Palatine library asking for tax increase on April 2 ballot
Palatine Public Library District voters will be asked to approve a property tax increase to generate extra annual income for building upgrades and other needs.
An April 2 ballot question from the library will seek permission to boost the annual property tax levy 29 percent, from 27 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 35 cents. If the measure passes, officials said, an owner of a house with a median fair market value of $266,000 could be expected to pay about $52 extra in taxes annually to the district.
Officials said the tax hike would generate an additional $5.8 million during the next six years to go toward projects at the 25-year-old main facility in Palatine, including the replacement of a significant portion of a leaky roof, the installation of energy-efficient lighting, and the upgrade of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Melissa Gardner, the library's assistant director for public services, and board Trustee Hal Snyder discussed some of the ballot question's particulars at a recent political forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Palatine Area.
Gardner said the Palatine library has been operating with a lean workforce of 1.2 employees per 1,000 residents. She said nearby Rolling Meadows Library employs 2.2 workers per 1,000 residents and Arlington Heights Memorial Library has 3.2 per 1,000.
Service improvements would result if voters agreed to pay more in taxes toward the library, Gardner said.
"The community has requested things like longer hours like on weekends or Friday nights," she said.
No visible organized opposition to the tax-hike request attended the League of Women Voters forum. But a man in the audience said his library taxes have escalated without the agency's seeking permission through a referendum.
Library expenses are projected to exceed income by 2024, according to a report from financial consultant Ehlers Inc.
Officials said the extra cash generated from the proposed property tax increase would be enough for the district's needs until at least 2035.
The library district serves about 90,000 residents, mostly from Palatine and Hoffman Estates.