White Oak Library District tax proposal gains more yes votes after official count

The final vote tally for the White Oak Library District’s tax increase referendum was released Tuesday, confirming the referendum’s passage and extending its margin of victory by over 100 votes.

Unofficial results on election night saw the measure, which has been proposed multiple times since 2016, passing with only 103 votes.

The final tally, which includes provisional ballots and mail-in votes that arrived late but were postmarked by April 1, saw that margin increase to 249 votes with a final count of 4,436 in favor to 4,187 against.

The measure gave approval to a tax increase to more fully fund the district’s three libraries in Lockport, Crest Hill and Romeoville.

Although the “no” votes carried more precincts, with 19, to the “yes” votes’ 13, the margin of victory was higher in the “yes” precincts, including the majority of the DuPage precincts; the one Troy precinct; and Lockport precincts 001, 009, 013 and 021.

Three precincts – DuPage 031, DuPage 033 and Joliet 002 – came in at exact ties.

The unofficial election results from April 1 showed “yes” votes at 3,883 and “no” votes totaling 3,780.

The official canvassing of the votes in the election will be completed no later than April 22, according to the Will County Clerk’s Office.

The question, as it appeared on the ballot, read: “Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for the White Oak Library District, Will County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.0286% above the limiting rate for levy year 2023 and be equal to 0.208% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2025?”

Currently, the library’s limiting rate is charging about 18 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The referendum asked voters to agree to pay 20.8 cents per $100 of value.

Library Director Scott Pointon told The Herald-News in February that the increase would bring in between $700,000 and $800,000 in additional funding and cost the average household about $20 more in taxes per year.

Pointon said the district has specific plans for the funding.

One piece of the plan is extending the three branches’ hours, especially on Friday evenings.

White Oak libraries also would like to expand their outreach services, particularly for families with young children and for the elderly.