Annual budget vote and election for Center Moriches Free Public Library.

 



LEGAL NOTICE




NOTICE OF ANNUAL BUDGET VOTE

AND ELECTION OF THE

CENTER MORICHES FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY

TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a Special District Meeting of the qualified voters of the Center Moriches Union Free School District will be held at the Center Moriches Free Public Library, 235 Main Street, Center Moriches, New York, on the 14 th day of April 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. prevailing time, for the purpose of voting by paper ballot on the following items:

1. To adopt the Annual Budget of the Library for the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the School District.

2. To elect one (1) Trustee of the Center Moriches Free Public Library to a five (5) year term commencing July 1, 2026, as a result of the expiration of the term of office presently held by Colleen Hogan.

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that petitions nominating candidates for the office of Member of the Board of Trustees may be obtained from the Clerk of the School District commencing February 27, 2026; must state the residence of each signatory; must state the name and address of the candidate; must describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated, including the length of the term of office and the name of the last incumbent, and must be signed by at least 25 qualified voters of the School District; and must be filed with the Clerk of the Center Moriches Union Free School District not later than 5:00 p.m. on March 16, 2026; and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public budget hearing will be held on March 31, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. at the Center Moriches Free Public Library for the purpose of discussion of the said expenditure of funds and the budget thereof; and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Section 2014 of the NY Education Law, personal registration of voters is necessary and no person shall be entitled to vote at said Special Meeting unless such person has personally registered. Voters may register for the said Special District Meeting at the School District Business Office during regular business hours not later than five (5) days prior to the Special District Meeting, and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the fiscal year 2026-27 for Library purposes, may be obtained by any resident in the Center Moriches Union Free School District during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding such Special District Meeting and at such Special Meeting, except holidays, at the Center Moriches Free Public Library, in said District, during the hours in which the Library is regularly open for business, and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to the provisions of Section 2018 of the Education Law, voting will be permitted by early voting and absentee ballot. Except for those persons whose registration record has been marked permanently disabled by the Board of Elections, pursuant to the provisions of the NY Election Law, applications for absentee or early voting ballots must be received by the District Clerk, in care of the Center Moriches Free Public Library, 235 Main Street, Center Moriches, New York, at least seven (7) days before the vote/election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the vote/election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. A list of all persons to whom absentee ballots have been issued will be available in the office of the Library Director of the Center Moriches Free Public Library on each of the five days prior to April 13, 2026 except Saturdays and Sundays. In order to be canvassed for early mail and absentee ballot voting, ballets must be received by the District Clerk, in care of the Center Moriches Free Public Library, not later than 5:00 p.m. (prevailing time) on April 13, 2026, and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons who shall have been previously registered for annual or special school district meetings and who have voted at any such annual or special district meeting held or conducted any time within the four (4) calendar years prior to April 13, 2026 shall be entitled to vote at this Special District Meeting. In addition, all those who are registered to vote with the Board of Elections of Suffolk County pursuant to Article 5 of the NY Election Law shall be entitled to vote at this Special District meeting notwithstanding their failure to have previously registered with the School District, and,

FURTHER NOTICE IS GIVEN that a military voter who is a qualified voter of the School District may apply for a military ballot to be issued to him/her by obtaining from the Office of the District Clerk of the School District at 529 Main Street, Center Moriches, N.Y. 11934 an application for such ballot by mail or by email to jbarr@cmschools.org or by fax to 631-878-4326. In the application the military voter may request that the ballot be returned by mail, facsimile, or email. The application for the ballot must be returned to the Office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 23, 2026. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-b of the NY Education Law. The application for a military ballot should include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email, and,

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a military voter’s original military ballot must be returned by mail to the office of the Library Election Clerk, 235 Main Street, Center Moriches, N.Y. 11934. Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the Library Election Clerk: (1) before the close of the polls on election day and showing a cancellation mark of the U.S. postal service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the U.S. government; or (2) received not later than 5:00 p.m. on election day and be signed and dated by the military voter and one witness, with a date ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.

Dated: January 12, 2026

Center Moriches, New York

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OF THE CENTER MORICHES FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Jacques LeBlanc, President of the Board of Trustees