New Council Vote Slated on Proposed Moorpark Library Fee

Fans of the Moorpark Library appear close to receiving their wish for a new financial source to pay for library materials.

The City Council, whose tie vote stalled the issue two weeks ago, will vote again tonight on whether to approve a proposed ordinance that would require developers to pay hundreds of dollars for every new home they build.

The fee, which would buy library materials such as books, periodicals and computers, should be approved tonight if Councilman Chris Evans, as expected, votes in favor of the measure.

“I think it’s a reasonable measure to ensure materials will be available,” said Evans, who was absent during the Oct. 1 meeting when the council deadlocked 2 to 2.

“I don’t debate--because of restraints the county has put on the library--that the current system is messed up,” he said. “But new development will create demand, so it’s appropriate that the new demand should pay for that.”

If the ordinance is approved, after 30 days, the city would be allowed to charge developers $460 for every new single-family dwelling, $298 for every duplex, condominium and apartment unit, and $306 for every mobile home park space they create.

A group of library fans from Moorpark’s Friends of the Library and other residents have spent the past few weeks circulating petitions at local businesses, on the streets and at the city’s sole library to ask people to show support for the new fee.

The group has gathered more than 400 signatures so far, which it will present to the City Council tonight.

“We hope that there will be a majority vote to pass the library ordinance,” said Dave Sakata, co-president of Friends of the Library. “The past history shows that we haven’t purchased a reference book in six years. Last year, we spent 3 cents per citizen [on library materials] and the gap is only going to get bigger.

“So with this ordinance and the rest of the City Council support, we at least hope to keep the gap from getting bigger,” he added.

The city allotted $4,000 for library materials this fiscal year. But last fiscal year, the figure was a mere $850. That was not enough to pay for the library’s magazine subscriptions, which are paid for from donations.

Both Councilman John Wozniak and Mayor Pat Hunter, who helped create the ordinance, voted for it during the last meeting.

But colleagues Bernardo Perez and Debbie Teasley rejected the ordinance, saying that they had questions about the fairness of the measure and that they needed more time to study the matter.

Perez and Teasley said they were responding to concerns raised by the Building Industry Assn. of Southern California, a developers advocacy group.

Ultimately, the cost of the library fees will just be passed on to buyers through increased home prices, said Dee Zinke, the association’s executive officer. The association also questions the magnitude of the fees.

“We don’t oppose a fee, in concept, but we have critical concerns about how this fee was arrived at,” said Zinke, adding that she wondered whether the library has sufficient space and staff to handle additional materials.

Teasley questioned whether it was proper for future homeowners to foot the bill for new library materials, which are available to all of Moorpark’s nearly 28,000 residents. She said she wanted additional time to determine whether there was a more equitable way to distribute the fees.

“I did not say ‘No’ to the library or the kids of Moorpark,” Teasley said. “My only concern is maybe there is a different way.

“I think it’s possible that we can all sit down together and find out an equitable way to distribute this [fee] and find a voluntary funding source rather than an involuntary source.”