Council will consider waiving many library fines
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, January 26th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council meets tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. and will consider writing off 36 years’ worth of library fines totaling $77,024 involving 419 accounts. Over half of the accounts in collections are for children’s materials, according to Walla Walla Public Library Director Erin Wells.
Reasons for not returning items vary, but they can include having an unstable home situation, or children losing or destroying items that parents cannot afford to replace. The library has historically sent any account owing more than $100 in fines and lost items to the Collection Bureau of Walla Walla. There are currently 478 library accounts in collections, 419 accounts are older than six years. The oldest account is from 1985 for $5.
The library and finance department evaluated all accounts in collections and found that it has not been a revenue generator or an incentive to return lost items. Most of the accounts in collections are considered noncollectable due to many factors including inability to locate the account holder, bankruptcy, incarceration, or the account holder has died.
In the last five years the Walla Walla Public Library has only received $6,000 total in revenue from Collection Bureau of Walla Walla and only .04 percent of items have been returned after an account has been sent to collections. In 2021, a new administrative policy was signed that authorizes the finance department and library to evaluate all accounts and ask council to write off accounts older than six years. The library will continue to send accounts to collections, but only for accounts owing more than $500, which represents a small number of accounts.
Also on the agenda, the council will consider whether to proceed with a U.S. Department of Justice grant for $90,000 over three years towards the acquisition of body-worn cameras for police officers. According to the agenda, city staff recommends not accepting the DOJ grant based on the financial commitment of the body-warn cameras program from the general fund over the next five years. If the grant is not accepted, the city could explore other funding solutions.
The council is also expected to amend the boundaries of the downtown two-hour parking zone. City staff recommends removing the area of West Third Avenue to Sixth Avenue from two-hour parking as the demand for parking in that area is very low making the two-hour parking limitation unwarranted.
Limited seating is available for the public. Attendees must wear face masks or shields. The meeting is available on the city’s website or via Zoom. The meeting ID number is 849 2882 8160.
Council will consider waiving many library fines
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, January 26th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council meets tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. and will consider writing off 36 years’ worth of library fines totaling $77,024 involving 419 accounts. Over half of the accounts in collections are for children’s materials, according to Walla Walla Public Library Director Erin Wells.
Reasons for not returning items vary, but they can include having an unstable home situation, or children losing or destroying items that parents cannot afford to replace. The library has historically sent any account owing more than $100 in fines and lost items to the Collection Bureau of Walla Walla. There are currently 478 library accounts in collections, 419 accounts are older than six years. The oldest account is from 1985 for $5.
The library and finance department evaluated all accounts in collections and found that it has not been a revenue generator or an incentive to return lost items. Most of the accounts in collections are considered noncollectable due to many factors including inability to locate the account holder, bankruptcy, incarceration, or the account holder has died.
In the last five years the Walla Walla Public Library has only received $6,000 total in revenue from Collection Bureau of Walla Walla and only .04 percent of items have been returned after an account has been sent to collections. In 2021, a new administrative policy was signed that authorizes the finance department and library to evaluate all accounts and ask council to write off accounts older than six years. The library will continue to send accounts to collections, but only for accounts owing more than $500, which represents a small number of accounts.
Also on the agenda, the council will consider whether to proceed with a U.S. Department of Justice grant for $90,000 over three years towards the acquisition of body-worn cameras for police officers. According to the agenda, city staff recommends not accepting the DOJ grant based on the financial commitment of the body-warn cameras program from the general fund over the next five years. If the grant is not accepted, the city could explore other funding solutions.
The council is also expected to amend the boundaries of the downtown two-hour parking zone. City staff recommends removing the area of West Third Avenue to Sixth Avenue from two-hour parking as the demand for parking in that area is very low making the two-hour parking limitation unwarranted.
Limited seating is available for the public. Attendees must wear face masks or shields. The meeting is available on the city’s website or via Zoom. The meeting ID number is 849 2882 8160.
