Though Mamaroneck taxpayers saw a significant increase in last year’s Mamaroneck Public Library budget—the 18.26 increase in the tax levy was due mostly to one-time expenses related to the Library’s move to a 31,300 square foot location—this year’s proposed two percent increase seems tiny by comparison.
The proposed budget of $2.75 million is marginally higher than last year, a 1.1 percent increase over the previous year’s $2.72 million budget. Last year’s budget was somewhat of an anomaly, with a 6 percent increase from 2011-12; the increase prior to that was only 2 percent.
With the 2 percent increase in the tax levy that the proposed budget asks for, the average Village of Mamaroneck taxpayer is looking at a $16.20 annual increase, 78 percent less than last year’s $75 hike.
Much anticipated in the community, the $19.5 million Library renovation and addition was completed last year and financed through a combination of a $13 million, 25-year bond and $6.5 million in private funding.
Much of this year’s increase will fund ongoing maintenance contracts that are replacing initial warranties for major equipment like the Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system and elevators. There will also be some items added to the Library's growing collection, which is now housed in a much larger location than before.
“Going forward, these increases will be much smaller,” said Steve Warner, the Library Board of Trustees treasurer, continuing, “The budget, going forward, should be increasing 1-2 percent per year.”
In addition to voting on the budget, there are three candidates running for Mamaroneck Library Trustee. They are as follows (excerpted from a press release sent out by the Board of Trustees):
Christine Love – Love has been a library trustee for the past six years and is serving as board president for 2012-13. A graduate of Brown University, Love also holds a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During the 1980s, she was director of the Middletown (RI) Public Library for seven years. Recently retired from full-time work, Love spent 25 years in higher education administration. This included positions in admissions, alumni relations and development at the University of Chicago and Brown. She is currently consulting on several projects with Columbia University’s alumni relations office. Chris lives in Shore Acres with her husband John.
John Brenkovich - Originally from Astoria, in Queens County, New York City, Brenkovich began his career as a Financial Advisor in 1988. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and a graduate of Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York City with a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Finance. He graduated from Xavier High School in New York City. Brenkovich and his wife moved to Rye Neck in 2008 and have a young son. Active in his community, he is the treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of Sheldrake Environmental Center and a member of the Mamaroneck Chamber of Commerce. Brenkovich was also a member of Xavier High School’s Advancement Committee for a five-year period.
Bob Fisher – Fisher is a 26-year resident of Mamaroneck. After graduating from the University of Buffalo with a BA in Political Science, Bob moved to New York and became an award-winning producer of television commercials. He currently works as a producer on both feature films and shorter film projects. As the former National Chairperson of the AICP, the national television commercial trade association, he has extensive experience in advertising, labor negotiations and health care issues. Bob currently serves on the boards of the Orienta Point Association, the Armory Track Association, the Directors Guild of America Assistant Director Training Program, and a film industry healthcare plan. Bob lives in Orienta with his wife, Roberta, a career counselor at Manhattanville College. The pair can usually be spotted cycling on the Post Road several days a week.
