H-4356.2          _______________________________________________

 

                                  HOUSE BILL 2868

                  _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Conway and Scheuerman

 

Read first time 01/23/96.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

 

Allowing a legislative entity to review a library board of trustees' expenditure of funds for library purposes.



     AN ACT Relating to public libraries; and amending RCW 27.12.240 and 27.12.190.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

     Sec. 1.  RCW 27.12.240 and 1965 c 122 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

     After a library ((shall have)) has been established or library service contracted for, the legislative body of the governmental unit for which the library was established or the service engaged, shall appropriate money annually for the support of the library.  All funds for the library, whether derived from taxation or otherwise, shall be in the custody of the treasurer of the governmental unit, and shall be designated by him or her in some manner for identification, and shall not be used for any but library purposes.  The board of trustees ((shall have)) has the exclusive control of expenditures for library purposes subject to any examination of accounts required by the state, or the legislative body of the governmental unit for which the library was established, and money shall be paid for library purposes only upon vouchers of the board of trustees((, without further audit)).  The board shall not make expenditures or incur indebtedness in any year in excess of the amount of money either appropriated ((and/or)) or available for library purposes, or both.

 

     Sec. 2.  RCW 27.12.190 and 1982 c 123 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:

     The management and control of a library shall be vested in a board of either five or seven trustees who are registered voters residing within the library jurisdiction, as ((hereinafter)) provided in this section ((provided)).  In cities and towns five trustees shall be appointed by the mayor with the consent of the legislative body.  In counties, rural county library districts, and island library districts, five trustees shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners.  In a regional library district a board of either five or seven trustees shall be appointed by the joint action of the legislative bodies concerned.  In intercounty rural library districts a board of either five or seven trustees shall be appointed by the joint action of the boards of county commissioners of each of the counties included in a district.  The first appointments for boards comprised of but five trustees shall be for terms of one, two, three, four, and five years respectively, and thereafter a trustee shall be appointed annually to serve for five years.  The first appointments for boards comprised of seven trustees shall be for terms of one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven years respectively, and thereafter a trustee shall be appointed annually to serve for seven years.  No person shall be appointed to any board of trustees for more than two consecutive terms.  Vacancies shall be filled for unexpired terms as soon as possible in the manner in which members of the board are regularly chosen.

     A library trustee shall not receive a salary or other compensation for services as trustee, but necessary expenses actually incurred shall be paid from the library funds.

     A library trustee in the case of a city or town may be removed only by vote of the legislative body.  A trustee of a county library, a rural county library district library, or an island library district library may be removed for just cause by the county commissioners after a public hearing upon a written complaint stating the ground for removal, which complaint, with a notice of the time and place of hearing, shall have been served upon the trustee at least fifteen days before the hearing.  A trustee of an intercounty rural library district may be removed by the joint action of the board of county commissioners of the counties involved in the same manner as provided ((herein)) in this section for the removal of a trustee of a county library.

 


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