Help support the Oneida library

To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “a budget is a moral document.” Where our community chooses to spend our collective resources is a testament to what we value, and there is no better declaration of intent than funding our community libraries.

Andrew Carnegie has stated, “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do that benefits its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert.”

Oneida Public Library offers free access to educational opportunities and is the primary source of Internet access for many. Our community turns to OPL for early literacy programs; adult education, financial literacy and tax help; health and fitness workshops; technology assistance. All told, OPL offered 492 programs attended by 8352 participants in 2016.

This year, the largest impact on our budget is mandated increases to the NYS minimum wage. OPL offers convenient hours of operation and wishes to provide as many programs supporting lifelong learning as possible. To ac- complish this, owners of property in the OPL District assessed at $100,000 would see an increase of about $2.65 in next year’s library tax.

I urge District voters to approve this small additional investment. Come, borrow one of our hundreds of DVDs and recover the cost of the proposed tax increase. Come, borrow two bestselling books and recover the cost of your entire library tax bill. Come, bring your children to participate in one of our STEM programs like Robotics or Dino Dig, and see them inspired to pursue a priceless bright and rewarding future.