PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: On January 20, 2025, the Board of Library Trustees of the Pittsfield Public Library District adopted Ordinance 24-5 under the Public Library District Act, and specifically 75 ILCS 16/15-15. This annexation ordinance concerns the unserved library area of Newburg Township within the present boundaries of the Pikeland Community Unit School District #10 within Pike County, that is also contiguous to the Pittsfield Public Library District given that much of Pikeland Community Unit School District 10 is already in the public library service area of our Library District.
LETTER FROM THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR:
City of Pittsfield and Newburg Township Friends,
What many of you may not know is that prior to September 1, 2024, Pittsfield Public Library was a City Library, receiving tax support solely from the property owners of the City of Pittsfield. As of September 1, 2024, Pittsfield Public Library restructured itself legally to become a District Library. What does this mean? As a City Library, our library service area was limited to the boundaries within the city limits. Now that we are a District Library, we have the potential to expand our library service area geographically within our school district.
On January 20, 2025, the Board of Trustees passed Ordinance 24-5 to annex in the unserved library area of Newburg Township to the Pittsfield Public Library District. This means that the City of Pittsfield and Newburg Township residents will see this question on the April 1 ballot. “Shall the unserved territory in Pike County within Newburg Township, excepting that part within North Pike District Library, within the boundaries of the Pikeland Community Unit School District No. 10 in Pike County be annexed to the Pittsfield Public Library District, Pike County, Illinois? Yes or No.”
What happens if the annexation passes?
Residents of Newburg Township will begin paying a small tax in support of the Pittsfield Public Library District.
The Library Board of Trustees and I have worked hard over the last 4 years to ensure a frugal, balanced budget without reducing services.
Since I became Director in 2020, Pittsfield Public Library has made a concerted effort to increase and enrich our programming and services with greater experiences for the children and adults of our community. As Director, I’ve secured over $50,000 in grants, to grow our library and programs; however, grants are competitive and are rarely available to libraries for general operating expenses.
Our money has the most impact and does the most good where we live, to support the infrastructure of our communities. The public tax paid to our public library is one of the ways we strengthen our community. The Library Staff and I work hard to give back to our community by way of offering enriched programming to grow the next generation of library users, as well as to promote early literacy. We are in the sphere of education and firm believers that the best foundation for lifelong literacy and learning comes through the earliest exposure to books and to reading. Every tax dollar helps us further that goal, and we are careful in putting these monies to intentional use.
As Library Director and with the approval of the Library Board, I am tasked with being a good steward of our tax revenue. I promise to be responsible with your tax dollars. I have enormous respect for the hard-working families of our county.
What happens if the Newburg Township annexation doesn’t pass?
We cannot grow and provide library services to the remaining townships within our school district.
I love our library and I consider it an honor and privilege to serve my community. Nothing makes me happier than to see our library busy and being utilized by so many people on a daily basis. I have a vision of growth and endless possibilities for our library. I want to grow our library service area, to ensure that every child and household in our school district receives a library card and has access to the library programs and services we offer.
My heart is to physically take library service to the unserved library area within our school district. We do this by voting YES on the ballot. Education is one of the surest ways out of poverty. Reading and comprehension is interwoven and affects every facet of our lives to the jobs we seek, employability, crime in communities, independence, and self-efficacy.
If you are still reading, this is where we need you.
Since we are a newly established library district, we were advised to begin small in building out our library district service area, which is why we are beginning specifically with Newburg Township at the April 1 election. To ensure passage of the Newburg Township annexation into the Pittsfield Public Library District, we need the City of Pittsfield residents to vote YES to accept Newburg Township into the library district and the Newburg Township residents to vote YES to join the Pittsfield Public Library District.
With a successful vote, we would love to be able to offer library services to the unserved area of Newburg Township starting as soon as we receive confirmation of passage of the referendum (even though you will not even see the Library’s assessment until your next tax bill for tax year 2026).
I have had some excellent conversations with patrons about the proposed annexation. If you are a City of Pittsfield or a Newburg Township resident and have questions or concerns, I want to hear from you. Please either call the library, email me at pittsfieldpl@gmail.com, or stop in. We would love to see you!
Help Pittsfield Public Library District grow our library service area. Please vote YES for the Newburg Township annexation on April 1.
Thank you,
Sara Rudd
Director, Pittsfield Public Library
Pittsfield Public Library currently offers the following:
- New release books
- Large print books
- Magazines and Audiobooks
- DVDs, Puzzles, and Games
- E-Books and Audiobooks through the Libby and Boundless Apps with access to 125,00 items through a shared consortium
- Chromebook Lending
- Fax, Lamination, Print, and Copy Services
- Free Public Computers
- Free Public WIFI
- Local History Collection and Resources
- Access to a free Ancestry.com Subscription
- Microfilm – local newspapers dating back to the 1840s
- Community Space for tutoring or individuals to study or work
- Interlibrary Loan – borrow any book, audiobook, DVD from any public library in the state of Illinois, including university libraries
- Explore More Illinois – receive discount museum passes with your library card
- Use your Pittsfield Public Library card at any public library in IL to utilize their services and check out materials
- Homebound Delivery Service
- Bi-weekly Preschool Story Hour
- Youth Library Summer Camp
- Storybook Character Visits
- Quincy Children Museum Play Day
- Early Literacy and Activity Kits
- Youth Summer Reading Program with expanded incentives
- Adult Summer Reading Program
- Summer Programming with STEAM experienced presenters
- Year-round StoryWalks® sponsored by organizations, business, and library patrons
- Annual Butterfly Releases and Programs
- Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
NEWBURG TOWNSHIP ANNEX REFERENDUM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
Do I need to vote if I live within the city limits of Pittsfield and currently pay taxes to the library?
Yes! The City of Pittsfield needs to vote YES to accept Newburg Township into the library district, and Newburg Township residents need to vote YES to join the Pittsfield Public Library District.
Why didn’t the library annex the entire Pikeland School District on the April 1 ballot?
According to state statute, a district library’s service area must be contiguous, share a common border; therefore, the Annex Referendum would have to pass in ALL townships or it would ALL fail.
If I vote YES for the Annex Referendum, does this include any services of the City of Pittsfield (sewer, electric, water)?
No. The library district is separate from the city.
What is the tax rate of the library?
The last tax rate received was 0.22% The target rate is 0.30%. In 1981, the library went into a tax referendum to increase the library’s tax rate to 0.30%. The 1981 referendum passed overwhelmingly. As of this date, the library has not received the 0.30%.
