Library
Governance and Finance
The library is chartered by the State of New York as a school district public library. This means that the library is chartered to serve the same geographic area as the Penn Yan Central School District. In fact, though, the library serves many people who live outside the chartered area as well. The library's operations are overseen by its elected board of nine trustees. The building, collection, and other physical property are owned by the library itself, which is an independent governmental institution. Candidates for trustee, who must be residents of the school district, may be placed on the ballot by presenting a petition with the signatures of 25 residents of the service area. Trustees serve for five year terms. If a trustee resigns before completing a term, the Board may appoint someone to finish out that term. At the annual election, registered school district residents may vote on trustees and on the proposed budget for the next fiscal year (which runs from July 1 to June 30). If the proposed budget increase wins voter approval, the Penn Yan Central School District, in accord with state law, will collect the library taxes from school district residents along with their own. The School District uses the same formulas in figuring tax levies for the Library's tax assessment as it does for the School tax assessment. Neither Yates County nor any township contributes to the library. The Village of Penn Yan contributes $1000 annually, as it agreed to do when Andrew Carnegie donated the original library building in 1905.
