STEUBEN — Road contracts and funding for the town’s library dominated discussion at Steuben’s annual Town Meeting March 7, leading to three paper ballots in addition to the one required for the town warrant.

Tom Baughman said at Steuben’s Town Meeting March 7 that the town should be adding to the library’s budget, not cutting the town’s contribution as proposed by one resident.—STAFF PHOTO BY JACQUELINE WEAVER

When the questions and discussion ended, voters approved a $908,520 municipal budget of which $564,320 will be raised from taxes once the Homestead Exemption reimbursement, the excise tax, state revenue sharing and receipts from other accounts defray the increase in what must be raised from property taxes.

Last year $370,988 of the budget was raised through property taxes.

Town Clerk Julie Ginn said the major increase this year is due to a $139,260 road bond payment, the first of six required to repay a $660,000 loan the town obtained last year.

A somewhat heated exchange began over Article 14, which authorized spending $389,000 on public road contracts.

Laura Garnett, who owns L & L Garnett Construction with her husband, Leonard Garnett, asked that all contracts over $500 be put out to bid. She said later she was not happy with the fact that the $120,000 contract for snowplowing was awarded without going out to bid.

“Then everyone has the knowledge of what’s going on,” she said. “A lot of people in town didn’t know.”

A request was made that the amendment be decided on a paper ballot. It failed 47-6.

A second amendment was made to require that all contracts over $2,500 be put out to bid.

“Why didn’t you call us instead?” Jack Garnett, Laura’s brother-in-law and a contractor, asked the selectmen.

The second amendment also went to a paper ballot and succeeded on a vote of 37-19.

The next issue — Article 20 to appropriate $12,000 for the Henry D. Moore Parish House and Library operating account — drew even more debate when Larry Pinkham asked that the appropriation be cut altogether.

Several residents said not only should the appropriation be made, it probably should be increased.

“I see the library, along with the town office, as a major addition to the quality of life here in Steuben,” said Tom Baughman. “I was thinking we needed to raise the town commitment to the library.”

Others said reducing the budget would require the library to be open fewer hours in a tough economic time when patrons traditionally use their libraries even more.

“If you use it so much why don’t you pay for it?” Ronald Thundy said to Baughman.

“This is not just for the library,” said Donna Smith, a library board member and volunteer. “The whole Parish House is part of our heritage. Don’t let us lose this beautiful building that a number of people think is unique.”

“It’s absurd,” said Kelly Kusnirak, who said she has been taking her 8-year-old daughter to the library regularly since the girl was 2. “It’s all the town has to offer.”

Other residents said they willingly paid for other town services they don’t utilize.

The amendment to cut the town’s contribution to the library failed on a 41-22 written ballot.

In another change, the town voted to charge 7.5 percent annual interest on all unpaid taxes instead of 9 percent as stated in the warrant article, saying it was not the time to add more pressure on families that are already struggling financially.