CHILLICOTHE, Ill. – Voters in Chillicothe will decide next week if they want to pay more for its library district, and if they want the district itself to grow.
Two referendums related to the library are on the ballot. One question asks whether to increase the tax rate from .15% to .25%. The other question asks if the library district should annex four townships in the western half of Marshall County.
The Peoria County Assessor’s Office says if approved, a home valued at $150,000 would pay about $50 more in property taxes.
Chillicothe Library Director Mary Aylmer says the rate of .15% has been in place since the district was established in 1992.
The current library is around 20 years old. Aylmer says since the bonds on the new building were paid off in 2021, leaders are looking towards the future, and raising funds for upkeep of the building.
“At the 20 year mark, your water heater’s going to go, your furnace is going to go, those type of things,” Aylmer said. “To be proactive, increasing this levy will allow us to take care of the upcoming maintenance requirements, and allow us to be fiscally responsible.”
Aylmer says the library has already had to have water heat pumps replaced, and projects in the future include replacing carpeting and maintaining HVAC systems.
In addition, Aylmer says extra funding could go towards items at the library, such as new books and printing materials, hot spots to check out for wifi, and new programming.
The library district’s tax base could also increase if the annexation referendum is approved. The four townships in Marshall County include La Prairie, Steuben, Saratoga, and Whitefield. Voters in those townships are also voting on the referendum.
Aylmer says the annexation idea came after numerous homeschool families who use the library and its services requested to be part of the district. She says the annexation would help the families, because they currently pay out of district fees that fluctuate each year.
Aylmer estimates there would be 900 families in the four townships that would benefit from the annexations. The library says some of those benefits include free access to eBook and eAudioBook titles, DVDs, board games, and even items to help with homeschooling.
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