THOUSAND OAKS : Protests Mount Over Planned Library Fee

As the deadline approaches for the Thousand Oaks library to impose a fee on non-residents, protests are increasing.

The Moorpark City Council voted Wednesday to send a letter to Thousand Oaks city officials protesting the $55 annual fee. Acting separately, Moorpark school officials plan to attend the next Thousand Oaks City Council meeting to protest the levy.

And, on behalf of Oak Park, County Supervisor Maria VanderKolk has contacted Thousand Oaks Mayor Frank Schillo to voice concerns about the fee, Schillo said.

In addition, letters to editors complaining about the fee have appeared with increasing frequency in area newspapers. The volume of protest recently prompted Schillo to write a letter to editors defending the fee.

The Thousand Oaks City Council approved the fee in June to help fund the library and cut down on the number of cardholders. A study showed that about 38% of the library’s users live outside Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park.

The library’s annual circulation is almost twice the national average for libraries of similar size, Schillo said in his letter. The city spends $117,000 each year to replace materials that fall apart from overuse. Thousand Oaks residents pay $46 a year to maintain the library, the letter states.