Section 182.707

Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 182

Effective - 28 Aug 2005   

  182.707.  Board of trustees, appointment, qualifications, terms, vacancies, expenses, officers how selected — meetings — majority vote of full board required when — librarian powers and duties — staff. — 1.  An urban public library district created under the provisions of sections 182.701 to 182.723 shall be governed by a board of trustees which shall consist of nine members.  The initial board of trustees shall be appointed by the board of directors of the nine director urban school district, no later than fifteen business days following an election approving creation of an urban public library district.  The new board of trustees shall meet and organize within ten days of appointment, or as soon after as reasonably practicable.  After the initial appointments, successor trustees shall be appointed by the mayors of the three cities in which the greatest portion of the geographic area of the new urban public library district is located.  Seven trustees shall be appointed by the mayor of the city in which the greatest percentage of the geographic area served is located.  The mayor of each of the other two cities shall be entitled to appoint one member of the board of trustees.  The mayor of the city comprising the third largest geographic area shall be authorized to appoint one board member two years following the initial appointment.  The mayor of the city serving the second largest geographic area shall be authorized to appoint one member four years after the initial appointment.

  2.  Of the nine members initially appointed to the board of trustees pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, two shall serve for two years, three shall serve for three years and four shall serve for four years.  At the time of the organizational meeting of the initial library board appointed by the board of education, the nine appointed members shall decide by drawing lots which shall serve for two, three or four years.  After the initial members of the board of trustees have been appointed in the manner set forth above, members shall be appointed to serve terms of four years, except that a member appointed to fill a vacancy in a term of office shall be appointed to serve only the remainder of that term.  Each member appointed shall serve until his successor in office is appointed and qualified.

  3.  Each member of the board of trustees shall be at least twenty-five years of age and shall be a resident of the urban public library district and shall have resided within the state of Missouri for at least one year next preceding his or her appointment.

  4.  Vacancies in the board of trustees occasioned by removals, resignations, or otherwise shall be reported to the mayor of the appropriate appointing city, and shall be filled in like manner as original appointment; except that, if the vacancy occurs during an unexpired term, the appointment shall be for only the unexpired portion of that term.

  5.  No trustee shall receive any fee, salary, gratuity or other compensation or remuneration for acting as such, except that the board of trustees may reimburse its members for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

  6.  The board of trustees shall have a president, secretary, and a treasurer and such other officers as the board may select.  All officers of the board of trustees shall be selected by the board.  All officers of the board of trustees shall serve at the pleasure of the board and shall not receive any salary, gratuity or other compensation or reimbursement for acting as such, except the treasurer, who may also serve as secretary.

  7.  The board of trustees shall provide for regularly scheduled meetings of the board to be held monthly.  The board of trustees shall make and adopt bylaws, rules and regulations governing the proceedings of the board, including bylaws prescribing the duties of each officer of the board of trustees.  No bylaws, rules or regulations shall be contrary to, or inconsistent with, any provision of law.

  8.  A majority of the full board of trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  An act of the majority of the trustees present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the board of trustees, except as hereinafter provided.  The affirmative vote of a majority of the full board of trustees shall be required to enter into any contract, employ or dismiss the chief administrative officer of the district, effect a merger or consolidation or approve a budget.

  9.  The board of trustees of an urban public library district shall adopt policies for the government of the urban public library district that will carry out the spirit and intent of sections 182.701 to 182.723, and the board of trustees shall employ a chief executive as administrative officer of the urban public library district charged with the duty of carrying out the policies adopted by the board of trustees.  The chief executive shall serve at the pleasure of the board of trustees.  The chief executive shall have the authority to employ professional library assistants and other employees to fill the positions that are created by the board of trustees.  The assistants and employees may be dismissed by the chief executive.

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(L. 1988 S.B. 681, A.L. 2005 H.B. 638)