The Indian Trails Public Library has been accused in a complaint filed with the state board of elections of using public funds to court votes for a ballot measure to raise money for the facility.

The complaint, which won’t be considered by the board until after Tuesday’s  election, was filed this week by Rob Sherman, a candidate for Buffalo Grove village clerk. He claims the library is violating state election code by printing and distributing information on the referendum measure that say, “Grow your library, not your tax bill.”

“That’s not factual information, that’s spin,” Sherman said, adding the distinction is important because public funds can be used to distribute factual information.

Library director Tom Simiele said attorneys have advised him that mailings and literature comply with the code.

“We have referred the matter to our legal counsel and are confident that all the actions we have taken are completely within the law and are completely appropriate,” he said.

The election board has set a closed hearing on the complaint for April 7. A hearing examiner will listen to arguments from Sherman and the library and present those findings to the board at its regular meeting April 19.

Sherman, widely known for his atheist activism, said if the measure passes, he will ask the elections board or the attorney general to void the vote.

He takes issue that the library describes the referendum as creating “increased revenue for library services, with no increase in property tax payments.”

Simiele said the question’s wording, while conforming to county standards, can be confusing. It calls for a tax rate hike, though it will keep steady what residents pay because they’ve been paying off a bond issued 15 years ago, a debt that now is retired.

Without the proposed increase, homeowners would see a tax savings of about $30 a year on a home valued at $300,000.

If it passes, the library would see about $450,000 per year over the next 15 years.

If the complaint is found to be valid, the maximum penalty could be $1,500 or up to six months in jail.