Twin Lakes OKs library agreement with census apportioned board

Photo by Sanja Gjenero via morgueFile.com

Photo by Sanja Gjenero via morgueFile.com

The Twin Lakes Village Board on Monday approved a revised joint agreement on the Community Library that includes a governing board with the number of members per municipality set by census.

The Twin Lakes board is the first of the five member municipalities to pass the new agreement.

The agreement passed unanimously.

Most members of the joint library had sought to keep the two members per municipality arrangement for the library board, despite that it appeared to violate current state statutes that required members be apportioned by population of the member municipalities. The desire to keep the two members per municipality arrangement — in place since the library’s founding in 1980 — was so strong that most of the members agreed to create a side agreement that would have Salem effectively give some of its board appointments to other municipalities to restore the two per municipality governing board.

But Paddock Lake officials objected to the side agreement because they felt it conflicted with state statutes and they sought a formal opinion from the state Department of Public Instruction. In March, Paddock Lake officials received that opinion, which said the side agreement was non-compliant.

The agreement approved Monday by the Twin Lakes board was the result of discussion among the municipalities’ attorneys, said village administrator Jennifer Frederick. It calls for a 10-member governing board with Salem having four reps, Twin Lakes having two reps and then one each for Paddock Lake, Silver Lake and Randall. There would also be one rep appointed to represent the local school districts.

Another configuration with a total of seven members — two for Salem and one each for Twin Lakes, Paddock Lake, Silver Lake and Randall and the schools — was favored by some municipalities, but objected to by others, Frederick said.

Trustee Kevin Fitzgerald suggested the board approve the agreement with either a 10 or seven member board. That amendment was made and approved.

The possibility of Salem and Silver Lake merging into one municipality also was raised. That could call for another re-figuring of representation on the library board. Trustee Sharon Bower suggested the board wait on approving the agreement until that process was completed, but Frederick pointed out that could take a while and funding was already being withheld from the library because the current agreement was out of compliance with state statutes.

Paddock Lake is expected to approve the agreement on Wednesday.

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