Photo by David Prenatt The Minerva Free Library in Sherman has been seeking an annual tax levy to help fund library operations. A vote for the funding failed earlier this month.

SHERMAN — A resolution that would have provided annual funding to Minerva Free Library in Sherman by way of a tax levy failed by just a handful of votes earlier this month.

Citing “irregularities, along with confusion around voting times and misinformation surrounding the vote,” the library’s board of trustees is considering another vote to be held in the fall.

In a statement to the newspaper, Minerva Free Library said it will have to close if a vote for sustainable funding is not passed by voters in the Sherman Central School District.

“The Minerva Free Library Board really appreciates the support given by the Sherman School District Administration, CCLS- Chautauqua Cattaraugus Library System Organization, and especially the area district residents,” the board said.

As others have done, Minerva turned to a 259 vote that permits libraries to collect funds from an established tax levy.

According to the library, the June 1 vote in the lobby of Sherman Central School failed 119 to 123. The board of trustees, however, believes the results were potentially off due to “ineligible voters (who) were allowed to cast ballots, making the true outcome unclear.”

“This confusion on both voter eligibility and voting process means the Minerva Free Library Board will be considering a re-vote in the fall,” the board added.

In 2022, the library brought in only $6,000 through fundraisers, which was “not enough to close the gap,” the board said in a pamphlet outlining the need for a 259 vote. At the time, the library said an endowment fund — which covers most of the facility’s operating expenses — was “dwindling” to about $27,000 annually and would be exhausted in a few years.

Minerva is looking for sustainable funding of $85,000 each year through a tax levy that would be included in the bills of residents in the Sherman Central School District.

Residents would pay about 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a home valued at $75,000 would pay about $34.50 a year while the owner of a home valued at $150,000 would pay about $69 a year.

At present, Minerva Free Library is operating at a cost of $52,134, with about $10,000 provided annually from the village and town.

“The library is struggling to survive without sustainable funding,” the board said in its “Save the Library” information offered to the public.

In its statement following the failed vote, the library noted, “There has been an outpouring of support since people have been alerted to the fact that the library will have to close if we don’t pass this vote.”

“Donations have poured in including a sizable one made by the Carnahan-Jackson Foundation that will make it possible to continue operations for the short term. We implore the entire community to consider Minerva Free Library as a vital community center and continue to give us ideas on how we might best serve the public.”