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Public Library District Toolkit: Strategies to Assure your Library’s Legal and Financial Stability

Municipal Ballot Votes for Library Funding in New York State

Education Law 259, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 414 of the laws of 1995, chapter 457 of the laws of 1996 and chapter 184 of the laws of 2007 in New York State allows libraries - in particular - municipal and association libraries the opportunity for a public vote on funding for the library. History has shown that when citizens have the right to directly vote on how much to tax themselves for public library service, funding for public libraries stabilizes and becomes sustainable, allowing a library to more adequately respond to community needs. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

This publication is the most complete guide to placing Chapter 414 propositions before the public for the support of public library services. Please follow the link below.

Inch by Inch, Row by Row: Using the Municipal Ballot Option in Education Law 259(1)(b) to Obtain Sustainable Funding for Your Library [Third Edition (2020)], by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Mid-Hudson Library System.