-26. “But with the escalation of costs in recent years, we’re now having to go back and ask for this tax increase that we’re requesting now.”

The library is proposing a $2.06 million budget for the new fiscal year, a 40.25% spending increase due largely to capital improvements and staffing costs. The proposed property tax increase for the new budget is 28.9% — to raise more than $325,000 — is driven primarily by staffing costs and no longer using savings to cover day-to-day expenses.

Michelle La Voie, director of the Olean Public Library, discusses the proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year Tuesday evening at the library.

The tax increase would be about $42 for the year on a property assessed at $75,000. OPL’s taxes are included as a line on Olean City School District property tax bills.

Voting on the budget proposition, election of a library trustee (Mike Morgan is the lone candidate on the ballot) and a bond vote for a proposed $7.9 million library expansion project is set for 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 26 at the library.

“The No. 1 thing we want to mention is the mandatory state minimum wage increases that we have had to add every year since 2015,” La Voie said. “We have seen a 77% increase in our wages and salary costs.”

She noted that the state’s minimum wage has increased $6.75 an hour over the last 10 years.

The library is also planning some new positions, including adding a full-time children’s library assistant to complement the full-time position of children’s coordinator.

“The children’s department is busier than it’s been since I have been here, so it’s a much-needed position,” La Voie said.

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

La Voie also pointed out that, as the library has seen an increase in usage, since 2018 there has been a need for security staffing in the building. What started as a part-time position for evening hours evolved into a need to have security staff in place for every hour the library is open, La Voie explained. She also noted that OPL essentially serves as a “county library,” a higher-use facility that must remain open for far more hours than most small-community libraries.

CAPITAL UPGRADES

The proposed budget calls for $376,000 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades; as well as $91,500 to renovate the restroom facilities. Both projects aim to work on systems dating back to the 1970s when the building was converted from a grocery store into the library. State aid and existing reserves will cover the capital work.

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.

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.

Library usage can benefit a household’s financial bottom line, La Voie has noted. With streaming videos, Netflix series on DVD and downloadable e-books and audiobooks, patrons could save at least $65 per year by using  resources at the library.

LIBRARY USAGE IS UP

And that message has been received by many individuals and families. Officials note 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 have also increased.

In 2024, people visited OPL more than 95,000 times, including 9,637 attending 465 programs, checking out more than 118,000 items, signing up for more than 7,600 sessions on the library’s public computers and connecting to WiFi more than 10,000 times.

That also helps to underscore the need for the operating budget increase as well as a proposed $7.9 million project to expand the library with a partial second floor. A bond issuance to borrow the money to complete the project will be on the ballot with the budget.

For several years, OPL officials explored options for providing more space for visitors and public events, with the goal of making the library a better fit for current community needs and creating safer conditions for large programs.

After weighing options that included possibly moving to a new location, the board chose a concept that will add approximately 7,500 square feet to the current facility at North Second and Laurens streets, including a partial second story that will house a technology “creation” space and separate reading lounge.

The library proposes to finance the project with a bond sale through the New York State Dormitory Authority, with the issue to be paid off within 30 years. If the project is approved, beginning in 2027 homeowners in the school district with a property assessed at $75,000 would see a total tax increase of about $5.41 per month, or $65 per year.

A second public hearing in which the capital project will be explained is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the library.

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.