Three board seats, budget on ballot
The Howland Public Library district in Beacon will hold its annual trustee and budget vote on Thursday (April 29). The polls will be open at the library, at 313 Main St., from noon to 8 p.m., and absentee ballots are available.
There are five candidates for three vacancies on the board. The candidates are incumbents Janice Dolan and Sean Twohig, and newcomers Samuel Anderson, Elaine Leinung and Phoebe Zinman. The two candidates receiving the highest vote totals will serve five-year terms and the third candidate will serve the final two years of an existing term.
The $1.29 million budget for 2021-22 includes a tax levy increase of $46,976, which exceeds the state tap cap of about 1 percent, or $14,445. The board voted in February to propose a 4 percent increase in the levy. See bit.ly/beacon-library-budget.
Howland Director Kristen Salierno said that if the budget passes, the library plans to convert a part-time librarian position to full-time and expand technology education, job-search assistance and resume-building classes, the Library of Things and e-book titles.
Any voter registered in the Beacon City School District can vote; absentee ballot applications are available at the library or beaconlibrary.org and must be returned by 5 p.m. on April 29.
