Gardiner library proposes budget increase

By Laura Fitzgerald
Posted 7/17/19

For the first time since it opened, an increase in taxes for the Gardiner Library will be on the ballot in November.

The proposed 2020 budget is an increase of 20 percent, from approximately …

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Gardiner library proposes budget increase

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For the first time since it opened, an increase in taxes for the Gardiner Library will be on the ballot in November.


The proposed 2020 budget is an increase of 20 percent, from approximately $230,000 to $275,000. If your home is worth $100,000, your taxes will increase by $6 per year. If your home is worth $300,000, it’s an $18 increase.


The library budget has not been increased since it opened in 2008.


Norma Lana, President of Gardiner Library Board of Trustees, said the budget increase will provide a reserve to hand emergencies and major repairs.


“The library is solvent and it’s doing well but the building is starting to age and we need a reserve fund to make up for short falls and in case systems to start to fail with the library,” Lana said.


The budget increase would also allow the library to buy more books and increase programming for Gardiner’s growing population. The budget increase would expand the use of the library’s free meeting space and services for local non-profits, students, entrepreneurs, seniors and more.


The budget would restore the library’s ability to increase and provide services that have been eroded by inflation. The Consumer Price Index has increased about 18 percent since 2009, meaning the current $230,000 budget from the town buys only $194,000 today.


The town board, which authorized the proposition to be placed on the November ballot, said the library is deserving of more funds.


“The increase in the budget is well-deserved and long overdue,” board member Warren Weigand said.

Gardiner, library, budget