Section 182.291

Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 182

Effective - 28 Aug 1990   

  182.291.  City-county library, how organized — board of trustees, duties — effect of merger on assets and liabilities — funds, how handled — budget required. — 1.  After the establishment of a county library district as provided in section 182.010, the board of trustees of any city library within the county, which city has a library tax levy equal to that levied for the county library district, and which county library district has a population of under two hundred and fifty thousand, with the prior approval of the governing body of the city, may petition the county governing body to permit the organization of a city-county library to provide library service to the residents of the county by appropriate means from the city library.

  2.  After the county library board has been appointed as provided in section 182.050, the county library board may petition the county governing body to permit the organization of a city-county library which shall provide library service to the residents of the county by appropriate means from the city library.  Within thirty days after receiving the petition the county governing body shall notify the county library board and the city library board of its decision by order of record.  If the petition is approved, the city-county library shall be deemed established; but if the petition is denied, the parties may proceed as provided in sections 182.010 to 182.120.

  3.  The city-county library shall be under the control and supervision of a board of trustees of nine members.  If the population of the county is larger than that of the city, the county governing body shall appoint five members of the library board.  If the population of the county is less than that of the city, the county governing body shall appoint four members of the library board.  If the population of the city is larger than that of the county, the mayor of the city shall appoint five members to the library board.  If the population of the city is less than that of the county, the mayor shall appoint four members to the library board.  The members shall serve a term of three years and until their successors are appointed and qualified in the same manner as their predecessors; except that, the original members shall serve terms ranging from one to three years to be determined by the board at its first meeting.  Immediately upon their appointment, the board shall organize as provided in section 182.060; and thereupon the city board shall cease to exist and shall turn over all property, books and records to the city-county board.

  4.  All unexpended funds of the preexisting separate city and county library districts shall be deposited by the custodians thereof with the city treasurer immediately upon the issuance of the county governing body's approval of the petition.

  5.  For all tax purposes, including levies and adjustments thereof, the city library district shall become a part of the county library district at the beginning of the next fiscal year after the merger and the property within the city library district shall be treated as within the county library district for all such purposes; except, until the city library district shall become a part of the county library district the levy and collection of taxes shall be made as though no merger had taken place, so that the levy and collection of taxes shall be without interruption, and during that period no change in the levy shall take place.  The funds collected shall be turned over to the city treasurer immediately upon collection.

  6.  All of the real and personal property and all of the obligations of the preexisting separate city and county library districts shall, without further action, become the property and obligations of the merged city-county library district, which shall have an official name composed of the name of the city, followed by the name of the county and followed by the words "County Library District".

  7.  The merged district, and the librarian, officials and board thereof, shall have all of the rights, powers, responsibilities, and privileges granted county library districts by the laws of the state of Missouri and shall be governed by such laws, as though the merged districts were a county library district, except:

  (1)  Where such laws are inconsistent with this section;

  (2)  The treasurer of the board of trustees of the library district shall receive and be the custodian of all moneys, belonging to the district from whatever source derived.  Such funds shall be audited annually.  At least once in every month the proper finance officer shall pay over to the treasurer of the library district all moneys received and collected for the fund, including interest on such moneys, and take duplicate receipts from the treasurer, one of which he shall file with the secretary of the library district and the other of which he shall file in his settlement with the proper governing body;

  (3)  The library board shall prepare a budget for each fiscal year and all expenditures shall conform to such budget.  The budget shall be prepared and approved by the library board and made available to the members of the governing body of the city and the members of the county governing body sixty days before the beginning of each fiscal year, except the first budget of the merged district shall be prepared forthwith and so delivered after the merger.

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(L. 1955 p. 555 § 182.230, A.L. 1972 S.B. 583, A.L. 1976 H.B. 1021, A.L. 1985 S.B. 152, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1393)