Chatfield Public Library

CHATFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES BYLAWS

Article I. Identification

This organization is the Board of Trustees of the Chatfield Public Library, located in Chatfield, Minnesota.

 Article II. Membership­­­

Section 1. Appointments and Terms of Office.

The board shall consist of 9 trustees who shall be appointed by the Mayor and shall serve for a term of 3 years. A trustee may serve 3 consecutive full terms.

A Student Commissioner may also be appointed by the Mayor to serve as a temporary member of the board.

Student Commissioners will have all the rights and responsibilities of a Trustee except the Student Commissioner will not have voting rights.

Individuals interested in being considered for appointment to the Library Board of Trustees should contact the library director or library staff for the current application process.

The majority of the Trustees must be residents of the city.  At least one member should be a resident of rural Fillmore County and at least one should be a resident of rural Olmsted County as long as the library receives funding from these counties.

Section 2. Meeting Attendance.

Trustees shall be expected to attend all meetings unless prevented by a valid reason.

Trustees are asked to notify the library director if unable to attend a meeting.

The Library Board will review lack of attendance by a member over a period of time.

If a trustee or student commissioner misses 3 consecutive regular meetings, a 2/3 majority of the Board may recommend that the Mayor replace that member.

Article III. Officers

Section 1.  The officers shall be a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer, elected from among the appointed trustees at the annual meeting of the Board. A trustee shall be eligible to serve consecutive terms in the same office. Vacancies in office shall be filled by a majority vote at the next regular meeting of the Board after the vacancy occurs.                     

Section 2. Officers shall serve a term of one year from the annual meeting at which they are elected and until their successors are duly elected.

Section 3. The president shall preside at meetings of the Board, authorize calls for special meetings, appoint all committees, execute all documents authorized by the Board, and generally perform all duties associated with the office of president.

Section 4. The vice president, in the event of the absence or disability of the president, or of a vacancy in that office, shall assume and perform the duties and functions of the president.

Section 5. The secretary shall keep true and accurate minutes of all meetings of the Board and shall perform such other duties as are generally associated with the office of secretary. The library director or a member of the staff may be designated by the Board to perform any or all of the above duties.

Section 6. The treasurer shall provide assistance as requested and review the library budget proposal developed by the library director each year before it is presented to the rest of the trustees.

Article IV. Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings. Regular meetings shall be held each month, as needed, at the discretion of the Library Director and Board President. The day and hour of regular meetings will be set by the Board at its annual meeting.

Section 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting, which shall be for the purpose of the election of officers, shall be held at the time of the regular meeting in February of each year.

Section 3. Agendas and Notices. Meeting agendas and notices shall indicate the time, date, and place of the meeting and indicate all subject matters intended for consideration at the meeting.

Section 4. Minutes.  Minutes of all meetings shall, at a minimum, indicate board members present, all items of business, all motions (except those that were withdrawn), and the result of all votes taken. Current board minutes shall be posted in a public place determined by the library director and board of trustees.

Section 5. Special Meetings.  Special meetings may be called at the direction of the president for the transaction of business as stated in the call for the meeting.

Section 6. Quorum.  A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting shall consist of 5 members of the Board attending the meeting.

Section 7. Open Meetings Law Compliance.  All Board meetings and all committee meetings shall be held in compliance with Minnesota Open Meeting Law.

Section 8. Parliamentary Authority.  The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition, shall govern the parliamentary procedure of the meetings, in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any statutes applicable to this Board.

Article V. Committees

Section 1. Ad Hoc Committees.  Ad hoc committees for the study of special problems shall be appointed by the president, with the approval of the Board, to serve until the final report of the work for which they were appointed has been filed. These committees may also include staff and public representatives, as well as outside experts.

­Section 2. No committee shall have other than advisory powers.

Article VI. Duties of the Board of Trustees

Section 1. Legal responsibility for the operation of the Chatfield Public Library is vested in the Board of Trustees. Subject to state and federal law, the Board has the power and duty to determine rules and regulations governing library operations and services.

Section 2. The Board shall select, appoint and supervise a properly certified and competent library director, and determine the duties and compensation of all library employees.

Section 3. The Board shall approve the budget and make sure that adequate funds are provided to finance the approved budget.

Section 4. The Board shall have exclusive control of the expenditure of all moneys collected, donated or appropriated for the library fund and shall audit and approve all library expenditures.

Section 5. The Board shall supervise and maintain buildings and grounds, as well as regularly review various physical and building needs to see that they meet the requirements of the total library program.

Section 6. The Board shall study and support legislation that will bring about the greatest good to the greatest number of library users.

 Section 7. The Board shall cooperate with other public officials and boards and maintain vital public relations.

Section 8. The Board shall approve and submit the required annual report to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Article VII. Library Director

The library director shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees and shall be responsible to the Board. The library director shall be considered the executive officer of the library under the direction and review of the Board, and subject to the policies established by the Board. The director shall act as technical advisor to the Board. The director shall be invited to attend all Board meetings (but may be excused from closed sessions) and shall have no vote.

Article VIII. Conflict of Interest

Section 1. Trustees may not in their private capacity negotiate, bid for, or enter into a contract with the Chatfield Public Library in which they have a direct or indirect financial interest.

Section 2. Trustees shall withdraw from Board discussion, deliberation, and votes on any matter in which the Board member, an immediate family member, or an organization with which the Board member is associated has a substantial financial interest.

Section 3. A board member may not receive anything of value that could reasonably be expected to influence his or her vote or other official action.

Article IX. Amending Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board by 2/3 vote of all members of the Board, provided written notice of the proposed amendment shall have been communicated to all members at least 48 hours prior to the meeting at which such action is proposed to be taken.

Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Chatfield Public Library on the _______________ day of 2022.