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Tooele City Library board approves policy changes and raises nonresident card fee to $40
Summary
The Tooele City Library Board approved changes to its library card policy that raise the annual fee for Utah residents who live outside Tooele City from $30 to $40 and remove a county-only residency limitation; the change will go to the City Council for final approval.
The Tooele City Library Board voted to approve revisions to the library card policy that increase the annual nonresident card fee from $30 to $40 and expand nonresident eligibility to any Utah resident (subject to State Library agreements), the board was told.
Library staff said the change is intended to reduce the subsidy paid by Tooele City residents for nonresident cardholders and to align fee structure with library budget projections. "If you take [the budget] and divide it by the 40,000 residents ... you get $33.75," staff said during discussion, arguing $40 would keep the fee from needing frequent revisits.
Board members discussed alternatives — household pricing, family discounts and targeted arrangements with nearby organizations — and were told the finance director and mayor likely would not approve discounted or promotional rates that depart from a per-person cost formula. Staff said about 900 nonresident cardholders use the library (roughly 8 percent of active cardholders) and that the $40 figure is intended to remain adequate under a range of budget-growth scenarios.
The policy change also removes a prior county-only restriction and clarifies Utah residency is required for some electronic services under the library's agreement with the Beehive Consortium and the State Library. "According to my agreement with the Beehive Consortium for Libby ... they do have to be a resident of Utah," staff said. Under the revised language, residents of Tooele City, property owners or business owners in Tooele City continue to receive free cards; other Utah residents would pay the new nonresident fee.
The draft policy retains a rule that library cards will not be issued to people without a permanent residence; staff explained that individuals in temporary housing (shelters, other temporary housing) can use library computers and programs but are not issued circulation privileges under the card policy as written. Board members raised service questions for people in shelters; staff said donated or in-library-only collections remain options but issuing cards tied to temporary addresses has caused operational problems in the past.
Board members moved and seconded the change and voted to approve the board-level policy language. Staff said the change will next be presented to the Tooele City Council; staff indicated the target council meeting for final action is June 4. The board's vote was recorded as an affirmative approval of the draft policy for submission to the city council.
The changes will apply to new nonresident card sign-ups and renewals going forward; staff said the increase would not be applied retroactively to existing valid cards.
