Free library services for nonresidents may bite the dust on Monday

On Mon., June 15, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors will decide if they will continue to honor a 20yearold library services funding agreement between the county and Thousand Oaks.

The county collects local property taxes from residents of unincorporated areas to provide them with library services. Because of the agreement, the county gives those taxes to the city to pay for Thousand Oaks Library services provided to those residents. Thousand Oaks residents pay taxes directly to the city for library services.

If the county terminates the long-standing funding agreement, local dollars from Lynn Ranch, Casa Conejo, Lake Sherwood, Ventu Park and Rolling Oaks will instead fund county libraries in other communities.

Steve Brogden, library services director, said in a letter to residents that if the supervisors no longer fund city library services for unincorporated Thousand Oaks residents, those residents will no longer have free access to Thousand Oaks Library services.

The library has charged a $70 nonresident fee for a library card to outofarea patrons, but the residents of the nearby unincorporated areas were exempt from that fee. The city will ended the nonresident fee yesterday, but if the supervisors vote to discontinue the library funding agreement, the city will consider creating a higher nonresident borrower's fee of perhaps $100 or more to offset the expected $195,000 annual loss to the city's library system, Brogden said.

If reestablished, the fee would be charged to those who live in the unincorporated areas.

The Thousand Oaks City Council, the Conejo Recreation and Park District board of directors and the Conejo Valley Unified School District board of trustees have voted to support maintaining the funding agreement.

The public is invited to the Board of Supervisors' public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Mon., June 15 at the Ventura County Government Center, Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura, but those who wish to comment will probably have to wait until 6 p.m.

District 2 Supervisor Linda Parks can be reached at (805) 3732564 or linda.parks@ventura .org.

Brogden can be reached at (805) 449-2660, ext. 215, or sbrogden@tolibrary.org.