Guest column: The case for Palatine library referendum

Gerald Ford was president when voters approved a then-new Palatine Public Library District and its annual operating tax. Now, Palatine Public Library is again asking voters for a modest increase in the operating rate. The new rate is expected to add about $4 per month - about the price of a Big Mac - to property taxes for a home with a median market price of $266,000. The new rate will pay for three things: major repairs, modernization and rising regular expenses.

People ask about the "new" library building at 700 N. North Court in Palatine. That building is more than 25 years old. The bonds that paid for the construction were paid off and the building rate was retired in 2011. And like a lot of 25-year-old houses, the roof needs repairs, the ventilation needs upgrading and the old lights need to be switched out for more efficient - read: money-saving - lighting. The repairs to the library will cost about $5.8 million over the next six years.

The library needs to be modernized, with parts of the library upgraded to provide more and better services to library patrons. There is pent-up demand from community groups for more meeting space and more study rooms for learning. The community depends on these large, free meeting spaces, which are open to everyone. Money from the new rate also will pay for renovations to the library's branch locations in Hoffman Estates and on Rand Road in Palatine.

Finally, regular costs are rising to the point that the library expects its annual operating costs to exceed its current income. After 44 years, it is time for residents to approve this rate increase.

Palatine Library is one of the largest library districts in the Northwest Suburbs, but it has the smallest income and staff per 1,000 people. The library is accustomed to running lean and prudently. It receives only $74.87 per person in annual revenues. Every other nearby library receives more than $100 per person. Even if the referendum passes, Palatine Library will receive only $92.67 per person.

Last year, about half a million people visited Palatine Library. Benjamin Franklin, who originated publicly-funded libraries 44 years before the American Revolution, credits libraries for spreading ideas of freedom and democracy among the colonists. Now, in the face of societal isolation in the internet age, the public library serves to bring diverse people together to strengthen our communities. We need to vote "Yes" for Palatine Library's referendum on April 2. As Franklin wrote: "The doors of wisdom are never shut."

Maria T. Galo, of Palatine, is a member of the Palatine Library YES Committee.