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Bartlett Library may ask voters to expand existing building or replace it in November

Posted July 04, 2026 5:25 pm

Eric Peterson

The Bartlett Public Library is sharing renderings of plans for either an expansion or a replacement of the current building at 800 S. Bartlett Road ahead of potential November ballot questions asking voters to choose a future for the facility. Eric Peterson/epeterson@dailyherald.com

Bartlett Public Library trustees are considering a pair of Nov. 3 ballot questions to determine if voters want to expand the existing building or replace the 43-year-old structure.

The board meets July 23 and is expected to make a decision then.

Even amid some internal criticism, the board is leaning toward asking voters to weigh in on both options.

“Why shouldn’t we allow the taxpayers to make that decision?” board President Peggy Deyne asked.

Vice President Peggy Bucaro said such a choice would allow voters to take pride in whatever form the library’s future takes.

While there's enough room north of the current Bartlett Public Library at 800 S. Bartlett Road for a new building, library trustees may ask voters in November to choose between that option and a less expensive expansion of the 43-year-old facility. Eric Peterson/epeterson@dailyherald.com

But Trustee Dave Barry disagreed, saying only one question should be on the ballot. He believes the board should decide in advance the best course with the best chance of winning the public’s support.

The current building at 800 S. Bartlett Road has already undergone a few expansions over the past four decades.

One expansion design plan would cost $22.2 million. This would increase property taxes by about $118 for 20 years for the owner of a $400,000 house in the DuPage County part of the district, and an additional $98 per year for a house of similar value in Cook County.

A rendering of what a new Bartlett Public Library building would look like on the land immediately north of the current facility at 800 S. Bartlett Road. Courtesy of Bartlett Public Library

A new library is estimated to cost $45 million. That would increase property taxes on a $400,000 house by about $238 annually in the DuPage portion and $199 more in Cook County, library officials estimate.

Library Director Karolyn Wessel said either option would take more than two years to complete. A new building could be constructed on existing available space.

A rendering of what a renovation and expansion of the current Bartlett Public Library building at 800 S. Bartlett Road would look like. Courtesy of Bartlett Public Library

Bond counsel Kyle Harding explained to trustees at their last meeting that they have a right to put more than one question on the ballot. But there won’t be a way to explain on the ballot the relationship between the two questions and that they pertain to mutually exclusive projects.

Harding added that while the approach of putting both questions on the ballot is less common due to its potential for confusion, the hope is always that voters understand what’s being asked before going to the polls.

Bartlett Public Library trustees may decide in July whether to ask voters in November whether to expand or replace the current building at 800 S. Bartlett Road. Eric Peterson/epeterson@dailyherald.com

Trustee Jason Maloney said voters will hopefully understand by November that the library is so cramped, they have to take a book out of circulation for every new book added.