Officials to Testify on Library Bill Allowing Nonresident Fees

The state Senate Education Committee will hear testimony today on a bill that would permit libraries to charge nonresident user fees without losing their state funding--an issue the city has been grappling with for several years.

Councilman Thomas C. Edwards and City Librarian LaDonna Kienitz will testify in Sacramento on behalf of the city.

Newport Beach receives about $300,000 a year to cover the costs of library patrons who are not city residents. Nonresidents also pay about $90,000 in fines a year. The total nonresident financial contribution to the library system is about 10% of the library budget, said Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager.

Nonresident use for the city’s library system is about 50%, based on information compiled from borrowers of library materials, Assistant City Librarian John Callahan said. On Sundays, nonresident use increases to 65% at the main library because it is one of the few libraries in the county open on that day.

“As librarians, we believe in universal use,” he said. “But somebody has to pay for that open access.”

The Library Board has estimated that by the end of the fiscal year in June, the city’s system would have had about 1 million patrons.

If the bill passes, it would still have to go through a series of steps before it would land on the governor’s desk. As it stands, it would allow cities like Newport Beach to charge nonresident fees and to continue receiving state funding. The fee currently being proposed would not exceed $25.