Ancram 2026 Ballot Proposition to Approve Greater Funding for the Roeliff Jansen Community Library: Questions & Answers

In 2021, Ancram voters approved an annual contribution of $29,977 under Chapter 414. If approved by the voters in 2026, Ancram’s 2027 annual contribution would be $48,850.

In 2021, the payments from Ancram, Copake, and Hillsdale equaled 40% of budgeted expenses for the year. Due to increases in expenses over the past five years, largely due to inflation and increased demand for e-resources, in 2024 those payments covered only 31% of budgeted expenses. In 2025 Copake and Hillsdale, but not Ancram, voted to increase the amount contributed to the Library, so in 2026 the contributions from the three towns are again covering 40% of budgeted expenses. If Ancram approves the 414, 43.5% of budgeted expenses would be covered. That’s still very low compared to most libraries in the region and around the country, who receive on average 85% of their support from public funding.

The rate will be $7.91 per $100,000 of property value. For instance, for a house with a value of $400,000, the annual contribution to support the Library would be $31.64.

FAIR MARKET VALUE	PROPOSED YEARLY TAX	COST PER MONTH	COST PER DAY
$100,000	$7.91	$0.66	$0.02
$200,000	$15.82	$1.32	$0.04
$300,000	$23.73	$1.98	$0.07
$400,000	$31.64	$2.64	$0.09
$500,000	$39.55	$3.30	$0.11
$1,000,000	$79.10	$6.59	$0.22

No, it will stay the same, year to year, unless residents vote to change it.

Under NYS law, funding raised for libraries through a 414 referendum does not have an impact on a town’s tax cap.

A. We need to keep up with rising costs.

The cost of everything is higher than it was in 2021 when voters in all three towns last approved 414 votes. Inflation also takes its toll. For example, the $29,977 a year that Ancram voters approved in 2021 is currently worth about 20% less. At the same time, with increased demand for expensive digital services, our costs have been rising faster than the inflation rate.

B. We need to provide the materials, services, and hours of operation that residents have told us they want.

To understand what the community wants and expects from the Library, we conducted surveys of area residents in 2023. In response to what we learned, we increased evening and weekend hours, added to our collections, and are sponsoring an array of programs that educate, entertain, and help bring people together.

Of course, we can’t do everything people asked. However, we are committed to do something for everyone, especially children and seniors.

C. We need to reduce our reliance on voluntary, individual donations to fund the Library.

Individual donations are wonderful but not reliable. The money we receive from donations and fundraising events is unpredictable and not a stable source of revenue. Just like the fire department and local school district, and just like you and your family, we need to know when and where our funds are coming from. Otherwise, we have no solid basis for planning. Relying on the generosity of the community is not only risky business, it is ultimately unsustainable.

In the United States, essential municipal services like the fire department, public schools, and libraries are funded largely by taxpayers, not donations. Of course, donations play an important role, but no one expects only the parents of students to pay for schools, or only the victims of fire to pay to put out a fire. The Library is a community-wide resource and deserves community-wide support.

Even though you may not use the Library, it is still your Library, and it benefits you and the community in which you have invested. It’s a vital community resource that adds to the quality of life here and increases the desirability of living in the area. According to several studies, libraries contribute to economic development; businesses want to locate in an area served by a thriving library.

Think of our schools and fire department. While you may not have children in local schools or may never have occasion to call the fire department, you are still asked to pay taxes for those services because they are important to the community as a whole. Good schools and emergency services are important to people looking for new homes in an area. That’s true for the Library as well!

Like many people, you may be unaware of the Library’s many free services and programs. For example, we offer:

• Fast and reliable internet service. It’s why our Library has become a magnet for people with no or slow-speed access to check their e-mail and search the Internet. And because it operates 24 hours a day, you’ll often see cars parked at the Library after hours just so people can access our high-speed service. The Library also lends out Wi-Fi hotspots
• Concerts showcasing music of all genres, including classical, jazz, Broadway, barber shop, bluegrass, etc.
• Training, career advancement and job search materials and services for many occupations, including firefighters, emergency response personnel, teachers, and social service providers
• Environmental workshops in cooperation with the Columbia Land Conservancy and other organizations
• Art Exhibits featuring the works of local artists
• A Volunteer Fair that helps volunteers with area organizations looking for help
• Classes in basic computer and tech skills, particularly for seniors, and one-on-one help from our Digital Navigators
• Flu shot clinics in cooperation with the county department of health
• A separate teen-area with interesting books, internet access, workspace, and comfortable chairs
• Copying, faxing, and a free notary service
• Homebound delivery services
• Workshops for writers and artists and several reading and writing groups
• Health and wellness programs for seniors
• Free museum passes to the Clark Art Institute, the Berkshire Museum, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the FASNY Museum of Firefighting in Hudson, the Hancock Shaker Museum, Olana, and many more
• Camping equipment, Explorer backpacks, hotspots, cake pans, seeds, and other “library of things” items to borrow
• Online access to NewsBank, free access to a wide range of New York newspapers
• Online resources, such as JobNow, Transparent Languages, and many other databases for information and learning
• E-books, audiobooks, and video through Libby, Hoopla, Blackstone Audio, and Kanopy
• Meeting rooms that can be booked for group meeting or individual study
• A new generator that lets us keep the lights on and heat and A/C running in order to provide a space and services for the community during power outages

In short, whatever your interest, the Library has it covered!

A. We are always seeking ways to cut costs.

The Board of Trustees and its Finance Committee are rigorous financial watchdogs, and they continually seek ways to reduce operating costs. For example, in recent years we have worked with the Columbia County Libraries Association to purchase audiobooks, museum passes, and databases as a county, leveraging our collective buying power to make resources available to area residents at much less than it would cost individual libraries to do so. The Library has also applied for and received federal e-rate funding, which allows the Library to upgrade its Internet service while also cutting our Internet bill to just $20/month. This year we installed more solar panels on our pavilion roof to help us control rising electricity costs. The cost of installing the panels was covered by the bequest for building the pavilion.

B. We save many thousands of dollars by relying on volunteers.

Volunteers help with everything from helping plan and run programs to maintaining the landscape and building and providing IT support. Volunteers are also responsible for all fundraising events and solicitations.

C. Some costs are beyond our control.

1. Mid-Hudson Library System fees—We pay fees to MHLS for tech support, materials delivery, and online resources, all of which allow us to provide a much wider variety of materials and services than we would ever be able to do on our own. With recent uncertainty in state and federal funding for libraries, MHLS has had to ask member libraries to chip in more.
2. Financial audit—We pay for an annual audit or review by an accountant, as required by state law.
3. Operational expenses for services—The annual cost of cleaning, plowing, mowing, trash pick-up, internet, telephone, electricity, and the alarm system was over $32,000 in 2025.
4. Insurance—insurance, including liability, building and contents, cyber insurance, umbrella, and health insurance subsidies for full-time staff is over $38,000.

Hours of Operation -- Time and again, the community has told us they want the Library to be open more hours, not fewer. Even if we did cut back, the amount of money saved would be relatively small, would create great inconvenience for many working people, and would not address the need for long-term financial stability.

Staffing Levels -- The Trustees believe that current staffing levels are appropriate and modest for the size of the Library, the many communities we serve, and the thousands of visits people make to the Library each month.

We currently employ a Library Director, one full-time employee, and four part-time Library staff employees, as well as a bookkeeper and and a development assistant who are part-time. Our wonderful staff members are highly capable, professional, and welcoming, and we are very lucky to have them! It is difficult to see how we can properly serve the people of Ancram, Copake, and Hillsdale with fewer staff hours, especially considering how well utilized the Library is. In 2025, patrons made nearly 32,000 visits to the Library. Patrons checked out over 30,000 physical items in 2025, and nearly 22,000 digital items. Last year we held 332 programs, attended by about 5,750 people. We have also welcomed many new families to the Library over the past few years, averaging about 290 new patrons a year since 2021.

Moreover, from everything we have learned from our survey and the Community Conversations and survey we have conducted, people want more from their library, not less.

Grants are typically available for programs but can’t be used for operating expenses. The Library actively applies for grants and consistently receives enough each year to pay for all program expenses, as much as $50,000-$60,000 in a year.

Free public libraries are a benefit to American democracy. A library is a not-for-profit organization. We do not charge people to use the Library’s computers, borrow its books and materials, or attend its programs. And even if we could – which under our State charter we can’t -- it would be outrageous to restrict library services to those who can afford them, or to deny them to those who can’t.

The vote is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m at Ancram Town Hall. Early voting is scheduled for October 24, 2026, to November 1, 2026. Absentee and Early Mail ballots are available online, at https://elections.ny.gov/request-ballot, and at the County Board of Elections, at 11 Warren Street, (a new location) in Hudson. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot online is October 24, and the deadline for requesting one in person is November 2.

The resolution will be on the back of your ballot. So please be sure to flip over your ballot and vote on the resolution before casting your ballot.

If you have additional questions about the 414 vote or about any aspect of Library funding or operations, please feel free to call either of us directly. We promise that if we can’t answer your question, we will have someone who can contact you.

Tammy Gaskell – Library Director – 518 325-4101 – director@roejanlibrary.org

Patricia Placona – President, Board of Trustees – 518 329-2206 – patplacona@gmail.com

Most importantly, vote. You can also talk to friends and neighbors and encourage them to do the same.