The NYS Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 has been finalized. Thank you all for your efforts to advocate for these funds! Despite our wishes for higher operating aid, this was still a successful advocacy year, resulting in around a 2% increase for categorical aid. Given that the Governor started higher than the previous year and both houses advocated for more than the Governor’s proposal, we should be proud of the work we have done to make the case for library systems and member libraries. We also gained back $10 million in Construction Aid which is a huge win!
Here is the final budget breakdown:
• Library Operating Aid: $106.325 million
• Library Construction Aid: $44 million
• Continuation of NOVELny: $3 million
Other items of note:
- No funds were allocated nor fees adjusted to underwrite the operations of the Division of Library Development.
- The language we had been hoping for which would allow any library of any type to access capital bonding authority through the Dormitory Authority was not included in the final budget bill. Libraries who are interested in pursuing this will need to work with their state legislators to craft an individual bill to obtain this authorization. Please contact Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Executive Director, for more info on this.
- A Library Social Worker Pilot Program has been introduced through the budget bill. More information about this from the State Library should be forthcoming.
- The amount for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library was doubled to $1 million.
Say Thanks! If you have the opportunity to thank our state legislators, please do. TNYLA usually provides a thank you campaign through the Online Advocacy Center which we will be sure to share, but personal thank yous by phone would go a long way.
