On the ballot: Northport Historical Society looks to raise funds via new tax bill line
A proposition for a new tax bill line that would equate to approximately $60,000 a year for the Northport Historical Society and Museum will be on the May 20th school district budget and trustee vote ballot.
We rely on your support to share good news!
Become a supporting member today.
It’s official: A proposition that would allow the Town of Huntington to impose an annual tax of between $3.10 and $3.74 per household to help support the Northport Historical Society and Museum will be placed on this year’s Northport-East Northport school district budget vote ballot. The new tax bill line, if approved, will be assessed to all landowners in Northport and East Northport, and is separate from anything related to the school district or its upcoming school budget and trustee vote.
“On May 20th, residents will vote on an important proposition that would provide much-needed support for the museum. The proposition proposes a modest annual tax within the Northport-East Northport school district to sustain the museum, at a cost of less than $4 per household per year,” read an April 2 press release from the Northport Historical Society.
If passed, the monies collected will equate to approximately $60,000 a year for the society and museum.
The Northport Historical Society, which initiated a petition drive to place the proposition on the ballot this past February, gained official classification as a museum on October 8, 2024. Prior to amending its charter, the nonprofit was classified as a historical society, a title granted in 1973. “At that time, the society did not have a permanent location, therefore it was simply called ‘The Northport Historical Society,’” Cary Bianculli, director of marketing and membership, told the Journal. “Over the last few decades however, we have operated as a museum, but never had a need to change the name on our charter until this opportunity arose.”
According to New York State Education Law §259.1, public libraries are permitted to submit propositions to school districts for the levy of taxes in support of the library. Education Law §253 specifies that these rights apply equally to “libraries and museums and to combined libraries and museums.” Because the Northport Historical Society amended its charter and is officially classified as a museum under state law, it can legally place a proposition on the ballot, school district officials confirmed.
Similar initiatives have been passed in towns including Rocky Point, Westhampton Beach, and Sag Harbor; the annual allocation will not increase unless another vote is held.
Should the proposition pass in Northport-East Northport, the funds will be granted annually and will help the society and museum maintain its original Carnegie Library, a collection of over 12,000 documents and artifacts, and adult and child educational programs, Bianculli said.
Remarks made online mirror those sent to the Journal by a group of district residents questioning why taxpayer dollars are needed by the museum, indicating at least some opposition to the proposition. Paperwork provided by the group included a brief summary of the society and museum’s assets and income, as well as information from its 2023 annual reports, specifically citing potential revenue from renting out properties owned by and adjacent to the museum, as well as money made from events and membership dues, grants and donations.
In a letter posted on the historical society’s website, Executive Director Terry Reid described the society and museum as “a place where we teach the next generation the importance of preserving our past.” Increasing costs of insurance, utilities and preservation supplies, however, “have made it difficult to continue the level of excellence we owe to our community,” the letter reads. She stressed that while the increase to each taxpaying household would equate to just a penny a day, the funds raised would be instrumental in helping the museum continue to function as it has in the past.
When asked about the concerns voiced online and in the letter to the Journal, Reid said she understands that people may have questions. “I welcome them into the museum for a tour and to talk to me,” she said. A campaign to raise awareness about the proposition and why it’s being put on the ballot is set to launch in the next week or so, Reid added.
At a March 6 board of education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dave Moyer said this is the first time the historical society has put a proposition on the ballot; he wanted to make sure there was clarity among residents that the proposition is not part of the district operations or budget.
Because of its status as a museum, the society has the right to place ballot propositions on the school district ballot, Moyer said. “It’s a separate proposition, it’s not part of the school budget, the board has nothing to do with it [and] you won’t vote to authorize it,” the superintendent told board members. “That’s just the law.”
District officials confirmed yesterday the receipt of a written request from the historical society to put the proposition on the ballot; the proposition will appear on the ballot as follows: Shall the Board of Education of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District, Suffolk County, New York, be authorized to raise the sum of $60,000 for payment of operational and maintenance expenses on behalf of The Northport Historical Society and Museum for the fiscal year 2025-2026 and annually thereafter and to levy the necessary tax, therefore?
