The Council Bluffs Public Library is governed by a Board of Trustees by virtue of the provisions of Chapter 392.5 of The Code of Iowa and Chapter 1.70 of the Council Bluffs Municipal Code, which are incorporated by reference herein.
ARTICLE 1: OFFICERS
Section 1: The officers shall be president, vice-president, and secretary.
Section 2: Officers shall serve a term of two-years with a maximum of two consecutive terms per office.
Section 3: The President shall preside at all meetings of the board and appoint all committees.
Section 4: In the absence of the president, the vice-president presides. In the case of the absence of both the president and vice-president, the members shall elect a temporary chairperson.
Section 5: The secretary shall take the record of the meetings and sign the minutes after they are read and approved.
Section 6: Officers of the board shall be chosen at the July meeting of the board. Any vacancy of officers occurring during a term will be filled by appointment of the library board president.
ARTICLE 2: COMMITTEES
Section 1: There shall be five committees appointed by the president at the annual meeting.
Section 2: Each committee will meet as needed. The committees will be as follows:
- Building and Maintenance Committee
- The Building and Maintenance Committee will review building and maintenance issues.
- Executive Committee
- The Executive Committee has limited powers to act for the board in emergencies, but must have all actions ratified by the board at the next regular meeting.
- Finance Committee
- All library bills, after they are listed and approved by the director, shall be submitted to the Chairperson of the Finance Committee for review prior to board approval.
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- The Finance Committee will meet at least once a year before the City Council Budget Hearing to review the preliminary budget and submit it to the board at the next regular meeting for approval.
- Library Materials Committee
- The Library materials Committee will review any written material objections that have been filed with the director and make a recommendation to the board.
- Personnel Committee
- The Personnel Committee has the responsibility for the library director’s performance evaluation. The evaluation is conducted in June and is a tool to review the past year and plan for the future.
Section 3: The President shall appoint ad hoc committees as needed.
ARTICLE 3: MEETINGS
Section 1: The regular monthly meeting of the board shall be held in the Library Board Room on the third Wednesday of the month at 4:30 P.M. unless designated otherwise by the board.
Section 2: Absence from four consecutive regular meetings of the board, except in case of sickness or temporary absence from the city will result in termination from the library board. Vacancies in the board shall be filled by appointment of the mayor, with approval of the council, and the new trustees shall fill out the unexpired term for which appointment is made. (Council Bluffs Municipal Code 1.70.050)
Section 3: The Board will review and approve the budget at a regular meeting before the City Council Budget Hearing. Before the budget meeting, the director shall prepare copies of the budget for the following year for board members and shall discuss the items with the board at the time of presentation at the board meeting.
Section 4: A quorum shall consist of five members. If it is impossible to obtain a quorum, bills may be approved and warrants signed and other routine business passed by the president or vice-president or secretary and two other members. In such cases all business transacted should be presented for approval at the next meeting of the board at which a quorum is present.
Section 5: Special meetings may be called at any time by the president of the board or a majority of its members.
Section 6: Notices of all meetings shall be distributed by the director so that members receive them no later than the day before the meeting.
Section 7: The board shall comply with the Iowa Code and Iowa’s Open Meetings Law, and will conduct its meetings according to the latest edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER.
Section 8: Public Comment is allowed for any member of the Community to speak to the Library Board. Comment will not exceed 5 minutes per individual.
ARTICLE 4: DIRECTOR
Section 1: The board shall hire a director who shall have sole charge of the administration of the library under the direction and review of the board, subject to the job description of the board.
Section 2: The director shall be held responsible for the care of the building and equipment, for the employment and direction of the staff, for the efficiency of the library’s service to the public and for the operation of the library under the financial conditions set forth in the annual budget and other duties as necessary.
Section 3: The director shall attend all board meetings, but be excused from the parts of those at which the director’s evaluation or salary are to be discussed.
ARTICLE 5: ORDER OF BUSINESS
Call to Order
Approval of Agenda
Minutes of Last Meeting
Correspondence and Announcements
Financial Reports and Approval of Bills
Public Comment
Old Business
New Business
Friends of the Library
Other
Adjournment
ARTICLE 6: AMENDING BYLAWS
Section 1: These bylaws shall be reviewed every three years.
Section 2: Amendments may be made by a majority vote at a regular meeting provided a thirty day notice is given in writing to all members of the Board of Trustees.
Adopted: November 12, 1965
Revised: June 8, 1973
Amended: March 12, 1976, May 17, 1989, August 16, 1995, July 19, 2000,
October 17, 2007, September 15, 2010, Feb. 19, 2014
Reaffirmed: January 16, 2019, February 23, 2022