The non-resident fee will rise from $80 to $100 per year. The Library says that amounts to only $1.67 extra per month.
The City of Anacortes funds the Library through property taxes that Anacortes residents and property owners pay. The Library uses the following criteria to establish cardholder categories:
- Residents — those who live or own property within the city limits are eligible for a Library card funded by City property taxes.
- Non-residents — those living outside the city limits may purchase a card, which only partially offsets Library costs. The fee covers all eligible members within the non-resident’s household.
The non-resident fee may be paid quarterly, semi-annually, or annually and entitles the cardholder to use all Library services, including:
- check-out books, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, VHS tapes
- download audiobooks and ebooks for free through the Library website
- request items through Inter-Library Loan
The City of Anacortes applies a total millage rate of 0.5919643 per $1,000 of assessed value to support the Library. If you own a house or other property within the city limits of Anacortes:
- assessed at $250,000, you pay approximately $148 toward the Library annually;
- assessed at $271,000, you pay approximately $161 toward the Library annually;
- assessed at $350,000, you pay approximately $207 toward the Library annually;
- assessed at $450,000, you pay approximately $266 toward the Library annually.
This fee increase brings the amount paid by non-residents closer to the amount Anacortes residents pay in property taxes to fund our Library. Even the increased fee still represents less than the average homeowner pays to fund the Library.
The Library values our non-resident patrons and we are pleased to offer a complete range of services to all members of our community.