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The Bartlett Briefing · First edition

Week of October 20, 2026: Two library questions land on the November 3 ballot

This first edition works from the most recent documents each board has published in full as of October 20, 2026 — Library Board minutes from August 27 and September 14, the Village’s September 1 Committee of the Whole packet, and Park District agendas through October 13. The headline: Bartlett voters will find two library bond questions on the November 3, 2026 ballot — a $22,200,000 remodel-and-addition plan and a $45,000,000 new-library plan.

Bartlett Public Library District — Board of Trustees

Regular meeting: Thursday, August 27, 2026, 7:00 p.m., 800 S. Bartlett Road · Special meeting: Monday, September 14, 2026, 6:45 p.m. Sources: the board’s posted minutes for both meetings, and the official DuPage County general election notice posted by the library.

Two bond questions are on the November 3, 2026 ballot

On August 27, the board approved two resolutions, each approving a plan and estimate of cost: one for a Renovation and Addition Project and one for a New Library Project. The minutes note that public hearings on the plans would be held in October. Both plans are now before voters as separate propositions in the general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (polls open 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.), as published in the official election notice:

  • Proposition to issue $22,200,000 library bonds — remodel the existing library and build an addition: more shelving and storage, larger dedicated spaces for youth, teens and adults, more study/conference rooms, community/programming rooms, ADA accessibility improvements, upgraded technology systems, equipment, and site improvements.
  • Proposition to issue $45,000,000 library bonds — construct a new library building on the north side of the existing library site, with new shelving, storage and technology systems, dedicated spaces for youth, teens and adults, study/conference rooms and community/programming rooms, equipment and site improvements — and demolish the existing library building.

Each proposition is voted yes or no separately. The library district covers parts of DuPage and Cook Counties.

Budget and Appropriation Ordinance adopted

On August 27, the board approved the Tentative Budget and Appropriation Ordinance 2026-7 and set the public hearing on the budget for September 14. At the special meeting on September 14, 2026, following that hearing, the board adopted the final Budget and Appropriation Ordinance 2026-8 and approved its certification.

Also decided on August 27

  • Approved the Chief Fiscal Officer’s Statement of Estimated Revenue 2025-2026 and the Treasurer’s Report (Statement of Cash Receipts and Disbursements).
  • Approved Resolution #4 authorizing non-resident library cards for fiscal year 2026-2027.
  • Approved the library’s Annual Report (IPLAR) and a Public Comment Policy.
  • Approved a 4.5% merit increase for Library Director Karolyn Wessel, effective September 6, 2026.
  • Approved fund transfers in the consent agenda: $100,000 from the NOW Savings account to checking (August 20, 2026), $271,523.35 from the Schwab General Fund to checking, and $100,000 from the Schwab General Fund to the NOW Savings account.

What happens next: the two bond propositions are decided by voters on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The Library Board’s next regular meeting is Thursday, October 22, 2026, 7:00 p.m. at the library. The board’s September 24, 2026 agenda took up a draft Tax Levy Ordinance 2026-9; minutes for that meeting have not been posted yet.

Village of Bartlett — Committee of the Whole

Committee of the Whole packet: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Village Hall, 228 S. Main Street. Source: the packet published by the Village (agenda, executive summary, and Planning & Development Services memorandum 26-49, dated August 25, 2026).

Horizon Plaza (Case #2026-05): auto-mall expansion moves toward a final vote

The packet places Horizon Plaza before the committee. The petitioner, Bartlett Automotive Mall, LLC, is asking to rezone 9.74 acres at the southwest corner of Lake Street and Horizon Drive from ER-1 Estate Residence to B-3 Neighborhood Shopping, with a Preliminary/Final Site/PUD Plan and special use permits for a planned unit development, serving liquor, automotive sales, automotive repair, and alteration of a wetland area.

The plan is a 47,778 square foot commercial building for automotive uses. The western unit (27,657 sq ft) would be a showroom for unique cars — display, sales and museum use — with a customer lounge, bar and video gaming above; in the updated proposal, video gaming moves into a separate third unit open to the public. The eastern unit (20,102 sq ft) would provide automotive repair supporting the showroom and the Hyundai and Genesis dealerships. The plan provides 133 parking spaces (82 required).

The Planning & Zoning Commission held the public hearing on June 4, 2026 and passed a positive recommendation, subject to conditions that include: construction must start within one year of the ordinance taking effect; site traffic may not use Horizon Drive and Spaulding Road through the residential neighborhood (employees commuting excepted); and all construction traffic must enter from the Lake Street frontage road.

The same committee agenda also carried an item on the Bartlett Library Building Plan Referendum, under the Community and Economic Development committee.

What happens next: the packet asks the committee to forward Horizon Plaza to the Village Board for a final vote. The Village Board and Committee of the Whole meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. at Village Hall; the next regular meeting night is Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

Bartlett Park District — Board of Commissioners

Meetings at the Thomas C. White Administration Building, 696 W. Stearns Road. Sources: the district’s posted meeting agendas (September 22 and October 13, 2026) and its most recent posted signed minutes (July 28, 2026). The district posts agendas promptly but minutes run several weeks behind — items below from agendas are labeled as agenda items, not decisions.

On the agenda: September 22 and October 13, 2026

  • September 22: approval of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR); approval of a Fund Balance Policy; approval of Improvements at Riley’s Run Park. The consent agenda carried the September bill list, the monthly Treasurer Report, and the Purchase Order Report.
  • October 13: approval of asphalt maintenance at the Bartlett Community Center; a presentation by the Bartlett Public Library District; approval of the September 22 meeting minutes.

Most recent decision in the posted minutes (July 28, 2026)

At its July 28, 2026 meeting, the board approved Resolution 26-02, the NWSRA 2027 Assessment — the district’s assessment for the regional special-recreation association, which the minutes state is calculated from equalized assessed valuation, audited gross population, and actual inclusion services from the previous year. The minutes were approved by the board on August 11, 2026.

What happens next: the Park Board’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 7:00 p.m. Signed minutes for the September and October meetings will be posted on the district’s Park Board page as they are approved.

School District U-46 — a note on coverage

U-46’s Board of Education met on October 5 and October 19, 2026, and the district posts its agendas and signed minutes on its Diligent board portal. Those document files would not open outside the portal while this edition was prepared, so — rather than summarize from anything other than the documents themselves — this edition links the portal and carries no U-46 summary. U-46 items will appear in the Briefing whenever the district’s documents are readable in full.

Documents used for this edition

The Briefing takes no position on any board’s decisions or on the November 3 propositions. It reports what the documents say. If you spot an error, tell us and we’ll check it against the source document.