Council won't endorse St. Charles library referendum

The St. Charles Public Library couldn't get an endorsement of its $35 million referendum from St. Charles City Council Monday night, but library officials did get recognition of the library's status as a community asset.

A group of community members supporting the tax increase presented the rationale behind the referendum.

However, Mayor Don DeWitte clarified from the start of the presentation that the city was in no position to tell people how they should vote on the proposal.

Instead, the council would vote on a much more neutral resolution depending on what the Friends of the St. Charles Public Library presented.

"This resolution is by no means an endorsement by the city council on another governmental entity's taxing policy," DeWitte said.

The library presentation stuck to the talking points supporters are trying to spread across the city.

In short, the library has 50 percent more materials than it was designed to store. The building is running out of room for patrons to congregate. Parking already is beyond capacity much of the time. And now is the time to fund an expansion, because the costs will never be less than when construction workers are clamoring for jobs.

That said, the city council unanimously passed a resolution commending the library for its efforts to serve the community and encouraging residents to learn about the proposed tax increase. No one spoke against the proposed tax increase.

If the voters approved the two-part proposal, the tax increase will fund construction to double the size of the library and pay for the increased operational costs.

The tax increase would add about $81 to the property tax bill of the owner of a house that would sell for $300,000.