Resident claims mismanagement by Port Jervis Library board

On Tuesday, April 14, the Port Jervis Public Library’s Board of Trustees heard concerns from community members regarding the board’s use of funds and election practices.

A summary of a citizen’s audit was given to attendees and the board by Anton Treuting of Deerpark, highlighting many of the issues community members find concerning. The summary highlights “significant fiscal and governance irregularities identified through a review of Library Board minutes, Treasurer reports and Annual Reports filed with the New York State Education Department.”

Election process questioned

The first major concern Treuting raised is a “decade-long strategy to remove the public from its own library governance.” Treutig said there was a pattern of trustees not being conventionally elected to the board, as was the case with David Bavoso from 2015 to 2017, Valerie Miginsky from 2019 to 2021 and Elizabeth Miller from 2022 to 2025. The summary claims that the board skipped the elections in 2016, 2020, 2023, and 2024, an alleged violation of NYS Education Law 226-4.

One of the reasons cited for potentially bypassing the voters is “The ‘$2.1 Million Parking Lot’ Surplus,” referring to the 150 percent budget surplus the library is holding as of early 2026. This amount of money was projected to be enough to run the library for 540 days without collecting additional taxes, yet it remains unused, even though a tax levy was requested in 2025, Treuting claimed.

Claims of revenue suppression

The next issue Treutig highlighted was revenue suppression. According to the audit summary, the board was projected to earn $16,000 in interest in the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year, but actually earned $81,291.54; a discrepancy of 508 percent. He raised concerns that the board is dramatically under-projecting its interest earnings to justify taxing the community, even though it has “already overfunded the library.”

According to the summary, the library is hiding that revenue while still hemorrhaging expenses, without a proper public explanation for why. This year’s budget for professional services was $131,000, a 64-percent increase over last year’s budget of $80,000. Moreover, as of February of 2026, the board has already spent over $136,000, not including the recently approved $31,000 for the search for a new library director after Curran Koehler was bought out of his contract last month. Treuting also states that the current fiscal year’s expenditure on Professional Services would represent 11.9% of the library’s overall budget.

State audit requested

Treuting said that he has requested an “urgent, high-risk audit from the State Comptroller’s office in Newburgh” to look into the issues. He also filed an appeal with the NYS Commissioner of Education, looking to remove the board. In an attempt to foster transparency from the board, Treuting also requested a formal, written response from the board members explaining their actions and holding them accountable.

The Board of Trustees did not comment on Treuting’s report during the meeting. Board president Carl Hendrick also declined to comment.