Return boxes are pictured outside a library in Leander, Texas. The Plano Public Library system recently changed its fee policy for overdue books and other items.

For the Plano Public Library system, enforcing overdue book fines has been more trouble than it's been worth, city officials say, prompting the city to scrap its library fine policy this week.Plano City Council approved the policy change on Monday, opting instead for a new system where library patrons with overdue materials will be blocked from checking out new items. If an item is not returned within 30 days of the due date, it will be considered lost and the cost of its replacement will be charged to the user, according to the ordinance.“Our library is here to be used, and eliminating overdue fines removes barriers for those who most need our resources," Director of Plano Public Libraries Libby Holtmann said Tuesday in a statement. "We hope that anyone who has hesitated to return materials due to overdue fines will come back and enjoy the library.”Failing to turn in overdue books or other library materials can also come with legal risk. If a library item is not returned within 30 days of receiving written notice, the borrower can be charged with a misdemeanor and subjected to a separate fine, the ordinance reads. The city, however, has rarely, if ever, enforced this, Holtmann said."It’s not something we’ve ever implemented really, because our goal is just to get our materials back," Holtmann said of the misdemeanor ordinance.A staff-prepared summary accompanying the policy said the city hired a consulting firm to review its fee policy, after which it became clear that the library staff was spending "far more time managing activities related to patrons' fines than is received in revenue."