The Finkelstein Memorial Library is proposing a 1.8% increase to its budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, raising its total tax levy from $6.561M to $6.679M. For the average home assessed at $56,000, this would increase taxes by $5.24 for the year. The small budget increase is needed to pay for rising costs of materials, telecommunications, and insurance, despite efforts to cut expenses by freezing salaries, not filling positions, and reducing other costs. The majority of the $7.258M budget would fund salaries and benefits, with the rest going to materials, programs, utilities, and other expenses. Failure to pass the budget could result in