Development Fee for Libraries Proposed

Faced with empty bookshelves at Moorpark’s library, Mayor Patrick Hunter has proposed a novel solution: charge developers for new books.

Hunter on Wednesday suggested imposing on developers a new fee that would pay for books, software and other needed materials at the library, a branch of the county’s system.

Developers already pay fees to improve local roads and sidewalks, which would otherwise become clogged as new homes and businesses are built. Hunter, who made his proposal during a “State of the City” speech at City Hall, argued that development can have a similar effect on the library, creating greater demand for its services.

City officials should therefore consider the library part of Moorpark’s infrastructure, he said, and charge developers to upgrade it.

“When new development is proposed in our city, whether residential or commercial, [the developers] make contributions to the city to improve our infrastructure,” Hunter said. “The libraries have never benefited from that because they’ve never been considered part of our infrastructure. Until now.”

The size of the fee has not yet been proposed. Hunter will present his plan to the City Council in September.

Hunter emphasized that the money would pay for capital expenses, not the library’s day-to-day operations. It would not pay for expanded hours or additional staff.

The library system draws most of its approximately $5-million annual budget from property taxes, although cities and private fund-raising organizations also pitch in.