Libraries Cracking Down For Real This Time, They Say
Between the Spokane city and county library systems, $1 million worth of uncollected fines and fees is on the books.
More than two-thirds is in the city’s public library system, where patrons are allowed to renew their cards so long as unpaid fines are less than $10. The county system won’t renew a card on which there are any pending fines and the city is considering following suit.
Both systems once sent out lackadaisical notices about overdue books and assessed relatively light fines that barely covered the cost of the postage. Both now have gone to daily fines, beginning as soon as an item is overdue.
The city is planning heavier fines, more frequent notices and earlier use of collection agencies in extreme cases.
What do readers - Bagpipes readers as well as library book readers - think of this situation? What would be the best way to deal with delinquent borrowers?
High cost of curbing parking abuse
As the holder of a permit to use parking places reserved for disabled motorists, Charles E. McCollim of Spokane considers Sylvester Hutton a “crusader.”
Hutton called Bagpipes earlier to say he confronts people who use such parking spots without legitimate reason. Hutton also suggested that one way to discourage people who obtain parking permits for the disabled under false pretenses would be to charge a fee, say $150.
“Trying to place a $150-a-year price tag on the permit, would certainly bring in the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” said McCollim.
“A better solution would be for the police to accept a phone call with the license number of the miscreant.”
McCollim also offered this observation: “If you want to see designated parking spots that seem to never get used, go to the ShopKo on South Regal.
“A large row of designated parking spots is located along the north end of the building. The pharmacy is also located in that area. The entrance is at the south end. So the disabled person gets to walk the length of the building, then back to the pharmacy, then back to the south end, and then back to the north end. Good planning, huh?”
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