The Fulton Public Library budget vote is happening Tuesday, May 20th. The Library is appealing to our community for a funding increase of $25,911.
Please read our FAQs regarding our funding request. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Library Director, Caroline Chatterton at fullib@ncls.org
Q: How will the funding be used?
- Cost of living increase
- The Fulton Public Library relies on our talented staff to meet the diverse needs of our community by providing children, teens, adult, family, and senior programming, educational resources, technology training and more. The proposed increase will be used to help provide the kind of competitive wages and benefits we need to recruit and retain personnel who understand our community and can meet the needs of our patrons.
- Adding/expanding our programming
- Our community has given essential feedback that they would like to see us open more. We have listened to that feedback and are now open until 7pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We saw and increase of 167% in our Summer Reading Program in 2024 and continue to see an increase in children and teens utilizing the library and attending programs. Family events are proving popular as well and we are now hosting family trivia nights, family craft events, and family literacy events. We also are hosting a Conversational English Language Cafe and are holding Senior Planet technology training for Seniors. Teens are utilizing a new subscription service called Teen Swag Bags that are built around a different theme each month.
- Building
- The Fulton Public Library was built in 1905. Since that time, our services have expanded to keep pace with modern librarianship, in a building that was not designed for 21st century needs. We have made significant improvements, but more are needed, including updating the elevator, and installing heat tape across the front of the building. We were awarded a New York State Library Construction grant to assist with the cost of installation of new windows and a new HVAC system.
- Technology
- Modern library service means providing high speed Internet access (including Wi-Fi), as well as the equipment and infrastructure that allows this access. In the coming year we will update the public-use computers as Microsoft ends support for Windows 10. We also will need to update the circulation desk computers. We are also seeing an increase in our online resources and are adding a subscription to Mango Languages after a survey of the community revealed that 84.9% of respondents agreed that it should be included in our online offerings.
Q: How much will the increase cost me as a homeowner?
An increase of $25,911 will mean an estimated average tax rate increase of $0.30 per thousand. Homeowners with property assessed for $100,000 will see an estimated average increase of approximately $3.10.
Q: What is the Fulton Public Library’s portion of the latest property tax bill?
The library tax is a separate line item on your school tax bill. The tax is separate from the school tax and is not part of the school district budget. All money collected from the library tax goes directly to the Fulton Public Library. The Fulton City School District acts as a fiscal agent for the Fulton Public Library and helps us to collect the tax levy.
Q: When will the vote be held?
The Fulton Public Libraries School ballot referendum vote will be held on May 20, 2025. The vote will be held at the following locations.
Election District #1: City of Fulton Community Room | 141 S 1st St. Fulton, NY. Includes voters living on the East side of the District defined as East of the Oswego River. Boundaries: Ward 4, 5, and 6- Town of Volney, Palermo, District 1 and Town of Oswego, District 5.
Election District #: Fulton War Memorial | 609 West Broadway, Fulton, NY. Includes voters living on the West side of the District defined as West of the Oswego River. Boundaries: Ward 1, 2, and 3 – Town of Granby, and Minetto, District 2.
Q: Who can vote?
To vote in the Fulton City School District, you must:
- be 18 years old
- be a U.S. citizen
- live within the boundaries of the Fulton City School District for 30 days prior to vote (legal residence)
- be registered with the Oswego County Board of Elections