Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Council Rejects Plans Favoring City Residents in Program Uses

Despite fears that county cutbacks could result in a run on city services, the City Council has rejected plans to give a preference to Palmdale residents over non-residents in using city library and recreation programs.

In unanimous votes Thursday night, the council rejected one proposal to begin charging non-residents a $20-a-year library card fee, and another proposal to either give Palmdale residents registration preference or begin charging non-residents higher fees for city recreation programs.

Council members voiced general support for giving city residents registration priority for recreation programs, though they did not enact such a plan. But they strongly rejected any approach that would go further in distinguishing between city and non-city residents.

Steve Hofbauer, a planning commission member, had recommended both proposals to the City Council in a June memo. Hofbauer said county budget cutbacks this year that closed county parks and closed or reduced library services could send non-city residents streaming into city programs.

“It would be nice to continue an ‘open arms’ policy. But budget realities preclude these benevolent practices,” Hofbauer wrote. “If we do not initiate a prioritized and two-tiered policies, we will be faced with inadequate service levels, (and) overcrowded or inadequate programs . . . “

City officials, however, said non-city residents make up a relatively small share of participants in the library and recreation programs. Library officials said about 20% of the borrowing is done by non-city residents. Recreation officials did not have any reliable percentage.

Also, a library card fee would have cut off the city’s participation in a range of library resources shared among different jurisdictions.