Mississauga considers scrapping library late charges

Insauga.com
Oct. 8, 2021

Mississauga residents who find themselves with an overdue book or other material from the city’s libraries won’t have to worry about paying fines anymore if a proposed plan gets the go-ahead next week at City Council.

City of Mississauga number crunchers presented to Budget Committee today a series of recommendations related to user fees and charges for City services and programs as the annual budget process continues.

Proposed changes will result in additional budgeted revenues in 2022 of about $1 million, according to City staff.

“These changes include plans for Mississauga Library to eliminate fines for overdue materials, which will promote equitable access to library services and also support community recovery coming out of the pandemic,” said Shari Lichterman, the City’s chief financial officer and commissioner of corporate services.

She added the proposed elimination of overdue charges aligns with many other library systems across North America, “notably Brampton, Hamilton, Toronto and Vaughan.”