Funding Referendums and the Tax Cap: What You Need To Know
NYS Comptroller's Property Tax Levy Limit Report
Every chartered library that receives funding through direct levy (library funding that is voted on by the public) must now file this report annually. This went into effect when the NYS Property Tax Cap Law was passed on June 24, 2011.
We have prepared detailed instructions and FAQ's for filling out the Property Tax Levy Limit Report. Before panicking, please read through the instructions. If you still feel unsure or would like someone to walk you through as you fill it out, give Amy Zuch at NCLS a call. (The call is guaranteed to be 10 minutes or less in length. If not, she will buy you lunch!)
There is no set due date for filing the report but you should have received an e-mail with your username and PIN by now. If you haven't, use the contact information given in the instructions and FAQ's document to request it be sent to you. The only guidelines given by the Comptroller's Office regarding due date are that the report should be filed upon the passage of your 2013 budget for libraries following a calendar year (January-December). Libraries following a school district fiscal year must file by the end of March.
Placing a referendum on a school district or municipal ballot
If your library plans to place a referendum on the school ballot or a municipal ballot for an increase in funding that exceeds the tax cap limit, there is a resolution you must pass which affirms that your board has voted to override the tax cap.
Once you pass this resolution, you simply file it away with your meeting minutes. It does not need to be sent to NCLS or any other government office unless it is requested at some later date.
Approval from the school district or municipality collecting the taxes is not required for you to override the tax cap. The library board vote is all that is needed.
There is no set deadline for passing the resolution. Typically a decision to request a funding increase through public vote would occur at the time your board adopts its budget for the coming year.
Once these tasked are completed, it is time to think about campaigning for success!
