New York State Law 259 allows libraries to secure sustainable funding through the school tax ballot.

This Tuesday, the voters of the Cassadaga Valley School District will have an opportunity to assist these libraries in securing sustainable funding.

I wish to offer my support for the ballot initiative to obtain sustainable library funding from the CVCS district taxpayers. The Sinclairville Free Library has a long and rich history of supporting the village and surrounding areas.

My family benefited greatly from having this resource available as my siblings and I grew up in Sinclairville and were educated at Cassadaga Valley. I well remember visiting the library at its various homes in the village, but with its move to its permanent location and new facility on Main Street, it has become an important hub of activity in the village, supporting the community in so many ways.

One only has to look at the library website to appreciate all the great things being done — for sure it’s not just for checking out books!

I pay school taxes to CVCS and to the school system in Canandaigua, where I currently reside. Like many state communities, Canandaigua has had for several years a library tax added to the annual school tax bill.

This is a very small percentage of the total school tax bill that I pay and CVCS taxes would similarly be affected if this proposal is approved.

Sinclairville is not a wealthy community and no one wants to pay taxes, but the small added school tax burden which would be a part of this proposal is a payment which will have real, tangible benefits to the community now and in the future and one that I would be happy to pay to ensure a continued healthy library operation.

Gary Kochersberger is a Canandaigua resident.