BRANDON FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES BY-LAWS 

Article I

Trustees 

Section I:  The board of trustees will govern the affairs of the library. There will be up to eleven trustees: two may be elected by the town of Brandon in alternate years to serve two-year terms; up to nine will be nominated and elected by the current board of trustees with the majority of members from Brandon. Trustees elected by the current board will be limited to serve two 3-year terms unless otherwise resolved by the Board. Board members will be able to be re-elected after a one year hiatus. 

Section II:  Vacancies occurring during an elected term shall be filled by a vote of the remaining trustees at a duly called meeting. Vacancies among the town representatives may be filled by the trustees. 

               

Section III:  Absences from four or more monthly meetings in a given fiscal year may call for a resignation of that trustee. 

 

Section IV:  A majority of the total number of trustees shall constitute a quorum for transacting business. 

 

Section V:  The board of trustees may name a member who has contributed years of outstanding service to the Trustee Emeritus. He or she may attend meetings, but will have no voting power. 

Article II

Officers 

 Section I:  These officers are to be elected from the trustees: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. They shall be elected at the annual meeting for a two year term.

Section II:  The president shall:

a.                   appoint committee chairpersons and members to serve on committees. 

b.                   shall serve or appoint someone to serve as liasion with the Friends of the Library. 

c.                   have the authority to sign any documents on behalf of the board to effectuate any decisions reached in accordance with these by-laws.

d.                   is authorized to sign checks and make authorized deposits and withdrawals from the library endowment accounts.

 

Section III:  The vice president shall:

a.                   assist the president in appointed duties in the event the president is absent or unable to carry out their duties on a short term basis.  

Section IV:  The secretary shall:

a.                   conduct the correspondence of the board, correspondence from the library as deemed appropriate 

b.                   keep full and accurate minutes of each meeting and shall furnish a draft thereof to each trustee adequately in advance of the next regularly scheduled meeting.

c.                    

Section V:  The treasurer shall:

a.                   advise the board regarding the investment of funds of the library and shall seek counsel when deemed necessary. 

b.                   work with the library director to develop the library’s operating budget and capital budget proposals.

c.                   have the authority to sign checks and make deposits and withdrawals from the library endowment accounts.

d.                   record donations to the endowment and monitor any fundraising endeavors.

e.                   have the financial records reviewed annually by two other trustees, or an independent accountant with a report due by the May board meeting. The fiscal year shall run from January 1st  through December 31st

Article III

Meetings

 Section I:  The annual meeting shall be in January and shall precede the regular monthly meeting. The newly elected officers shall preside at the regular meeting, if they find such a meeting necessary. 

Section II:  Regular meetings of the board may be held monthly. An agenda of business shall be distributed to trustees prior to the meeting. 

 

Section III:  At the October meeting the president shall name from the trustees a nominating committee of two. They shall present a slate of officers for the ensuing year.

 

Article IV

Committees of the Trustees 

Section I:  There shall be the following standing committees; finance, fundraising and building & maintenance.  The finance committee shall present a proposed budget for approval at the October meeting, shall advise the board regarding investments, shall control spending, and shall make requests for appropriations from the proper local towns.   The building and maintenance committee shall be concerned with the upkeep of the apartments and the library. 

Section II:  The president may appoint additional, ad hoc committees when the need arises. 

Section III:  Committee chairmen shall make reports at the annual meeting and when requested by the president. 

Article V

Committees of the Library 

 Section I:  The librarian and/or the board of trustees may suggest the formation of special committees, when the need arises. These committees may include invited community members and will report back to the librarian and/or board of trustees. 

Article VI

Amendments 

                Section I :  The by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the board of trustees, provided that notice of the proposed amendment is presented to the members at the preceding meeting. 

 

  Article VII

Grants Resolution

Section I:  The board of trustees acknowledges its responsibility for the application and  administration of all grants which are applied for, or which are granted, in the name of the  Library, and it hereby adopts, pursuant to that responsibility, the following procedure to be  followed in the application for and administration of such grants: 

a.                   Responsibility – The final authority for and administration of grants shall rest with the Library Director subject to these procedures and to any action by the board. The Treasurer will report the expenditure of  grant funds and completion of grants on a periodic basis to the Finance Committee.

b.       Application – Applications for grants shall be prepared by the library director or board members.

c.       Administration – Grants shall be administered by the Library Director within the guidelines of the grant and the policies and procedures of the board.

d.       Disbursements – The Library Director shall approve all disbursements of grant monies and shall promptly provide  records of such disbursements to the Treasurer. The Director shall retain copies for  reconciling expenditures should the need arise. The Treasurer or Director shall be the grant fiscal officer depending on the requirements of the grant. In addition, the Director shall obtain prior approval of the board of trustees for disbursements exceeding $5,000.

e.       Receipts – Upon receiving grant monies, the Treasurer shall record and track them in the financial statements. 

Article VII

Duties and Responsibilities of the Library Board 

                    

Section I :  The duly elected board of trustees will perform the following:

a.                   Employ a competent and qualified staff following the current Guiding Principles and Policies. 

b.                   Determine and adopt Guiding Principles and Policies to govern the operation and program of the library 

c.                   Establish among the library policies those dealing with book and material selection

d.                   Ensure all Guiding Principles and Policies are being followed, reviewed and updated as needed

e.                   Secure adequate funds to carry on the library’s mission and to support the library’s operation. 

f.                    Know the program and needs of the library in relation to the community; keep abreast of  standards and library trends 

g.                   Establish, support and participate in a planned public relations program 

h.                   Establish and follow an annual calendar of governance, operation, planning and program needs. 

i.                     Assist in the preparation of the annual budget 

j.                     Manage the three apartments, following written apartment policy as adopted

k.                   Know local and state laws; actively support library legislation in the state and nation

l.                     Attend regional, state and national trustee meetings and workshops, and affiliate with the  appropriate professional organizations (e.g. VLTA) 

m.                 Report regularly to the governing officials, the Friends of the Library and the general public 

   

               

Revised and adopted on _________________________ by the duly elected Board of Trustees:  

David Roberts, President, Cristy Harding,Treasurer, John Peterson, Secretary, Beate Jensen, Bruce Ness, Gary Meffe, Harry McEnerny, Nancy Iwanicki, and Cecil Reniche-Smith, Jeff Haylon             

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(items with an  * are in-library use only):

Laptops

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Circuit

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