2013 Off to a Good Start!

I am pleased to say that 2013 is off to a good start. So good that I've been too busy to remember to post all of the things I should have! I will start with a recap of the first 6 weeks of the year and all that has occurred here at the library:

• January 2 - Simultaneous filing lottery for ballot placement in the April election. Vicki Knight will appear first on the ballot. Mina Green will appear second.
• January 3 - Objections filed against three Petitions of Candidacy filed for Library Trustee. Peter Hurtado objects to petitions for David Schmidt, Alice Adeszko and Lauren Ledvina.
•  January 7-11 - Library closed to the public while HVAC rooftop units are replaced. During the closing, staff training is done at the Naperville 95th Street Library. Also, light bulbs are replaced throughout the Library.
• January 13 - Winter Reading Program registration begins. 320 people register for Winter Reading on the first day of the program.
• January 15 - Objections are upheld. Three candidates are off the April 2013 ballot for Library Trustee. Six candidates remain on the ballot: Vicki Knight, Mina Green, Patricia Miller, Carl F. Gilmore, Gretchen Fritz and Samantha Hurtado.
• January 15 - Library Foundation Board moves forward on accepting credit card payments through their web site
• January 23 - Information due for the Spring 2013 newsletter. Amazing how early things must be planned in advance in order to get this newsletter out on time.
• January 28 - Marketing Committee meets to review the new Library Marketing Plan.
• January 30 - Finance Committee meets for the Board's mid-year review of the Working Budget.
• February 1 - Pinnacle Library Cooperative Governing Board begins interviewing candidates for our first employee, a System Administrator.
• February 4 - Winter Reading Program registration tops 1,000!
• February 5 - Library administrators meet with their health insurance broker to discuss renewal of the current plan and the implications of the upcoming changes to healthcare coverage nationwide.
• February 6 - Pinnacle Library Cooperative Governing Board finishes the first round of interviews for System Administrator.
• February 12 - Library Foundation Board holds its annual meeting and hires firm to update its web site and integrate payments gateway for direct donations.
• February 13 - Air balancing of updated HVAC system begins.

And that's just the interesting bits in a brief synopsis! Welcome to 2013, where things move pretty fast!

Two Candidates File on the Filing Period First Day

With four 4-year term Library Trustee positions available in the April 9, 2013 election, the first two candidates have filed their petitions to run. Incumbent Mina Green and newcomer Vicki Knight filed simultaneously at the opening of business today, the first day of the filing period for the April 9, 2013 election.

The order of candidates on the ballot is determined by the order in which candidates file their petitions. All candidates at the doors when the Library opens for business on the first day of the filing period are considered to file simultaneously. A lottery must be held to determine the order in which the candidates will appear on the ballot. The lottery, which is open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, January 2 at 9am in the Library's Business Office.

Seven potential candidates pulled petitions to run for the four Library Trustee positions, but there is no guarantee all seven will file to run. In the 2009 election, more than a dozen potential candidates picked up petitions, but only three filed to run.

Candidates for Library Trustee must file their petitions at the Library's Business Office from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, through Wednesday, December 26. With a similar rule for last position on the ballot, there may be an additional simultaneous filing lottery necessary for those who are present to file at 5pm on December 26.

HVAC Control System Issues Persist

In the ongoing struggle to keep the failing HVAC system at the Library functioning, the latest problem with the controls is making it uncomfortably warm. The control system, which has never quite worked properly in switching back and forth from heating to cooling, has failed to keep up with the recent change in the weather. Once again, the service contractor is on site, working to remedy the problem.

Please be patient as we approach the January HVAC Replacement Project, when the failing systems are replaced. You never can tell if it's going to be too hot or too cold in the Library, so continue to dress in layers as we work to address the aging building's issues.

January Closings Planned for HVAC Replacement Project

The HVAC Replacement Project contract has been awarded, submittals approved and four new roof top units are ordered. The total project cost is $330,000 (contains allowances for work that may not be used) to replace the four roof top HVAC units, repair ducts, upgrade control boxes, replace the temperature control system and balance the air handling system.

Monday, January 7 through Friday, January 11, the Library will be closed to allow this work to be done. During that time, you may not be able to access the book drops - particularly when the large crane is lifting the old roof top units off and placing the new roof top units on the building! Check outs will be extended and fines waived during this time. This project will allow you to enjoy the Library in comfort in the future.

As some patrons have noticed and commented about to staff, the recent temperature in the Library is either too hot or to cold, depending on the day. Their discomfort only highlights the issues of our aging Library building. Nearly every building component or system is past its useful life. The HVAC Replacement Project is the first of three projects, identified by KJWW Engineering in the building evaluation conducted earlier this year, as being necessary to maintain operation of the Library building. Look for window and shingled roof projects coming in the spring.

Please call ahead or check our web site for the latest information regarding closings before you visit in January!

Thank You, Friends!

The Plainfield Public Library District will be spending the entire week of October 21-27, 2012, celebrating its Friends of the Library group as part of the sixth annual celebration of National Friends of Libraries Week. The Friends of the Plainfield Public Library goals are to bring together individuals interested in the library, to promote public awareness and informed community interest in the library, and to build long term support for the library. The Friends have approximately 120 members and sponsor the following yearly events: Spring Staff Appreciation Luncheon, May Vendor Market/Community Garage Sale, August Used Book Sale, and a September Art & Craft Fair. This year, the proceeds from these events are being used to improve the sound and projection equipment in the Library meeting rooms, including surround sound and a ceiling mounted projector for the Large Meeting Room.

Stop by the Check Out Desk this week to sign our community "Thank You" card to express your appreciation to the Friends - and check out our wonderful Friends on Facebook!

From the Suggestion Box: A/C is always too strong!

In light of our recent HVAC issues, it is not surprising that library users are feeling the cold, or the heat, too much in certain areas of the Library. The building has four roof-top units (RTUs) that are part of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. They produce warmer or colder air and circulate it through the building. One of the four RTUs is currently circulating air only, not heating or cooling. This cause hot or cold spots in the Library, as the three fully-functional units struggle to keep the average temperature in the building within set limits. The outdated control system on the HVAC in the Library does not allow the kind of granular control that would mitigate the hot or cold spots.

The good news: the project to replace the HVAC RTUs and control system, along with some reworking of air ducts and air balancing, should go out to bid this week. We are awaiting the final set of specifications from KJWW Engineering for the project before publishing the invitation to bid.

The bad news: until the project is done, the best I can do is remind you to wear layers when coming to the Library. With the changing weather, the indoor air temperature is unpredictable.

Question of the Day: What the Truth in Taxation Act Notice Really Means

Yesterday, the Library's Truth in Taxation Act (TITA) notice was published in the Plainfield Enterprise newspaper. This notice is required by law to  be published within a very specific time frame prior to a Truth in Taxation hearing and containing specific wording and calculations. I received my first question in years from a taxpayer regarding this notice following its publication, about how the Library can increase taxes by this amount.

The short answer is, it can't. Regardless of what is levied, the maximum amount of taxes that the Library can collect is set by law and by voters in the district.

The long answer is more complicated.

What the TITA notice does not reflect is the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL aka "the tax cap") and the way in which new or newly improved property is included in the tax extension calculations. The tax cap limits the dollar amount of taxes that can be collected by the Library (or any other taxing body) at what was collected the previous year, plus 5% OR the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the previous year, whichever is less. Generally CPI is the lesser number, as you can see here. Last year, CPI was 3.0%, making the total dollar amount the Library can collect 1.03%.

New property annexed to the district and newly improved property being added to the tax rolls are not included in the base for the tax cap calculation, only in the first year they are on the tax rolls. The Will County Tax Extension Office will reduce the levy amount to that allowed under the tax cap, but they cannot increase it to capture the full amount for new or improved property coming onto the tax rolls. Here's the kicker: it generally takes 12-18 months for a new property to be added to the tax rolls for a taxing district and the levy has to be done far enough in advance that new property figures are estimates. If the Library fails to levy high enough to capture the full value of new property coming onto the tax rolls, the opportunity to increase the tax base amount for subsequent years is lost. The Library is annexing additional property into the district this year, under an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Plainfield. There are properties being improved and coming onto the tax rolls. Levying high ensures that the full value of these properties are captured in their first year on the tax rolls, which in future years will spread that total dollar amount under the tax cap over a larger tax base.

In addition to all of that, the voters of the district and the law set the maximum tax rate for the district. Under the tax cap, the district's tax rate can fluctuate up and down, according to CPI and the total value of property in the district. But the voter-approved tax rate is an additional limit on the amount that can be collected.

Below is the text of the notice published yesterday. Note that new property is not referenced in the mandated text, only the total dollar amount.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

                          FOR PLAINFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT,

                             WILL AND KENDALL COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

I.        A public hearing to approve a proposed property tax levy increase for Plainfield Public Library District, Will and Kendall Counties, Illinois, for 2011 will be held on September 19, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the Plainfield Public Library at 15025 South Illinois Street, Plainfield, Illinois.

          Any person desiring to appear at the public hearing and present testimony to the taxing District may contact Julie Milavec, Library Administrator, at the Plainfield Public Library at 15025 South Illinois Street, Plainfield, Illinois, phone (815) 436-6639.

II.       The corporate and special purpose property taxes extended or abated for 2011 were $ 3,340,000.

          The proposed corporate and special purpose property taxes to be levied for 2012 are $3,880,000.  This represents a 16.16% increase over the previous year.

III.      The property taxes extended for debt service and public building commission leases for 2011 were $ -0-.

          The estimated property taxes to be levied for debt service and public building commission leases for 2012 are $ -0-.  This represents a zero % increase/decrease over the previous year.

IV.     The total property taxes extended or abated for 2011 were $3,340,000.

          The estimated total property taxes to be levied for 2012 are $3,880,000. 

This represents a 16.16% increase over the previous year.         

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