From the Executive Director of UHLS

To all,
     You may have heard that the 2011 proposed Rens. County budget includes the elimination of county support for 5 public libraries (Troy, E. Greenbush, N. Greeenbush, Sand Lake, and Nassau).  Since the release of the proposed budget, the impacted libraries and UHLS have conducted a mini-advocacy campaign to convince the legislature and the county executive that funding to these libraries should not be cut.  The public hearing on the proposed budget took place last night and several people spoke in support of continuing library funding.  The process of finalizing the budget will take place in the next several weeks and we need to continue to speak to the county leadership about the importance of county library funding.
      We need your help.  Please support your fellow county libraries by contacting the decision makers on the list below AND by encouraging your library trustees, staff, friends groups, and users to make those contacts as well.

1) the legislator(s) covering the district(s) your library serves
2) the legislator covering the district where you live (if you are a county resident)
3) County Executive Kathy Jimino
4) Legislative Majority Leader, Chairman Martin Reid
5) Head of the Legislature's Finance Committee, Vice Chairman Phillip J. Danaher

All of the contact information can be found at the county legislature's website - http://www.rensselaercounty.org/Index.htm

Remember, this does not have to be anything elaborate - just a quick phone call to the office or a short e-mail or note encouraging the person to continue library support.  If you would like any assistance with this please don't hesitate to contact me.

It is vital that these contacts be made right away.  The legislature is starting their next phase of budget work after today's holiday, so please don't delay.

The next public budget hearing is scheduled for Mon. 11/22 in the county legislative chambers at 1600 7th Ave. in Troy.  Again, I encourage strong participation at that hearing to make sure that the county leadership understands how important this issue is to the residents of the county. 

Thanks for your help in this effort, Tim