Homer library board recommends free meeting room with no damage deposit

The Homer Library Advisory Board voted Sept. 15 to recommend that the City Council drop all fees and damage deposits for the Homer Public Library meeting room. The recommendation would end a $50-per-hour after-hours charge that covered staff overtime.

The change follows the installation of a security grille at the library's front entrance, meant to allow access to the meeting room outside library hours. Library Director Dave Berry told the board the grille cannot be used until the room policies are revised. With the grille, staff would no longer need to stay after hours, he said, though someone from the group using the room must arrive before the library closes.

Library staff recommended no fees because the community already paid to build the library and the grille. The Friends of the Homer Library favored a low flat rate, perhaps $10, with a $50 to $100 deposit. A staff comparison of 16 Alaska libraries found only Nome requires a deposit, set at $250.

The board also voted to bar commercial use of the room after hours. All the measures passed by unanimous consent, according to the unapproved September minutes.

The recommendations now go to the City Council, which approves library policies.