Let's Talk Truth About the Library's Tax Levy Requests

Majorie Bartelli and Liz Sullivan have twisted many facts and told many lies as candidates for the Lisle Library District Board of Trustees. One of their most outrageous statements is their claim that the library has raised the amount of its tax levy by the maximum allowed each year. That's simply not true.

The governmental bodies listed on your property tax bill can increase their tax levy amounts by up to 5% each year through the regular appropriation process (increases of more than 5% trigger additional requirements). The Lisle Library District Board of Trustees hasn't approved a levy increase of 5% or more since 2007. It's been 10 years since the library last requested the "maximum" tax levy increase!

This chart shows the library's levy requests each year for the past ten years, expressed as the percentage that each year's requested amount increased (or decreased) over the amount requested the previous year. Every levy increase since 2008 has been below the 5% ceiling, so the library most definitely has not increased its levy by the maximum amount allowed every year. In fact, the increases have been significantly lower than 5% in most years, and the levy amount was virtually flat in 2009, 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Bartelli and Sullivan want you to think that setting the annual levy is a simple process. It's actually quite complicated because it involves significant variables that the library has no control over, including the Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) and whether or not all taxes are collected. These variables impact the amount of tax funds the library actually receives in a given year; it's usually less than the amount requested in its levy. In fact, the total amount of cash received was less than the amount requested in 11 of the last 12 completed fiscal years (2004-05 to 2015-16).

As a Trustee, I can assure you that the Board and staff put immense effort into developing our annual budgets, and every item is carefully scrutinized during the process. We've worked hard to contain costs while at the same time maintaining and enhancing services that residents rely on. The hard work doesn't stop there. We continue to scrutinize costs throughout the fiscal year to ensure that we make the best use of funds.

The Best Choice for the Library

On April 4, voters in the Lisle Library District will be asked to vote for three Trustees from a list of five candidates on the ballot. Marjorie Bartelli and Liz Sullivan may be at the top of that ballot, but they're at the bottom of the list when it comes to the Four Pillars of Accountability they like to proclaim: Responsibility, Answerability, Trustworthiness, and Liability.

The best choices for strong, transparent, and fiscally responsible Trustees are John Gardner Huff, Colleen Sehy, and Emily Swistak. We're committed to accountability and to the responsible stewardship of your tax dollars. We'll work hard to maximize the impact of those dollars in order to provide a great library for our community. I'm proud to be a part of this team.

Check out our candidate Facebook pages (Huff, Sehy, Swistak) and our Daily Herald candidate profiles to learn more about our accomplishments and commitment to the community. You can also find more information about Bartelli and Sullivan's exaggerated claims on my Facebook page and on the Patch.

On April 4, please vote Huff, Sehy, and Swistak for open and honest government!