The Port Washington Public Library will hold its 2025 budget vote and board of trustees election on April 8. Polling will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the library’s lobby.
“We have carefully crafted this budget with consideration of current economic factors, requirements to keep our facility in excellent condition, and the vital needs of our community,” said William Keller, president of the library’s board of trustees, in a statement.
The library’s proposed budget is $7,997,261, an increase of $200,000 from last year. The board is also seeking a 2% tax levy increase, the third time in the past seven years that the library has proposed raising taxes.
Incumbent Trustee Matthew Straus is seeking re-election, and resident Julie Lim is running for the first time. Both candidates are running unopposed.
The candidate who receives the most votes will fill a full five-year term expiring on June 30, 2030, while the candidate who comes in second place will fill an uncompleted term expiring on June 30, 2027.
The director of the Port Washington Public Library, Keith Klang, said the most significant changes to the budget compared to last year would be increased funding for digital books and audiobooks.
Klang said that residents have been trending toward checking out the library’s e-books and audiobooks in recent years. If passed, the budget would help the library expand its digital collections by raising its digital budget from $100,000 to $125,000.
Keller said that in 2024, nearly 295,000 patrons visited the library, checking out over 234,000 books and borrowing around 98,000 e-books.
Along with increased funding for e-books and audiobooks, Klang said the library is looking to expand its security budget from $50,000 to $60,000. Other areas, like the library’s DVD collection, staff training, and custodial services, will also see slight budget increases.
In December 2024, the library’s budget committee started drafting a budget, which it presented to the board in January. Throughout the past two months, the library has held multiple budget hearings and informational sessions, where Klang said little had changed to the proposed budget.
Klang said items in the library’s 2026 proposed budget won’t be impacted by recent federal funding cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, whose staff the Trump administration recently cut by around 80%, since nearly all of the Port Washington Public Library’s budget is funded locally.
However, funding from the federal government goes toward the New York State Library, which Klang said helps libraries like Port Washington’s with services like grant applications. So, if funding for the state library isn’t found, the library could experience impacts on administrative tasks in the future.
Voters living in the Port Washington School District can cast their ballots for the Port Washington Public Library.
