For the fourth consecutive year, the city of Rivertown is facing a deficit in its public library funding. The city council has suggested raising the funds needed by increasing the library usage fee from 2 to 4 percent. While it is crucial to secure additional funding for Rivertown's libraries, the city council's current proposal may not be well thought out. A considerable portion of the library's users are students from nearby towns, who will not benefit from the enhanced services in Rivertown.

Which of the following, if true, would most undermine the effectiveness of the city council's plan to resolve the Rivertown library funding deficit by raising the usage fee? A. The city’s regulations state that any proposed fee increase must be approved through a public referendum, which could postpone the fee hike by several months. B. To ensure adherence to the new fee structure, the city will need to hire extra staff to monitor library usage records. C. Directors of local franchise libraries cannot adjust their fee structures without consent from their corporate offices. D. The last time the usage fee was raised in Rivertown, libraries reported a 20 percent drop in visitors during the first year following the increase, while libraries in neighboring towns saw increases of up to 30 percent. E. The Rivertown Library Association, which includes most local library patrons, is strongly against the fee increase.