Cottage Grove voters rejected referendums to build and equip a new library and recreational facility Tuesday.

With one ward left to report in Fitchburg — the other Dane County community seeking money for a library — 55 percent of voters supported allowing the village to borrow $10 million for the library's construction.

However, only 48 percent of voters supported a $965,000 increase in the annual levy to pay for operating costs.

The 37,000-square-foot library has been proposed for the corner of Lacy Road and Research Park Drive near City Hall, the Senior Center and Community Center.

"I think there's no question ... we've got the initiative to go ahead in terms of building a library," said Jayne Kuehn, president of the Fitchburg Library Board. But he said it's too soon to say how the operations will be funded.

In Cottage Grove, residents voted down two separate referendum questions — one to build and equip a new library and another to build and equip a recreational facility and athletic fields in Fireman's Park.

The Cottage Grove Community Library Board already has purchased five acres of land near the new Glacial Drumlin School. The proposal on the ballot was for an 18,000-square-foot library that would cost just over $7 million.

"Based on past surveys, we believe the people of Cottage Grove want a full-service library," said Diane Wiedenbeck, village trustee and president of the Library Board. She cited the economy as the likely reason for both failed referendums.

"We will continue to work toward raising funds so we're ready to move forward when the right time comes," she said.

Also in Dane County, town of Cottage Grove residents rejected exceeding the levy limit for the next five years to pay for road maintenance.

Dane County joined five other counties and 16 cities in Wisconsin offering an advisory referendum on health care. As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, 74 percent supported the measure.