Woodstock voters overwhelmingly passed the proposed Woodstock Library budget for the coming fiscal year, calling for a spending plan of $599,616, including a 3 percent tax levy increase. The vote was 401 in favor and 97 against.
Rebecca Daniels topped the slate in the election for Library Board of Trustees, which saw nine candidates running for five seats. Daniels was elected with 370 votes, followed by Elizabeth Rosen, 314; David Lewis, 296; Tamara Katzowitz, 270; and Barry Miller, with 267.
Falling short of being elected were John Ludwig, with 176 votes; Ken Panza with 172; Jo Mangan, 163; and George Finsrud, 148.
Spending is down by 5 percent, but the levy is up because trustees decided not to use the fund balance, or money left over from previous years, to offset taxes.
Under the proposed budget, employees will receive a 2 percent raise, but that cost is offset in other areas, such as asking staff to contribute more to health insurance costs.
About $6,000 is built into the budget for a comprehensive audit, something the library hasn’t completed since 2010.
The proposed tax levy is $565,566, an increase of $16.378, but as Dymond and trustees point out, the difference amounts to $3.67, or about 31 cents per month, for a home valued at $300,000.
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