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Old 03-02-2011, 08:02 AM
 
158 posts, read 381,070 times
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I just received a Smithtown Library Bulletin outlining the improvement costs for the four libraries. The Kings Park branch is spending $34,000 on a new clock tower. That is outrageous.
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Old 03-02-2011, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Smithtown, NY
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These renovations were voted on in 2008. All the branches were in need of work and should be money well spent. Besides, the clock in question looks very nice in the architects renderings.
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Old 03-02-2011, 08:57 AM
 
3,939 posts, read 8,986,138 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsuggestion View Post
I just received a Smithtown Library Bulletin outlining the improvement costs for the four libraries. The Kings Park branch is spending $34,000 on a new clock tower. That is outrageous.
A $34,000 clock is a lot different than a $34,000 clock TOWER.
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Old 03-02-2011, 09:10 AM
grant516
 
n/a posts
yeah, a cookie is just a cookie- but a NEWTOWN is FRUIT and CAKE.
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Old 03-02-2011, 09:32 AM
 
Location: Centereach
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This is what happens when your taxes go to the libraries. I'm in centereach and pay over $700/yr for our library. It's crazy.
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Old 03-02-2011, 11:12 AM
 
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I seem to recall that the Smithtown Library District is a municipal, in this case a town, library.

Most library districts on Long Island are school district-library districts (the school district owns the library building(s) and any capital improvements affect the school district budget, while the operating costs go on a separate library district budget), while most library districts in New York State are association libraries, organized similarly to a Independent Incorporated Fire District (IIFC), wherein a private entity owns the property and the town in which it is located approves and collects the property taxes from the property located within the district. The Great Neck Library District and the Roslyn Library District are association libraries.
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Old 03-02-2011, 11:50 AM
 
Location: Smithtown, NY
1,726 posts, read 4,046,554 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan View Post
I seem to recall that the Smithtown Library District is a municipal, in this case a town, library.

Most library districts on Long Island are school district-library districts (the school district owns the library building(s) and any capital improvements affect the school district budget, while the operating costs go on a separate library district budget), while most library districts in New York State are association libraries, organized similarly to a Independent Incorporated Fire District (IIFC), wherein a private entity owns the property and the town in which it is located approves and collects the property taxes from the property located within the district. The Great Neck Library District and the Roslyn Library District are association libraries.
Now that we have that out of the way..... What do you think of the clock?
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Old 03-02-2011, 12:01 PM
 
9,341 posts, read 29,728,590 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nassau2suffolk View Post
Now that we have that out of the way.....
Forgot to add, in a municipal library district, the property owners that pay the library property tax do not vote on the library's budget, while property owners in a school district-library district do vote on their library's budget.


Quote:
Originally Posted by nassau2suffolk View Post
What do you think of the clock?
If the clock tower is where they will be placing the HVAC equipment and such, then it may be a worthwhile expense.
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Old 03-02-2011, 12:29 PM
 
Location: Centereach
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Clock tower or not, I think (in this economy and what your taxes are) it's crazy. We're not in boom times, people!
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Old 03-02-2011, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Smithtown, NY
1,726 posts, read 4,046,554 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan View Post
Forgot to add, in a municipal library district, the property owners that pay the library property tax do not vote on the library's budget, while property owners in a school district-library district do vote on their library's budget.




If the clock tower is where they will be placing the HVAC equipment and such, then it may be a worthwhile expense.
We vote on our library budgets in Smithtown and it is a seperate line item on the tax bill because it is a special library district.
From the library website:

History was made on November 6, 2001. Smithtown residents cast their ballots in a town-wide referendum, and chose by a large margin, to separate from the Town of Smithtown and become an independent Library. History was once again made on April 30, 2002. On that day, The Smithtown Library Special District held its first Budget Vote and Trustee Election. Residents voted in a seven member Board of Trustees. This new governing board took office on July 1, 2002. The residents that serve on the Board are all volunteers. Their terms of office are three years in length. The Library Director works closely with the Board of Trustees in governing the Library System that is the largest on Long Island and ranks tenth largest in the State of New York.

See Walter, even you can learn something new.

Last edited by nassau2suffolk; 03-02-2011 at 01:07 PM..
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