AN ACT Relating to modifying the appointment process for trustees of rural county library districts in counties with one million or more residents; amending RCW 27.12.190; and adding a new section to chapter 27.12 RCW.

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

Sec. 1.  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 as hereinafter 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, except as provided in section 2 of this act, 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 for the removal of a trustee of a county library.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 27.12 RCW to read as follows:

In any county with an adopted home rule charter and one million or more residents, the board of trustees of a rural county library district will be made up of seven members who are appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county legislative authority. Members shall be residents of either those cities or towns that, through annexation, have become part of the rural county library district or unincorporated areas of the county, and that represent the geographic diversity of the library district. The composition of an initial seven-member rural county library district board of trustees will comprise the existing five trustees, who will serve out their existing terms, and two new trustees, whose positions shall have initial terms of one and two years respectively. Thereafter a trustee shall be appointed to serve for five years to fill each expired term.

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