Library Fees Revisited

Mountain View Mayor Makes Good on Promise
At the City Council meeting in Mountain View on February 8, Mayor Donnie Pruett and the Board of Aldermen unanimously passed an ordinance that removes annual library card fees for residents of the City of Mountain View. 
 
In October 2020, the Council voted to increase library fees without realizing that imposing the $10 annual fee for residents would cause the library to lose its status as a “free library,” jeopardizing the majority of the organization’s operating budget which derives from state-level sources. 
 
City Council and the library’s advisory board did not meet to discuss the impact of changing the library’s fee structure prior to the October Council meeting, and the new fees took effect on January 1, 2021. 
 
Once the funding crisis became clear, Mayor Pruett pledged during an interview with Howell County News on January 22 to take action at the next Council meeting. He kept his word, and on February 8, the Board of Alderman discussed and passed Ordinance 1694, which overturns the previous policy, confirmed Mountain View City Clerk Courtney McDaniel.
 
City of Mountain View residents can now expect a one-time $3 fee to obtain a library card, but afterwards, the library’s services - including use of the computers and internet - are free of charge. Library patrons who reside outside City limits can still expect to pay $20 per year, per card for library privileges. 
 
Library card holders, whether in-town or out, may use the library’s internet without a fee. Patrons who do not hold a card can still expect to pay a nominal fee for computer use.

Howell County News

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