As Election Nears, Future of Plainfield Library Uncertain

On Tuesday, voters within the Plainfield Public Library District will take to the polls to decide if they want to support the library’s referendum questions, which ask for a $39 million building bond and a 19 percent increase to the limiting rate.

It’s been a divisive issue for many residents. Some think the library doesn’t need an update, while others say it’s long overdue.

According to Plainfield Public Library Director Julie Milavec, in the past 25 years only two library referendum questions made it to the ballot. One in 1993 and another in 2009. Both of them failed. So, what does she expect in Tuesday’s election?

“I don’t know what to expect,” she said.

Milavec said she’s had good feedback and participation from the Citizens for a 21st Century Library committee and knows of some groups that are in opposition to the referenda.

One of those groups is Americans for Prosperity, which has been robocalling citizens in Plainfield to tell them to vote no.

“It’s the big Koch brothers funded super PAC,” Milavec said. “Their Illinois chapter, they are specifically opposing 28 ballot measures across the state of Illinois and they have included our library’s referendum as one of them.”

According to the robocall, residents are encouraged to vote no because people are “already taxed enough.”

Others groups include the Facebook page “Vote No, Plainfield Library Truth,” which has a website at librarytruth.com.

“However, none of those organizations other than the Americans for Prosperity (and Citizens for a 21st Century Library) is actually registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections nor are they disclosing their funding as they should be as political action committees this close to an election,” Milavec said.

Messages sent to librarytruth.com and its Facebook page Monday afternoon were not immediately returned. A search for their committee was not found on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

However, according to its website, it encourages residents to vote no because of a “90 percent tax increase” and “too many staff luxuries,” among others.

“Library Truth recognizes that Plainfield is a caring community,” its website said. “We also recognize that the (library) is a great asset to the community and that the individuals supporting the 40 million dollar expansion have great intentions, though we respectfully disagree on the scope of the project and the complete waste of the recent expansion.”

Construction of the current library began in 1990 when the population of the Plainfield Public Library district was 14,124. Today, the library serves 75,337 people who live within the the district.

“We have one study room that sits four people,” Milavec said. “We have one computer classroom that’s horrifically set up that seats eight people.”

Milavec said the library is called on to do informational and cultural programs, noting that its largest meeting room sits a maximum of 120.

“And that’s little kids sitting on the floor,” Milavec said. “...When we can only put 120 kids in a program at a time running two sections, we still can’t even meet anywhere near the demand. Last year we had almost 5,000 people registered in our summer reading program.”

Milavec said a lot of people asked why the library can’t just build another branch, adding that the answer comes down to “long-term operating costs.”

“We can more effectively deploy the staff that we have now to operate one larger facility. Operating multiple facilities, the number one cost of running a library is people, and if I have to spread people over multiple locations it’s going to cost more to operate on an annual basis. It’s really trying to balance the cost with the long-term needs,” Milavec said, adding that the board felt a single location was the way to go.

Some people have also questioned the downtown location, according to Milavec, but she said the feedback the library received when it looked at an alternate location showed the downtown area was “the right place to be.”

Under the proposed plan, the building, its contents and the purchase of additional property will be funded by $39 million in building bonds with a 20 year maturity. The operations will be funded by an increase to the library’s limiting tax rate of 0.0390, or just under four cents per $100 of home value, to a total rate of 0.2442, according to the library. The estimated total cost to the average home in Plainfield is $14.91 per month, just under $180 per year for a $300,000 home. The cost increase is approximately $12 per month for the bond and $3 per month for the operations.

The building bond portion of the increase will be paid off in 20 years and automatically be removed from taxpayer’s bills. The limiting tax rate increase is ongoing for the operation of the library, subject to the tax cap. The bond repayment tax rate generally decreases over time as new property is annexed to the district or existing property is developed, spreading the fixed payment amount over a larger tax base, according to the library. The bond rate on the existing library was 0.1657 in its first year and dropped to 0.0094 by the final year.

Going into the voting booth on Tuesday, Milavec asks residents, even if they don’t agree with every part of the plan, to consider whether a need for a new library is there.

“We can address specifics in the final planning process. The floor plans, the site plan, the renderings are all subject to the final design process. We have not gone through that process with the Village,” Milavec said. “The detail is still subject to negotiation.”

If the proposed plan fails at the ballot box, a minimum estimated 20 percent cut to services and programs will be needed to keep the existing building functional in the long term.

According to Milavec, the Plainfield Library Board will have its next regular board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night, where ideas of what to do next will be discussed if the vote fails.