Seattle Will Eliminate Library Fines If New Levy Approved

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle wants to eliminate library fines with proceeds from the library levy, which will be up for renewal in November.

Eliminating fines would cost an estimated $8 million over seven years, but would allow about 20 percent more people to access library materials, officials say.

"Higher average balances and blocked accounts occur in greater numbers in lower-income and historically under-served neighborhoods, resulting in almost 20 percent of Seattle Public Library accounts without access to the library," the levy plan says.

Right now, late fines cost 25 cents per day, but are capped at $8 per item. A $123 million library levy was last approved by voters in 2012 and is the main funding source for library system.

This November, voters will be asked to approve a $213.3 million, seven-year levy.

Other plans for the proceeds include: seismic upgrades for the Columbia City, Green Lake, and University District branches; increasing library hours by 5,000 each year, including an additional hour on Sunday for all 26 branches; and increasing digital resources, including adding WiFi hot-spots for patrons to borrow.

Read more about the new levy here.