Gail Borden library district will ask voters to forgo tax decrease
The Gail Borden Public Library District will ask voters in March to keep library taxes at the same amount after the library finishes paying off its bonds in 2021.
The library plans to use the money for building maintenance — the main library is nearly 17 years old and the Rakow branch is 10 years old — as well as IT and security, and to preserve current services and hours of operations, library spokeswoman Denise Raleigh said.
There are also plans to expand the branch that opened three years ago in South Elgin, where book circulation was up nearly 17% for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Some of the upcoming building expenses are necessary to ensure there aren't larger costs in the future due to lack of maintenance, Raleigh said.
If voters say “no,” the bond fund rate will decrease and the library will not collect approximately $2.6 million per year, Raleigh said. Owners of a house with a median value of $192,000 would pay about $48 less in property taxes per year, library officials estimated.
The library board voted unanimously last week to place the referendum question on the March 17 ballot.
The library district represents about 4.7% of residents' property tax bills.
“Our recent community survey indicated that people overwhelmingly believe that the Gail Borden Public Library is important to our community — 99% of library users and 95% of nonusers indicated this,” said Jean Bednar, president of the library's board of trustees. “We have a wonderful opportunity to ensure that our valuable library is supported into the future with this ‘no increase tax rate swap' referendum in March.”
The library's budget for the current fiscal year is nearly $13.9 million. The library also is anticipating higher salary costs because of the increase to the minimum wage from the current $8.25 per hour to $9.25 per hour on Jan. 1, and gradually up to $15 per hour by 2025.
The district includes Elgin and South Elgin, and portions of Hoffman Estates, Streamwood and Bartlett.
Some 65% of residents in the district have a library card and, on average, 2,621 items are physically checked out each day, Raleigh said. More than 1 million people attended library programs at all three locations and the bookmobile last fiscal year, she said.
The library will hold informational town hall meetings about the March 17 referendum question on Jan. 27 at the main library, Jan. 28 at the Rakow branch, and Feb. 4 at the South Elgin branch. For more information visit gailborden.info/NoTaxRateIncreaseReferendum.