(Update- April 9, 11: 13 a.m.) Voters approved the Riverhead Free Library budget April 8 by a vote of 200 to 193, according to library Director Kerrie McMullen-Smith.
In the uncontested trustee election, in which three candidates sought election to three vacant seats on the board of trustees, newcomer Mike Dubois received 154 votes, and incumbents William Sandback aand Carlos Alvarez were re-elected with 125 votes and 124 votes respectively.
“We are incredibly grateful to our residents for their continued support and trust in the work we do at RFL,” McMullen said in an email this morning.
Original post: Riverhead Free Library’s proposed $5.54 million operating budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is up for a vote today at the library.
Voters will also elect three members to the library’s board of trustees.
The proposed operating budget for 2025-2026 is a 6.76% increase over the current year’s operating budget. It requires a tax levy of $5.2 million, an increase of 5.61% over the current year’s levy, resulting in a tax rate of $6.84 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to documents published by the library.
See the library’s message to the community and summary of the proposed budget.
The library is governed by a nine-member board of trustees, each of whom is elected to a three-year term. The board of trustees is responsible for proposing an annual budget and hiring a library director who is responsible for administration and operation of the library.
The trustee candidates in this year’s election are Carlos Alvarez, Mike Dubois and William Sandback. Alvarez and Sandback are each seeking a second term.
The budget vote and trustee election takes place today from 10 a.m.to 8 p.m. at the library. All residents of the Riverhead Central School District for at least 30 days who are U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age are eligible to vote.
The library last month acknowledged that it was negotiating the dissolution of its partnership with Friends of the Riverhead Free Library, a nonprofit organization founded in 1958 to raise money for the library. The friends group is governed by a separate board of directors. The split resulted over differences concerning the allocation of funds raised by the nonprofit group. The library and the group disagreed over whether all funds raised by the group must be spent on library needs. The group has sponsored scholarships for graduating Riverhead High School seniors and has purchased school supplies for Riverhead students in need.
READ PRIOR STORY: Riverhead library and its Friends group split, so Yellow Barn won’t open as usual next month
The funds raised by the group “were never a core part of RFL’S annual budget,” the library said in a statement posted to its website and sent to RiverheadLOCAL for publication as a letter to the editor.
The group raised money by book sales at the Yellow Barn, a historic building the library owns, by membership dues, donations and grants. It sponsored certain concerts and programs at the library. Library Director Kerrie McMullen-Smith said the library is hoping another support group can be established “that understands their role,” and that the Yellow Barn can be reopened this summer.
Correction: This story was amended to correct an error in the original. The statement that the budget would require a supermajority vote for passage because it exceeded the state real property tax levy limit was incorrect. Only a simple majority vote was required to approve the levy amount, according to the Office of the State Comptroller.
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