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Trustees debate clearing old library debts, propose $50 forgiveness threshold and staged reductions
Summary
Board discussed a draft debt policy that would forgive small, old charges and reduce larger long-standing debts in stages; staff will draft formal policy for approval.
The South Burlington Library Board of Trustees discussed a proposed policy to address long-standing patron debts that trustees and staff said have accumulated over many years.
Under the proposal discussed, the board would forgive any outstanding debt below $50 if it is at least three years old. For debts above $50 that meet the age threshold, the board discussed an annual reduction of $100 until the balance reaches $50, at which point the remaining amount would be forgiven.
"The key numbers would be any debt below $50 after 3 years will be forgiven," Chair Marks said while presenting the concept. The board cited an existing outstanding ledger of roughly "$405,100 and something dollars worth of debt," though trustees characterized much of that total as older and unlikely to be collected.
The suggestion to clear small debts aims to reduce staff workloads and unblock library access for longtime patrons. Rory (library staff) told trustees she could administer the process if the board finalized the numbers.
Trustees raised operational questions about how the policy would be implemented: whether the forgiveness would be retroactive to older dates, how often the system would run reductions, and whether the library should proactively notify patrons whose access was restored.
"If they're lost book was 3 years or further back and it's less than $50, they're forgiven," a trustee summarized during the discussion. Another trustee proposed a neutral postcard campaign to invite previously blocked patrons to return without explicitly framing it as debt relief.
No formal vote was taken at the meeting. Chair Marks said staff would draft a formal policy based on the agreed boundaries and return it for approval at a later meeting. Trustees signaled support for administrative implementation and for limited outreach procedures to be decided in coordination with staff.
