Mudron 5: Citizens Denied Vote On $10.5M Library Remodeling

JOLIET, IL — At Thursday's special meeting, Joliet City Councilwoman Jan Quillman wanted to let the citizens of Joliet decide at the ballot box whether to approve a tax increase to pay for a $10.5 million remodeling of the downtown Joliet Public Library. But when it came time for the council vote, the Mudron 5 pulled together and rejected Quillman's proposal.

Prior to the vote, Quillman and Councilman Larry Hug noted that the 2020 November presidential election will draw an enormous turnout of Joliet citizens to the polls. Councilman Terry Morris also supported the idea of putting the downtown library project to a vote of the people.

But the members of the Mudron 5: Mike Turk, Pat Murdon, Sherri Reardon, Bettye Gavin and Don "The Duck" Dickinson were not supportive of allowing the ballot box initiative.

At the Dec. 26 special meeting, Quillman and Hug tried to remove the multi-million dollar downtown library project from the 2020 city budget put forth by interim city manager Steve Jones.

"Let the people decide because they're the ones that are going to have to pay for this since the library can't do it," Quillman told her colleagues, explaining that the library did not have ability to put a bond measure on the election ballot, but the city council could do so in the alternative.

Hug, who is running in the March 17 Democratic primary for the Illinois State Senate seat being vacated by Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant of Shorewood, agreed with Quillman's suggestion.

"I mean people are facing a lot of taxes here all at one time," Quillman said during the meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, Megan Millen, the Joliet public library director, rattled off several instances of how the downtown branch provides critical services and help to students and adults. She also said her downtown library staff helps people who are unemployed work on their resume for the first time in decades.

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Quillman, however, did not find Millen's arguments convincing.

"And I can't tell you the phone calls and emails I've received about this library. The library's not going to shut down tomorrow, services are still going to be there even though you say this person speaks Spanish ... doesn't speak English, those services aren't going to stop whether we pass this or not," Quillman told Millen. "I even asked you for a compromise for next year, start with your $4 million. But you want to do the whole thing at one time. And I don't think it's right at this time, that's my opinion and I'm going by the people that I represent so I would ask that we, the city, put this out for referendum, since it's our money."

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The Joliet Public Library had set aside $4 million for the downtown remodeling, but Millen requested another $6.5 million from the city's coffers to fund the overwhelming majority of her renovations.

Millen wants to begin the renovations in late 2020, which is right around the same time the $215 million construction of the new Will County Courthouse, two blocks away, will finish.

Joliet has two public library branches, the one downtown, built in 1903, and the second branch along Black Road. The downtown library has been a haven for transients during the day and some residents say they are afraid to visit the downtown library branch after dark.

When it came time to vote, one of the deputy city clerks polled the council on whether they supported Quillman's proposal to remove the library's tax increase from the city's 2020 budget:

Hug: "Aye."

Morris: "Aye."

Quillman: "Aye."

Dickinson: "No."

Gavin: "No."

Mudron: "No."

Reardon: "No."

Turk: "No."

Quillman's motion failed, losing 5-3.

The Mudron 5 was able to keep the library's tax increase in the city's 2020 budget.

And even though the controversial downtown Joliet Public Library project has gained little community-wide support, library officials issued a press release on Friday claiming they had lots of support from the community and city of Joliet.

“We are thrilled with the support we have received from our community partners, schools and the City Council,” Millen said in her press release. “We now have the opportunity to build something extremely special in our own downtown, to build on Joliet’s rich history, and to make no little plans.

“The return on investment for this project is extremely high,” Millen's press statement continued. “For the cost of less than a can of pop per month for most residents, Joliet will have a state of the art, experiential, magical place to read, explore, ask, and discover. No matter where someone lives in Joliet, there will be something for them at this wonderfully unique library.”

Millen has run Joliet's library branches since 2016. Before that, she directed the Flossmoor Public Library since 2002.

The following information is posted on the Joliet Public Library's website:

$6.5 million 20-year bond

Project Burnham cost to Joliet Residents:

Fair Market Value of a $150,000 home: $6.21 a year

Fair Market Value of a $200,000 home: $8.56 a year

Median sale price of Joliet home: $157,800