What do the libraries offer the Bedford community? 

While you can always borrow books, libraries have evolved into busy community gathering places that focus on information sharing and personal interaction. They offer programs and events that educate, entertain and foster social engagement. They preserve historical materials, buildings and cultural artifacts. They nourish creativity and innovation, with access to resources, programs and spaces for artistic learning and expression. They serve as sanctuaries with quiet, safe, comfortable spaces. 

The three Bedford libraries provide a wide variety of opportunities including every one of the offerings noted above. You can see art exhibits, listen to a poetry reading, have your kids dive into bubble painting, play chess, learn how to garden, participate in children’s story time, learn how to make mocktails, participate in chair yoga, meet local writers, collaborate with schoolmates on creative writing projects, play a competitive mahjong game, attend a Women and Money lecture, join a bi-lingual Spanish/English workshop, bring your babies to listen to gentle songs and stories, perfect your flower arranging skills, play a friendly game of canasta, exchange knitting pattern designs, talk about world affairs, practice tai chi, pick up free museum passes and play dungeons and dragons with your friends.

You can also take advantage of the numerous digital services offered on site or accessed from your home.  In fact, 38% of our circulated items are digital and the number is growing each year. 

At the libraries, professional librarians are available to identify the quickest, most relevant websites, databases and apps to support your needs. From your home, as a library member, you can save $120 per year by accessing the language learning app Mango or save $135 per year by using the cultural streaming service Medici.tv or save $179 by accessing LinkedIn Learning. Alternatively, you can access, for free, exclusive streaming services only available to libraries, such as The Shelf, Hoopla, Kanopy, Kanopy Kids, Libby, ComicsPlus, and TumbleBooks.  You can also access digital research tools for free including those focusing on business, health, communications and education.

What gives the libraries the ability to request a ballot proposition for funding?

New York State Education Law 259 was amended in 1995 to enable the citizens of a municipality (village, town, city or county) served by one or more libraries to decide how much to tax themselves for library services. This vote must be held on the date of the general election in November and officially establishes the municipal budget appropriation for the library or libraries.  This vote is sometimes called a “414” vote since it was Chapter 414 of the State Education Law 259 that was amended.

Why was Education Law amended to allow for “414” votes?

The intent of the amendment was to provide equality to those voters who did not have a direct voice to support improvements in the funding of their local library. While special and school district public libraries inherently have public votes on the tax levies that support library operations, association and municipal public libraries had been left with no publicly directed funding mechanism defined by law. The three libraries in Bedford are association libraries.

Citizens could establish an association or encourage their municipality to establish a public library but there was little leverage to compel a municipality to fund these types of libraries or to fund them adequately. This inequality in access to public input on the level of funding for libraries of these types has caused a historical under-funding of many public libraries and unequal access to library services for many citizens of New York State.

How are the Town of Bedford libraries currently funded?

The Town of Bedford libraries receive a total of $1,778,845 in operating funds from the Town’s General Fund, based on annual contracts set by the Town Board. No funding is provided for capital investments.  About 22% of their operating revenue comes from donations and reserves, with another 3% from investments, grants, and other sources. 

How does the current Town of Bedford funding compare to other municipalities?

Town of Bedford funding relative to total operating costs for the three libraries is lower than almost every other library in Westchester County.  The percent of operating costs covered by the Town of Bedford contribution is 73.5%, while the average local government funding support for all other libraries in Westchester County is 94%.

How much funding are the libraries requesting for their 2026 budgets?

The three libraries are requesting a total of $2,628,845 in Town funding for 2026.

Why are the libraries asking for additional and more stable funding?

Local government contributions to the Town of Bedford libraries have been low relative to other Westchester County libraries and low relative to inflation. From 2008 to 2013, local government contributions were either declining or stagnant. After 2013, funding never returned to prior levels, therefore, any subsequent increase in funding occurred relative to a lower baseline. Compounding the problem in more recent years have been higher inflation and tax caps imposed on NY municipalities, reducing the amount of resources the Town has available to fund the libraries.  Recent efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary federal agency supporting libraries and museums across the United States, further threatens future revenues. 

These historical funding problems have resulted in a funding gap, forcing the three Bedford libraries to minimize staff, limit opening hours, rely on gifts and donations for day-to-day operations (a volatile and risky revenue source) and draw on reserve funds for operating costs, funds that should be used for emergencies and capital investments. The requested funding would provide a stable, guaranteed revenue stream, would eliminate the reliance on reserve funds for operating expenses and reduce the reliance on gifts and donations for day-to-day operations.

If this new funding is approved by the community, will the libraries continue to fundraise? 

Yes, the libraries will still need to fundraise. The proposed funding for the libraries will bring the local contribution to 88% of operating expenses, not 100%. The remaining 12% of operating costs would need to be covered by fundraising, investment income, grants and other smaller, miscellaneous sources. Additionally, the libraries will need to fundraise for a majority of their capital investment costs as the Town of Bedford does not contribute funds for this purpose.

If our community votes “yes” will my taxes increase?

The proposed 2026 budget will increase residential property tax rates by $1.39 per $1,000 of assessed value—an increase of $97 per year for the median residential property.* (The median residential assessed value in the Town of Bedford is approximately $70,000, which is equivalent to a market value of $862,100.)

* Assessed value, market value & tax data were obtained from the Town Assessor’s Office and based on the 2024 Assessment Roll

What additional services can I expect if the community approves the ballot proposition?

Library services will be improved in the short-term and long-term if the additional funding request is approved. In the short-term, all libraries will increase adult, teen and children’s programs; Katonah Village Library will increase operating hours; Bedford Free Library will improve space utilization and access; and Bedford Hills Free Library will advance its facility improvement project.  In the long-term, operations will be supported by a stable funding stream; the historical funding gap will be eliminated; the libraries will have the capacity to begin addressing critical infrastructure needs; and they will have the ability to better balance the use of gifts and donations for operating and capital purposes.

If the community approves the ballot proposition this year, what happens in subsequent years?

The amount approved by the voters remains unchanged from year to year until another petition process is enacted to request a new amount through the ballot at a general election.

What happens next if our community does not approve the ballot proposition?

Should the vote fail, the libraries will continue to rely on an unguaranteed appropriation of funds from the Town as it has done in the past. Without the proposed increase in funding, the libraries will not be able to address critical infrastructure needs nor will they be able to fund service improvements requested by residents.  Opening hours, staff, programs and materials would be at risk for reductions. 

In the future, if this initial 414 vote is approved but a subsequent 414 vote fails, the library is held harmless and defaults back to the previously approved funding amount.

What is the Town’s responsibility if the community approves the ballot proposition?

If the voters approve the ballot at the general election by at least a simple majority, the funding amount approved for the Town libraries must be collected and provided to the libraries by the Town of Bedford. The approved 414 funding will replace the historical budget appropriation by the Town Board. The Town may not cut the funding to the library once a 414 vote has been approved.