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Palos Park library director says levy delays forced liquidation and short-term village loan, later repaid
Summary
Library director Jessica Rock told the council that delayed levy distributions from May–Dec 2025 forced the library to liquidate $110,000 in investments, accept an intergovernmental loan from the village and implement staff and program reductions; the loan was repaid after delayed payments arrived.
Jessica Rock, director of the Palos Park Public Library, told the village council on May 11 that delays in levy distributions created a short-term cash flow crisis that required immediate corrective steps.
“No levy payments were received between May and December 2025,” Rock said, and the library “liquidated $110,000 in investments and requested an intergovernmental loan from the village.” She said the village approved and dispersed a $130,000 loan in February 2026 and that the library repaid the loan “without interest and promptly upon receipt in March.”
Rock explained the library and the village are separate units of local government that work closely on levy, debt and planning matters. Because payments were delayed, the library temporarily reduced staff and programming, curtailed hours and paused capital and project spending to preserve core services. Rock said the library restored roughly three months of revenue to its reserves after receiving the delayed funds.
She also presented usage and program data to illustrate the library’s community role: in 2025 the library provided about 249 children’s programs serving roughly 1,720 children and offered 289 teen and adult programs with about 1,932 attendees. Rock said physical checkouts continue to outpace electronic usage and that physical materials are “the foundation of the collection.”
Looking ahead, Rock listed priorities the board and staff will pursue to restore stability: refresh the strategic plan, rebuild financial reserves, launch fundraising to diversify revenue, evaluate staffing and service levels, and develop a long-range capital plan. The library board will meet May 20, 2026 to continue oversight and planning.
The presentation was delivered during the council’s recognition and presentations portion of the May 11 meeting and drew applause from council members and attendees.
