Library-expansion funding will be on April ballot in Glencoe

Glencoe residents now have several months to read up on a question that will likely determine the next chapter of one of the town’s storied institutions.

Village trustees during their Dec. 11 meeting approved an ordinance that will ask Glencoe voters to weigh whether the village should issue $17.5 million worth of bonds to help fund an expansive renovation of the Glencoe Public Library.

The question will be placed on voter’s ballots as part of the March 17, 2026 primary election and will read as follows:

“Shall the Village of Glencoe, Cook County, Illinois, provide funds to expand, renovate, repair and equip the Glencoe Public Library building and issue its bonds to the amount of $17,500,000 for the purpose thereof?”

Given its state classification as a “local library,” the Glencoe Public Library cannot levy its own property taxes; although it can maintain autonomy in budgeting and operations, according to village documents.

With that, the library, as detailed previously by The Record, needs to partner with the village when financing major capital improvements through issuances of debt. Thus, related specifically to the library’s plans for renovations, Glencoe trustees need to formally approve plans and authorize any related bond issuance.

The referendum is nonbinding, but Glencoe officials have on multiple occasions stated that the village will not move forward with issuing the bonds if voters do not signal their support for the funding.

The library’s large-scale vision for reimagining its building on Park Avenue aims to create more versatile spaces, improve accessibility and add smart, sustainable and safe systems to the facility, The Record previously reported.

Approximately 4,000 square feet is expected to be added to the current building if the project moves forward. That would include a 1,840-square-foot addition to the southwest side of the building that will serve as a “state-of-the-art” Glencoe program and community room.

Plans also call for a 1,000-square-foot addition for the top floor of the building. That space, per planners, would be mainly geared toward enhancing the library’s children’s services but could also be used as a “flex space.”

A third addition on the west side of the building will allow for a reconfiguration of the library’s collections spaces through improved accessibility and browsing for patrons.

In addition to the potential debt issuance, the library also hopes to raise $2.5 million through fundraising efforts to put toward the project.

Village officials noted on Dec. 11 that the library’s project will still require several Village approvals, including two special-use permits that would allow expansion within its zoning district and off-street parking relief.

Public hearings for the permits are already underway through the village’s zoning commission. The commission, once complete with its hearings, will offer a recommendation to the Village Board for its final consideration.

Glencoe’s Plan Commission will also be required to hold an exterior appearance review of the project.

Village President Howard Roin during the Dec. 11 meeting thanked library officials for the “hard work” to date on the project while noting there are still several steps to clear.

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