Another Look at Public Library Referenda in Illinois

Stanley E. Adams

FY 1994-95 was the year remembered by the Illinois public library community for two reasons:
1. The most public library referenda held in one year - a total of 87 referenda.
2. The most public library referenda failures in one year - 53.

Then, in November 1995, the public library sector was bolstered by local elections which produced 23 successful outcomes for 32 public library questions on the ballot.

The Spring 1995 issue of Illinois Libraries contained an article titled "A Study of Public Library Referenda in Illinois" wherein Jim Bradley and I reported on public library referenda held during the period beginning FY 1977-1978 and ending FY 1993-1994. With an additional 141 referenda held in three elections during the past year and a half, another look at the box scores and the success/failure rates of public library referenda was needed for a number of reasons.

Two potential users of updated public library referenda data are the new Regional Library Service Planning Councils and the tax relief seeking public libraries operating under tax caps. Public Act 89-188 (formerly SB1200) created Regional Library Service Planning Councils, which are working with library systems to develop plans to extend public library services to the 1.2 million residents of the state unserved by a public library. Both the councils and affected tax cap libraries will soon ponder the appropriate time and type of referendum process for their particular library needs.

In this overview, most of the tables included in the appendix to the earlier article have been updated to include the last three elections. Ranking areas of changes and status quo are examined. Because there were no new Project PLUS referenda or studies by types of libraries and population groups (as done in FY 1988 and FY 1993), the earlier data remains unchanged and is not repeated here.

THEN AND NOW

Year	Total	Successful	%	Unsuccessful	%
FY 1977/78 - FY 1993/94	663	388	59%	275	41%
FY 1977/78 - November 95	804	457	57%	347	43%

SUMMARY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY REFERENDA

REFERENDA BY FISCAL YEAR

FY	TOTAL	SUCCESSFUL	%	UNSUCCESSFUL	%
1977/1978	22	11	50%	11	50%
1978/1979	18	8	44%	10	56%
1979/1980	16	12	75%	4	25%
1980/1981	18	11	61%	7	39%
1981/1982	21	12	57%	9	43%

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REFERENDA BY FISCAL YEAR (Continued)

FY	TOTAL	SUCCESSFUL	%	UNSUCCESSFUL	%
1982/1983	17	8	47%	9	53%
1983/1984	25	18	72%	7	28%
1984/1985	18	16	89%	2	11%
1985/1986	62	44	71%	18	29%
1986/1987	60	39	65%	21	35%
1987/1988	77	41	53%	36	47%
1988/1989	50	35	70%	15	30%
1989/1990	64	35	55%	29	45%
1990/1991	53	28	53%	25	47%
1991/1992	53	25	47%	28	53%
1992/1993	65	32	49%	33	51%
1993/1994	46	25	54%	21	46%
1994/1995	87	34	39%	53	61%
Nov. 1995	32	23	72%	9	28%
Totals	804	457	57%	347	43%

EVEN VS. ODD-NUMBERED YEARS (1986-1995) Even - 61% success rate (-1%).* Odd - 51% success rate (-2%).

• Overall, library referenda have a 10% better chance of passage in even-numbered years than in odd-numbered years (-1%).
• More tax increase referenda were held in fall of odd-numbered years and only achieved a passage percentage of 46% overall (+13%).
• Establishment of public libraries passed in 3 out of 3 cases in even-numbered years (same).

SPRING VS. FALL (1986-1995)

Spring - 54% success rate (-6%). Fall - 55% success rate (-2%).

• More referenda are generally held in spring (327) than in fall (289); however, the only type of referendum held most frequently at that time is the annexation type referendum (249; 221).
• Overall, referenda changed from a 3% better chance to pass in spring rather than in fall elections to a 2% better chance in fall.

• Referenda More Successful in Spring

Bond Issue 57% vs. 53% (-15%; +3%).
Maintenance Tax 60% vs. 38% (same; -5%).
Conversion to District 78% vs. 58% (-9%; -25%).

• Referenda More Successful in Fall

Establishment of Public Library 75% vs. 50% (same).
Establishment of Library District 93% vs. 42% (+2%; -25%)

* % or amount of change from earlier report thru FY 1993-94 is shown within ()'s throughout.

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• Referenda With Equal Success in Spring or Fall

Annexation 57% vs. 56% (-5%; -5%).
Working Cash 50% vs. 50% (same).
Tax Increase 44% vs. 45% (+5%; +4%).

• Bond Issues

1. - Although about the same number of bond issues have been decided in spring as in fall, the success rate has been higher for those held in spring of even-numbered years and conversely in fall in odd-numbered years.

2. - Success Rates

Even (Spring) - 68% (-7%).
Odd (Spring) - 45% (-22%).
Even (Fall) - 48% (+1%).
Odd (Fall) - 56% (+3%).

TYPES OF LIBRARY REFERENDA

• Types/Ranking/Number

Last 10 Years Last 19 Years

Rank No Rank No.

Annexation (1) 184 (2) 210
Tax Increase (2) 165 (1) 224
Bond Issue (3) 115 (3) 152
Establishment (Dist.) (4) 97 (4) 110
Conversion to Dist. (5) 30 (5) 59
Maintenance Tax (6) 13 (7) 14
Establishment (P.L.) (7) 10 (6) 33
Working Cash Fund (8) 2 (8) 2

Totals 616 804

• Types with highest success rates, in order of success rate (1977/78-Nov. 1995)

1. Establishment of a Public Library - 26 out of 33 referenda winning approval, or 79% of the cases (same).

2. Conversion to a Library District - 42 of 59 received approval, or 71% (-5%).

3. Project PLUS (Promoting Larger Units of Service) - (FY 1972 - FY 1993) 110 out of 152 were successful, or 72% (n.a.).

4. Establishment of a Public Library District questions have had the largest degree of success with 70% overall with passage in fall having a 93% success rate (-10%; +2%).

5. Annexation -121 out of 210 approved - 58% (-3%).

6. Bond Issues - 84 out of 152 approved - 55% (-2%).

• Types with lowest success rates

1. Maintenance Tax - 5 out of 14 successful - 36% (-2%).

2. Tax Increase -102 out of 224 successful - 46% (+7%).

3. Working Cash -1 out of 2 successful - 50% (-50%).

• Tax increases are very difficult to pass maintaining a constant overall success rate of only 46% with an almost equal chance of success or failure in spring as well as in fall.

• Working Cash Fund - Only 2 referenda for a working cash fund were reported. This type of referendum was probably underreported.

• Success rates

Tax Increases          Bond
Public Libraries 46% (+4%) 55% (-2%).
Schools 37% (same) 65% (-1%).

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*Stanley E. Adams, Special Projects Consultant, Library Development Group, Illinois State Library.

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