HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_LAB_03.03.1987GEORGETOWN AREA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library Board Meeting - March 3, 1987 at 12:00 noon
Members Present: Winfred Bonner, Linda Davis, Gwen Morrison,
Dorian Sullivan, Verne Philpot, Parker McCollough,
Nancy Benold, Hartley Sappington, Judy Duer
Old Business:
1. Linda Davis reported on her research concerning library
user fees. Discussed accepting following fees:
(a) $15 single, $25 family
(b) $10 single, $15 family for senior citizens
(c) $10 student fee
Will vote on this at April meeting.
New Business:
1. City has asked that our agreement of funding be reduced by a
total of $5,000, voted and approved.
2. Judy voiced concern about rotunda area in Children's Room
and also the wall next to desk area. Judy will speak with
architects about both concerns.
Meeting adjourned at 1:00 P.M.
NEXT REGULAR MEETING WILL BE TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 1987 AT 12:00 NOON
Respectfully submitted,
Dorian Sullivan, Secretary
ds/kb
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION COLLECTED (Feb. 1987)
BOND OBLIGATIONS ' : Those within city limits pay 3.7 cents per
$100 assessd valuation to finance new construction. That
amounts to $18.50 per $50,000 valuation after exemptions.
Those outside city limits do not pay.
CITY TAXES: (city tax office 863-6213)
Type of group taxed number of valuation
Households within the
city: includes single
family residential a•- •• 31423 — — $226,745,743
homesteads and other
single family dwellings.
Multi -family dwellings:
includes whole apartments
duplexes and condos. The Sll 142 — $291184,'?28
figure is not divided into
individual units.
l Commercial and industrial. --• _ „ = 359 — — — $74,971,036
Total 1986
valuation of
properties and
businesses
subject to city
taxation
$330,90.1,507
tlbkAilY PUNDINd MUCH
City of Georgetown: $71,972.96 (for 9-86 to 8-87)
Williamson County: -0- ,
United Way: about $5,000-5,500
State funds: $7,6?9 last year
Fines: $3,000 to $4,000 per year
Gifts andamemorials: about $3,000 per year
AREAS OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS: Subdivisions and other residential
areas outside city limits of Georgetown. City planning
department doesn't have statistics on households readily
available. If exact numbers are needed city inspection
dept. employee Frank }leineger said to try calling either
a woman named Hildy at the planning dept. or the Georgetown
independent school district tax department.
Serenada
Serenada East and Viest
I;an-
n]oma
U,!i 6ru5L 1
Oak Exest Ranchettes
Oak Ridge Circle
1hitetail Candlelight
Turtle Bend: Indian Creek
Berry Creek
kL, 64 cou/1try Ciui,c41,vo
Indian Mound
Country West
^1
USER FEE SURVEY (summary)
Out of 28 surveys sent, 25 were returned and represented
a vry mixed bag of results from ridiculously low fees of
$1 and $2 to some $25 per year fees. Generally the fees were
not refundable. Libraries chosen for the survey were - %-
from among a listing of those charging some type of fees to
patrons -- it was not a random survey. List provided by
Cathy Caine of CTLS. Population served by those libraries
surveyed ranged from 17,761 to 30,982 (plus Fort Worth
which had been mentioned as having a tough time with the
problem of fees).
The most often mentioned reason for charging was
to justify to tax -paying patrons service to those who
contributed no tax to library operations. A far second,
was the need. -to supplement precarious funding.
woof of residency (to qualify for exemption from fee)
is established at the various libraries by: tax receipts,
driver's license, voter registrationcard, utility bill,*
printed checks, verification of school district, and in
one case by telephone prefix.
Sample -copies of regulations were sent by The Colony
and Lewisville Public Libraries.
Some of the libraries surveyed charge only out -of -county
residents, not out -of -city patrons, and thus their situations
are a bit different from Georgetown. Three cities most like
ours are Lewisville, Orange and Euless. Lewisville charges
$25 and provided by far the most information." Orange charges
$20/individual and $30/familY per year and Euless 10 cents
per item.
A few novel approaches cropped up. In addition to the
per item charge adopted by Euless, Fort i4orth sells fee cards
to non -tax -paying patrons. Card denominations are $5, 10,25
and 50. Free cards may be earned by either a substantial
donation to the library, or by a specified number of volunteer
hours. The volunteer cards are reported to be popular.
Comments on the surveys are worth reading- because they
point out the wide range of solutions to the fee question,
reveal pros and cons and sometimes the absurdity of certain
fees, and the uncertainty felt by some librarians and boards.
about raising fees.
- Linda Davis
LIBRARY USER FEE
info needed and questions to
be answered
—Gather figures and statistics to justify charging fee
to non-residents of the city of Georgetown
— Establish range of fees charged in other libraries
— What fee is fair in Georgetown ? Why?
Who gets exemptions? All who live within city boundaries
families who qualify for free schoollunch
(Marjorie Herbert)
O*-PR effort before charge implemented.
`} paap newsers
p c t F1J c,Ovnc; % c r r.'�y per-s"ne
signs in library
I- staff round table to deal with patron questions and complaints
Phase -in period: What system to use for record keeping?
Can it tie in with computerized operations?
Can volunteers help?