[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of North Branford 8-14-1979
as Ord. No. 137, effective 9-14-1979.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Library Board of the Town of North Branford is created by § C5-1G of the Charter. The Board consists of nine (9) members, each appointed for a term of six (6) years. As the initial term expires, the Council shall appoint three (3) members to full terms every other year.
In the event that a vacancy occurs as a result of the removal, resignation
or death of a Board member, the Council shall appoint a member to fill the
unexpired portion of the term of such member.
The Council may remove a member of the Board for due cause. The Council
shall remove any member of the Board if such member has absented himself from
all meetings of the Board for a period of three (3) consecutive months without
due cause. In either case, the Council shall give written notice to such member
of its intent to remove and the reasons therefor. Any member receiving such
notice may elect a public hearing thereon by giving notice of such election
to the Clerk of the Council not less than ten (10) days after receipt thereof.
No person shall be appointed to the Board unless the appointee is an
elector of the Town of North Branford. The Council shall appoint at least
one (1) Board member from the rolls of each major political party. The Council
shall not appoint more than five (5) members from the rolls of any one (1)
political party. This provision shall not preclude the appointment to the
Board by the Council of any person who is not a member of any political party.
The Board shall hold at least ten (10) regular meetings each year. Within
sixty (60) days of the enactment of this chapter, the Board shall elect one
(1) of its members to serve as its Chairman and one (1) member to serve as
its Treasurer. Thereafter, elections of officers shall occur annually during
the month of January. The Board may also elect such other officers as it may
require. The Board may adopt bylaws detailing therein the duties of its officers,
committees and any other rules of order not inconsistent with the Charter,
this chapter and laws of the State of Connecticut.
A.
The Board shall have charge of all real and personal
property of the town used for library purposes. The Board shall make such
rules and regulations as it may deem proper for the management, protection
and preservation of the property set aside, owned or controlled by the Town
of North Branford specifically for library purposes.
B.
Members shall serve without pay, except that any member
may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the course and scope of
the performance of duties provided for herein.
The Board shall perform the following specific duties:
A.
It shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Town Manager
in the appointment of the Library Director, which appointment shall be made
in accordance with the merit system.
B.
It shall annually submit a proposed budget of the Library
Department on forms and in the style required by the Town Manager.
C.
It shall annually submit a report of the activities of
the Library Department to the Town Manager for inclusion with the town's
annual report.
D.
It shall have sole and exclusive authority for the purchase
of all books, publications and subscriptions for periodical literature or
nonprint material to be held in the library collection of the free public
libraries of the Town of North Branford.
E.
It shall have sole and exclusive authority to propose
the use of private funds now held or hereafter donated to the Town of North
Branford for public library purposes. Such proposals shall be submitted to
the Town Manager in the Board's annual budget or as an additional library
appropriation as provided in this chapter.
F.
It shall have authority to accept, on behalf of the Town
of North Branford, all gifts or donations of books, periodicals or other tangible
personal property.
The Town Treasurer shall deposit and hold, as a separate fund, any donations
or funds intended for the benefit of the library system of the Town of North
Branford that are received from any source. Twice each year, in January and
July, the Town Treasurer shall provide a statement of account to the Board
detailing the amount held in such fund or account, the interest earned thereon
and total authorized withdrawals made therefrom during the period since the
last statement of account.
All proposals for the expenditure of private funds donated or given
to the Town of North Branford or either of its libraries at any time for library
purposes shall be contained within the annual budget of the Library Department
and approved by the annual town budget meeting or may be proposed at any time
by the Board in writing to the Manager as an additional library appropriation.
Such additional appropriations may be approved by a resolution of the Council
only after receiving a recommendation from the Manager and upon certification
of the Town Treasurer, in writing, that there is available an unencumbered
and unappropriated cash balance of such private funds to satisfy such proposed
additional library appropriation. The Board shall submit all requests for
additional library appropriations to the Town Manager. If the Council fails
to approve or disapprove a proposed additional library appropriation within
sixty (60) days after receipt by the Manager, such failure to act shall constitute
approval of the Board's additional appropriation request. The expenditure
of private funds held exclusively for library purposes is prohibited unless
the appropriation is contained within the Library Department's annual
budget or is approved by the Council as an additional library appropriation
as provided herein.
The Library Director shall be appointed by the Town Manager in accordance
with the provisions of the merit system of the Town of North Branford. The
Chairman or other representative of the Library Board shall review with the
Manager the qualifications of candidates for the post of Library Director
and shall participate in the final screening of the candidates for that post.
The Manager shall review the qualifications of the person he has chosen with
the full Library Board.
All appointments within the Library Department shall be made in accordance
with the merit system.[2]
