Bartlett Library board approves two referendum questions for November on building’s future

A majority of Bartlett Public Library trustees voted in favor of putting two questions on the Nov. 3 ballot — one to renovate and expand the existing building and the other to replace it altogether.

If both questions were to receive voter approval, it would give trustees the authority to make their own decision afterward.

Most believed it was a gesture of transparency and community empowerment to offer the choices of a $22.2 million expansion and a $45 million new building that would be constructed on the open space immediately north of the current one.

“I believe it’s so important for a community to know what’s available to it,” Trustee Lynn DeSmidt said.

But Trustee Dave Barry cast the lone dissenting vote on the placement of the new building question on the ballot. He questioned the need for a building of its size and the ability of voters to not be confused by the presence of two options he felt risked the success of both.

His concern was amplified by one resident who questioned the board about how they would interpret the results of each question.

Others in the audience expressed concern about how recent layoffs might affect the finances of residents, and questioned why so little public information about the proposals has been presented.

Staff members explained an informational campaign couldn’t really begin in earnest until the trustees made the decision they just had. More details are expected to become available on the website and through outreach to the community.

The current building at 800 S. Bartlett Road has already undergone a few expansions over the past four decades, but is now considered so cramped that for every new book in an old book must be removed.

The $22.2 million expansion plan is estimated to 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 add about $98 per year to the tax bill of a house of similar value in Cook County.

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

Library Director Karolyn Wessel said either option would take more than two years to complete, with differing effects to ongoing operations in the meantime. If a new library were built, the old one would be demolished when it’s done.

Trustee Monica Boyer was absent from the meeting and didn’t vote on either of the ballot questions.