Thank you, Guilderland, for approving the library budget!

Guilderland residents voted to approve a 2.4% increase in Guilderland Public Library’s operating budget. It was approved by 72% of voters, a 2% increase from 2024.

Voters also selected three new and one returning member to the Library Board of Trustees. Congratulations to Matthew Grunert, Michael Hawrylchak, Joseph Otter, and Bethany Steuer! We are truly excited to begin this next chapter with such a dedicated group of individuals.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out to vote and to all who continue to champion the library. Your participation and support make everything we do possible!

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The 2025-2026 budget was presented at the March 12th, 2025 Finance Committee meeting and voted on at the March 20th, 2025 Full Board meeting. 

‘We can come together’: GPL adopts $4.6M budget for next year

“The biggest goal of this year’s budget was to maintain our public programs and services,” said library director Pete Petruski. “We want to sustain our high level of quality service to the Guilderland Community, and that requires a strong library staff.”

“This year’s budget also reflects a small increase to our collection budget, which is used to purchase everything from books and ebooks to museum passes and metal detectors,” Petruski continued. “At the end of the day, books are the cornerstone of libraries and we want to keep building our fantastic collection.”

ANNUAL BUDGET PROCESS

The library’s budget is developed by the library director, the Board Treasurer, and the Board Finance Committee at a public committee meeting. It is then presented to the full Board and discussed in a public meeting before being approved by the full Board. The Board approves both the total budget and the tax levy being presented to the voters.

Some budget facts:

• The yearly budget is developed in an open process, reviewed in public meetings, and approved by the Board of Trustees. Then, it is presented to the voters.
• The public gets to vote on the library’s tax levy every May (there is no vote if the tax levy does not increase).
• As a local government, Guilderland Public Library budgets fall under the tax cap regulations established by the NYS comptroller.
• The library’s major operating costs are: salaries and benefits to the library staff; maintenance and operation of the building; cost of computers and software for public and staff; purchase of books, periodicals, databases, and other borrowable materials; and programming for the community.

Elected Trustees

Congratulations to the elected Library Trustees

Matthew Grunert

Professional Experience: I’ve spent my career in support of New York, having worked in several state agencies before moving into consulting with a local non-profit. I have a deep technical background, including information security, systems administration, business analysis, and project management.

Education:

• BA in Criminal Justice and Computer Science
• MBA, University at Albany, May 2025

How long have you lived in Guilderland? Since 2013

Community Activities: 

• Volunteer firefighter and elected fire district commissioner in Westmere.
• Certifies Therapy Team with my dog Oatmeal.
• Active member of the Albany Curling Club

What role have libraries played in your life? How have you benefited from GPL? I’ve always found refuge in libraries, from childhood book sales to university study spaces. GPL’s Library of Things, especially its board games is a fixture in my adult life.

What is the last good book you read? Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

I am interested in becoming a candidate for the Library Board of Trustees because: I am passionate about civic engagement, and I believe in defending the library as an institution integral to our community.

Michael Hawrylchak – Current GPL Trustee

Professional Experience: I have worked as a lawyer doing primarily civil litigation at several law firms. Since 2019 I have been at O’Connell and Aronowicz. Before law school I worked as a software engineer.

Education:

• Guilderland High School, Class of 1996

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S., 2000

• Harvard Law School, J.D. 2008

How long have you lived in Guilderland? I grew up in Guilderland and returned in 2012

Community Activities: 

• Served on the GPL Board of Trustees since 2021
• Coached Guilderland Rec Soccer when my children were younger
• Guilderland Youth Wrestling, parent volunteer

What role have libraries played in your life? How have you benefited from GPL? My family regularly uses the library’s physical and digital collections.

What is the last good book you read? All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

I am interested in becoming a candidate for the Library Board of Trustees because: Over the past few years, in collaboration with library administration, the Board has made significant progress in improving operations, including in particular, financial reporting and budgeting. This work is unfinished and I want to continue to serve to see through improvements in long-term financial planning.

Joseph Otter

Professional Experience:

• Director of School Community Partnerships, Lansingburgh Central School District
• Assistant Principal, Neil Hellman School, Northern Rivers
• Program Coordinator, Capital Region BOCES
• Clinical Social Worker, Schenectady ARC

Education:

• Guilderland Central High School- Regents Diploma
• Oswego State University- B.A. Psychology, Minor in English
• University at Albany- Masters in Social Welfare
• University at Albany- Advanced Graduate Certificate in School Building Leadership
• University at Albany- Advanced Graduate Certificate in School District Leadership

How long have you lived in Guilderland? Over 40 years

Community Activities: 

• Guilderland Central School District Equity & Diversity Committee
• Guilderland Central School District Pre-K Subcommittee for Excess Space Task Force
• Congregation Gates of Heaven Synagogue- Member

What role have libraries played in your life? How have you benefited from GPL? Libraries have been important resources to me in all seasons of life as a place to study, learn, gather and enjoy. GPL was a staple of my childhood and I am proud to carry this tradition on with my own family. It is invaluable to have a robust, publicly funded asset and my family and I have most benefitted from the opportunities for intellectual growth and enrichment. This has been particularly so for my special needs child.

What is the last good book you read?Five Practices for Equity-Focused Leadership by Sharon I Radd, Gretchen Givens Generett, Mark Anthony Gooden & George Theoharis

I am interested in becoming a candidate for the Library Board of Trustees because: I am excited with the new directions and traditions the library has developed and I want to formally lend my support. Libraries are beloved cornerstones of community and democracy and an informed citizenry is a strong and empowered citizenry. I want to be a part of promoting and supporting this crucial cornerstone and give back to an institution that has played such a strong role and provided such benefit in my life.

Bethany Steuer

Professional Experience:

• Practicing attorney for 20 years
• Worked in public service for New Your City Department of Education and New York State Department of Education
• Worked for for the New York State Office of Mental Health for the last 7 years

Education:

• Shorham-Wading River High School Regents Diploma
• SUNY Stony Brook, B.S. in Political Science
• Brooklyn Law School, J.D.
• Admitted to NYS Bar in 2004

How long have you lived in Guilderland? 11 years

Community Activities: 

• Both my children attend Guilderland Schools. One of my sons plays soccer- 2 years on the premier league team and for the school team.
• My older son and I volunteer at the Northeast Regional Foodbank.
• I am on the Board of STEM- Strong Through Every Mile, a local non-profit that supports domestic violence victims
• In training and running a 5k
• I am a volunteer and member of the Albany Running Exchange
• My older son volunteers at GPL

What role have libraries played in your life? How have you benefited from GPL? I grew up in a small town at the end of Long Island. Our town library was attached to the high school and doubled as our school library. I spent many hours in that safe, quiet space during my tumultuous teen years. As an adult, I have continued to love libraries—be it my law library in law school, the beautiful library in Park Slope when I lived in Brooklyn, and, as an adult, my local Capital Region libraries where I have routinely brought my children, who are now teens themselves.

What is the last good book you read? I read daily. Some of my latest favorites are Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.

I am interested in becoming a candidate for the Library Board of Trustees because: I am a lifelong reader who grew up in libraries. Our hometown library was attached to our school, and it was a place for me to decompress from the chaos of the teen years. As an adult, I continue to utilize libraries—from printing out resumes when I was a new attorney to bringing my children to story time. I have lived in Guilderland for over a decade and have two children (7th and 9th grades). When I was a divorced mom, GPL provided me with books, books on tape, and DVDs for long car rides, as well as museum passes. Now my eldest volunteers there. I have spent my career as a public service attorney. Libraries are safe havens for many in our community, and I want to give back to GPL as part of the Board of Trustees.