Haslet council rejects $25 nonresident library fee after public opposition

The Haslet City Council voted unanimously Feb. 3 to reject an ordinance that would have updated the city fee schedule to add a $25 annual library card for nonresidents.

The proposal came from the Haslet Public Library board and was presented to the council by Kelly Turner, the library director. Turner told the council the board recommends a $25 annual nonresident fee because library use from people who do not pay Haslet property taxes has risen sharply: "We currently have 7,531 cardholders. 5,745 of those do not live in Haslet. That's 76% of our patrons, and 78% of those nonresidents live in Fort Worth." Turner said the board chose $25 after reviewing fees charged by other area libraries and that the charge would not bar people from entering the building.

The nut graf: Council members spent extensive time questioning the cost basis, potential effects on library programs and the reciprocity or lack thereof with neighboring jurisdictions. Dozens of emailed comments were read into the record during the item; the majority urged the council not to impose a fee.

Residents who asked that their emails be read argued the library is a public good that should be free to anyone. Lisa Day (written comment) said, "The Haslet Public Library should be available to the public. There should be no fees to use these services. Having a center of learning available to everyone in the community is crucial to the community's health." An emailed comment from Angela Schwab said she has been a Haslet resident nearly 21 years and wrote, "Library should be for everyone and I don't believe that we should charge someone who has a desire to learn or need to use the resources for seeking employment."

Council discussion focused on three recurring points: the library's current funding and budget requests, the scale of nonresident use, and whether the fee would be administratively enforceable or counterproductive to local commerce. Turner said the fee would be voluntary and that nonresidents could still obtain reciprocal cards from other consortium libraries; she also noted some larger systems charge more and impose limits on card types.

Councilmember Olivia moved to not approve the ordinance; the motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous vote, after which the mayor said the ordinance does not pass and staff would clean up the proposal and bring it back for further review. Several council members asked staff to collect additional data on comparable libraries' nonresident membership rates and the fee impacts before any future action.

The council did not adopt a new fee. No changes will become effective as a result of this meeting; the mayor indicated the item will be brought back on a future agenda for further review.