By-Laws for the Wimberley Village Library District
[Effective March 9, 2006]
[Revised July 9, 2020]
The purpose of a library district is to establish, equip, and maintain one or more public libraries for the dissemination of general information relating to the arts, sciences, and literature. [Texas Local Government Code, §326.002]
Article 1. Name.
Section 1. The name of this entity shall be the Wimberley Village Library District (“District”).
Article 2. Duties of the Board of Trustees.
Section 1. The Board of Trustees (“Board”) shall have control over and shall manage the affairs of the District as set forth in Chapter 326 of the Texas Local Government Code.
Section 2. The Board shall function as the fiscal, planning, and policymaking body for the District. Day-to-day operation of the Library shall be the responsibility of the Staff, headed by the Director.
Article 3. Trustees.
Section 1. Members of the Board are elected by the registered voters of the District according to Texas Local Government Code, §326.043.
Section 2. After the trustees have assumed office, the trustees shall elect from among the trustees a president, a vice president, a secretary, and any other officers the Board considers necessary. Officers shall serve until their successors are elected, or until they cease to be a member of the Board.
Section 3. The president or vice president shall preside at all meetings, appoint special committees, and sign all District contracts.
Section 4. The vice president shall assume the duties of the president in the president’s absence.
Section 5. The secretary shall keep a true and accurate account of all Board meeting proceedings and shall have custody of the minutes of the meetings. The secretary or a Board-designated individual shall be responsible for all correspondence. The secretary acts as the president if both the president and the vice-president are incapacitated or absent from a meeting.
Section 6. A treasurer, whether elected or appointed, shall have charge of all District funds and shall report at each meeting on the state of the funds. Two authorized signatories shall sign checks over the amount of $5,000. The treasurer also maintains the financial records of the District.
Section 7. Members of the Board shall serve without compensation.
Section 8. A vacancy in the office of a trustee shall be filled by appointment by the remaining trustees.
Section 9. The Board will assist the Library Director in composing the required position descriptions and the interviewing of prospective personnel. The Board shall have final approval of the employment of any new personnel.
Article 4. Meetings.
Section 1. Regular monthly meetings of the Board shall be held in the library at a date and time agreed on by the Board members.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the president or the acting president, or by written request of at least two members of the Board, for the transaction of business stated in the call for the special meeting. Notice of all special meetings shall be given to all members of the Board at least seventy-two hours prior to the date of the special meeting.
Section 3. Any meeting of the Board may be held at other locations if access to the Library is not available. When required by extraordinary circumstances the Board of Trustees may conduct a regular or special meeting by any appropriate electronic means including but not limited to video conference or audio conference. Trustees may participate by electronic means in any meeting held at a physical location and their participation by such means shall be counted in a quorum decision. The Board may not discuss any item of business in an electronic meeting which is open to the public if that item is included in the exceptions to the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act (Sections 551.071 through 551.090).
Section 4. Agendas for all regular and special meetings shall be posted seventy-two hours prior to the meeting at the library and on the library’s web site.
Section 5. The presence of three trustees shall constitute a quorum. All decisions of the Board shall require the affirmative vote of at least three trustees.
Section 6. All meetings are open to the public.
Article 5. Committees.
Section 1. Special committees or advisory groups for the study and investigation of special problems may be appointed by the president. Such committees or advisory groups are to serve until the completion of the work for which they were appointed. All committees must make a progress report to the Board at each meeting.
Article 6. Parliamentary Authority.
Section 1. The rules in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the District in all
cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-Laws.
Article 7. Amendments.
Section 1. The By-Laws of the District may be amended by presentation of an amendment at any regular monthly meeting of the Board to be considered at the next regular meeting.
Article 8. Finances.
Section 1. The financial duties and responsibilities of the District are governed by Chapter 326 of the Texas Local Government Code.
Section 2. Unrestricted donations, described as monies received from private donors who do not specify how their donations shall be used, shall be placed in the Wimberley Village Library District discretionary fund. The fund shall be deposited in an interest generating account if feasible. Expenditure of discretionary funds shall be at the discretion of the Board and executed by the Board Treasurer. The purpose of the discretionary fund shall be to establish a reserve of monies not subject to state or county regulations for expenditure on behalf of the Wimberley Village Library.
Article 9. Staff
Section 1. The Library Director shall be employed and have compensation set by the Board.
Section 2. The Library Director shall report to the Board. The Library Director will plan for and implement as full a range of public services as is possible within the limitations of time, staff, and community needs. The Library Director will supervise other staff, maintain, and develop collections, recommend policy, act as site manager, and coordinate the library budget as directed by the Board.
Section 3. The Library Director shall provide monthly reports to the Board and, at the request of the Board, shall attend Board meetings.
Section 4. The president of the Board shall review annually the employment of the Library Director, bringing a report to the Board at least two months before the end of the fiscal year.
Section 5. All paid staff shall receive an annual review.
Attest: Dell Hood, Board President Date: ____________________ |
Attest: Carol Sicuro, Board Secretary Date: _____________________ |
As amended: