MOORPARK : Council Seeks Better Deal on Library Use

Saying that Thousand Oaks’ new library fee will be burdensome for Moorpark residents, the Moorpark City Council decided Wednesday to try to negotiate a better deal.

The Thousand Oaks City Council recently approved a $55 annual library fee for people who do not live in the city. Those exempted include residents of unincorporated areas and students enrolled in Thousand Oaks schools.

The 30% of Moorpark households that rely on the neighboring library will be subject to the fee, Moorpark City Manager Steven Kueny said.

But the council directed Kueny to request a meeting with Thousand Oaks library officials to discuss the fee. “The only people it’s going to hurt are the people who can’t afford it,” Councilman John Wozniak said.

Among those most affected will be students at Moorpark College who use the well-stocked Thousand Oaks facility, Wozniak said. “It’s penalizing people going to school in Moorpark.”

Moorpark’s library has about 32,000 volumes, less than half of the 75,000 volumes that would be considered adequate for a city of its size, according to the County Library Services Agency.

The Thousand Oaks Library, which is not part of the Ventura County library system, has more than 250,000 volumes.