Library Funding + Value

The budget for 2023 is $657,441. This amounts to $537,446 in operating, i.e., tax-funded expenses (building expenses, payroll, utilities, etc.) and $119,995 in trustee endowment expenses (books and materials, furniture and fixtures, repairs, etc.). It also means the library needs to propose a higher percentage increase of 8% rather than the usual 2% in terms of the tax cap.

View the 2023 budget overview here.

If your home is assessed at $100,000, you would currently pay $1,877.22 in school tax and just $42.87 in library tax.

Find your property here, then click “Show Levy Details” to determine the actual amount you pay per year.

Originally established in 1886, the Hatch Library was chartered by New York State as the Cortland Free Library in 1925. At that time, the City of Cortland agreed to fund operating expenses of the library, while the Trustees funded books, furniture, and fixtures — establishing a managed endowment to that end in 1926. In the years that followed, the towns of Cortlandville and Virgil were added to the library’s chartered service area and, in turn, began contributing some funds for operations.

Over time, however, obtaining funds from municipalities served by the library became increasingly challenging, until, in 2008, then Mayor Tom Gallagher and CFL Board President Diane Ames saw the need to explore forming a school tax district, after which CFL Trustee Nick Esposito formulated the first tax request. A successful public referendum ensued, ensuring that library funding would never fall below a set amount each year.

Since then, the proposition for continued taxpayer funding of the library has appeared on the annual school budget ballot with annual increases never having exceeded New York State’s 2% tax cap (established as law in 2011) until extraordinary circumstances necessitated a proposed increase of 8% in 2023.

• Books! Borrow up to 30 at a time (without paying overdue fines) and Audiobooks. Through us, you also have access to the collections of all 33 libraries in the Finger Lakes Library System.
• Children’s programs, including Preschool Storytime, 5th Grade Book Club, Ready, Set, Read! and more.
• Dial-a-Story (listen to stories, poems, and more).
• Digitized local newspapers.
• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (free books mailed to kids ages 0-5).
• e-Books, audiobooks, e-Audiobooks, all free to borrow via the Libby app.
• Free access to computers & WiFi
• Hotspot and telehealth kit borrowing.
• Knowledgeable and friendly library staff to help you find what you’re looking for.
• Magazines (visit our Periodicals Room to check our all your favorites).
• Mail-It program for homebound patrons!
• Movies (blu-ray and DVDs).
• Museum and park passes
• Music (CDs).
• Ongoing book sale in our Book Shoppe.
• Programs for teens and adults, including Craft Club, Taste & Tell, Community Reads, and more!
• Print, fax, scan, and make copies at the library!
• Research and reference resources, including genealogy.
• Room reservation for your next meeting.
• Space/place for studying, reading, gathering, or just “being.”
• Test proctoring services;
• and more!

THANK YOU to everyone who votes!

Each year in May, residents have the opportunity to cast a vote on our budget at a designated site: the Virgil Town Hall (1176 Church Street), the Cortlandville Municipal Garage (3587 Terrace Rd) or the Kaufman Center (CECSD District Office: 1 Valley View Drive). Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m.