Senator Bill Larkin (R-C, Cornwall-on-Hudson) today announced that a bill he sponsored to remove a double tax on Town of Chester residents currently paying for the services of two library districts has passed the State Senate.

The bill (S.1356) removes a portion of the Town of Chester that is currently located in the Albert Wisner Memorial Public Library District. The boundaries of the Albert Wisner Memorial Public Library are the same as the Warwick Central School District which includes a portion of the Town of Chester. The bill corrects the overlap and states that this portion of the Town of Chester, located roughly in the Hamlet of Sugar Loaf, will no longer pay taxes to support the Albert Wisner Library. These residents will remain in the Town of Chester Public Library District and may use the services of that system.

"Under current law, the residents of the Hamlet of Sugar Loaf pay library taxes to support both the Town of Chester municipal library and the Albert Wisner Library," said Senator Larkin. "This is an unfair tax. This bill would end the double taxation issue for those residents who are now obligated to support two different libraries."

The bill was sent to the Assembly.