Senate Passes Larkin Bill to Give Town of Chester Break From Library Taxes

The State Senate has passed legislation (S.647-A) sponsored by Senator Bill Larkin (R-C, Cornwall-on-Hudson) to remove a portion of the Town of Chester from the Albert Wisner Memorial Public Library District, leaving that part of the Town of Chester under the Town of Chester Public Library service area.

"Under current law, the residents of the hamlet of Sugar Loaf in the Town of Chester pay library taxes to support both the Town of Chester Municipal Library and the Albert Wisner Library," said Senator Larkin. "This bill would end the unnecessary double taxation of those residents that are now obligated to support two different libraries."

The boundaries for the Albert Wisner Public Library District are currently the same boundaries as the Warwick Valley Central School District which includes a portion of the Town of Chester. Under the Larkin bill, properties located roughly in the hamlet of Sugar Loaf would no longer pay taxes support the Albert Wisner Library and would no longer be in its service area. Residents of Sugar Loaf would still remain in the boundaries of the Town of Chester Municipal Library, pay real property taxes to support that library alone, and obtain their library services from that library district.