Library district backs off on fee hikes for facility rentals
The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District decided to keep facility use fees in place Thursday, but the library board lowered the rates after performers and groups complained about the impact the cost was having on their productions.
Kyudong Kwak, founder of the Las Vegas Ballet Company, told the board how, already committed to holding a show, he was forced to cut rehearsal time to save money.
"I felt so sorry for the dancers," Kwak said.
The board revised the rates that have been in place since spring and settled on new ones.
The hourly rental for its theaters is now $40, down from $170.
The cost for technicians will be $35 through September 2013 and will increase to $40 through September 2014.
Security will cost $15.
The deposit, put up when a theater is reserved, is now 50 percent or $7,500, whichever is lower.
All of the fees go into effect immediately.
Robb Morss, library district deputy director, said the new rates would allow the library district to recover about 70 percent of its expenses.
The user fees issue came to a head last spring when the district's Board of Trustees announced they were looking at an increase.
Much of the library district's funding is tied to property taxes, which have plummeted during economic hard times.
In April, the library district implemented a new fee structure that recovered 100 percent of its costs.
Almost immediately, community clubs and performance groups sought other venues.
Broadway Bound put together a petition that garnered 5,450 signatures. It had considered the Performing Arts Center at the Summerlin library its home since June 2009.
Twenty-one people spoke during Thursday's meeting at the district branch on 1401 E. Flamingo Road.
Karl Larsen, president and executive producer of Signature Productions, asked the district "to help subsidize part of these productions and show the community that the library supports community theater. We should not be forced to pay 100 percent of the cost when other library services are totally subsidized."
Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.
