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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Bowdoinham Public Library

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 016016360
ME · NTEE B70
FY ending 2023-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Katherine G Cutko, Executive Director / CEO ($25,376) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 16 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 44th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Katherine G Cutko — reported title “Library Director”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

16 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 16 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2,600 total compensation of comparable organizations → $46,535 $25,376
$12,76110th
$24,11425th
$27,363Median
$32,31775th
$40,96390th
$25,376This org · 44th
p10$12,761
p25$24,114
p50$27,363
p75$32,317
p90$40,963
$25,376

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to ME cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Easton Library NY$90,634 Director $21,731 $19,610 2023
Steep Falls Library ME$90,621 Librarian $28,080 $26,571 2025
Coeur Dalene Public Library Foundation ID$90,376 Foundation Mgr. $23,804 $25,288 2023
Dr Sandor & Berthe Benedek NY$84,255 Director $26,617 $24,020 2023
Hamlin Memorial Library PA$83,507 Executive Dir. $30,643 $29,642 2024
Bolivar Free Library Association NY$80,124 Director $6,743 $5,911 2024
Norwood Public Library NY$108,712 Library Dire $33,008 $28,932 2024
Prospect Community Library PA$74,397 Director $24,960 $24,145 2024
Fallsington Library Co PA$112,036 Library Director $39,675 $39,512 2023
Capitan Public Library Volunteer NM$119,679 Treasurer $2,492 $2,600 2024
Blue Grass Resource Center VA$120,150 Executive Director $26,302 $24,634 2024
Hudson Falls Free Library NY$132,782 Executive Director $47,000 $42,414 2023
Myers Memorial Library NY$133,689 Director $31,200 $28,155 2023
Slippery Rock Community Library PA$134,279 Director $31,847 $30,806 2024
Moores Memorial Library PA$138,050 Executive Di $48,107 $46,535 2024
The Heritage Public Library PA$139,270 Library Dire $38,094 $36,849 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to ME cost of living and 2023 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to ME cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default44th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)31st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted44th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted44th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Katherine G Cutko) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 16 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B70), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $25,376 is reasonable (approximately the 44th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.