Article I: Identification
This organization is the Board of Trustees of the Wautoma Public Library, located in Wautoma Wisconsin, established by the Wisconsin municipality of Wautoma, according to the provisions of Chapter 43 of the Wisconsin Statutes, and exercising the powers and assuming the duties granted to it under said statute.
Article II: Membership
Section 1. Appointments and Terms of Office. Appointments and terms of office are as provided by the relevant subsections of Wisconsin Statutes Sections 43.54 and 43.60.
Section 2. Meeting Attendance. Members are granted up to 3 absences in a calendar year unless approved by the board for extenuating circumstances. The library board has the authority to remove a member who does not abide by this bylaw.
Article III: Officers
Section 1. The officers shall be a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer elected from among the appointed trustees at the annual meeting of the Board. No member shall hold more than one office at a time. Vacancies in office shall be filled by recommendation to the city, the Mayhor makes the appointment and the city council approves after the vacancy occurs.
Section 2. Nominations will be made from the floor at the annual meeting of the board.
Section 3. Officers shall serve a term of one year from the annual meeting at which they are elected and until their successors are duly elected.
Section 4. The president shall preside at meetings of the Board, authorize calls for special meetings, appoint all committees, execute all documents authorized by the Board, serve as an ex-officio voting member of all committees, and generally perform all duties associated with the office of president.
Section 5. The vice president, in the event of the absence or disability of the president, or of a vacancy in that office, shall assume and perform the duties and functions of the president.
Section 6. The secretary shall keep true and accurate minutes of all meetings of the Board and shall perform such other duties as are generally associated with the office of secretary. The library director or a member of the staff may be designated by the Board to perform any or all of the above duties.
Section 7. Three signers, including the treasurer, will be selected by the Library Board from its members to sign checks drawn on funds held by the library. Two signers are required to sign checks at the time of disbursement. The treasurer shall oversee the donation bank account by verifying funds to be deposited, make deposits, and reconcile with the bank statement.
Article IV: Meetings
Section 1. Regular Meetings. The regular meetings shall be held each month, the date and hour to be set by the Board.
Section 2. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting, which shall be for the purpose of the election of officers, shall be held at the time of the regular meeting in January of each year.
Section 3. Agendas and Notices. Meeting agendas and notices shall indicate the time, date, and place of the meeting and indicate all subject matters intended for consideration at the meeting.
Section 4. Minutes. Minutes of all meetings shall, at a minimum, indicate board members present, all items of business, all motions (except those that were withdrawn), and the result of all votes taken. Current board minutes shall be posted on a bulletin board in the library.
Section 5. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called at the direction of any board member with approval of the president or vice president, for the transaction of business as stated in the call for the meeting. Except in cases of emergency, at least 48 hours notice shall be given. In no case may less than two hours notice be given.
Section 6. Quorum. A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting shall consist of five members of the Board.
Section 7. Open Meetings Law Compliance. All Board meetings and all committee meetings shall be held in compliance with Wisconsin’s open meetings law (Wisconsin Statutes Sections 19.81 to 19.98).
Section 8. Parliamentary Authority. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition [or The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice F. Sturgis], shall govern the parliamentary procedure of the meetings, in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any statutes applicable to this Board.
Article V: Committees
Section 1. Standing Committees. The following committees: Fundraising, Historical Board, Personnel, Policy, Scholarship, Strategic Planning, Technology, shall be appointed by the president after the annual meeting and shall make recommendations to the Board as pertinent to Board meeting agenda items.
Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees. Ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the president, with the approval of the Board, to serve until the final report of the work for which they were appointed has been filed. These committees may also include staff and public representatives, as well as outside experts.
Section 3. No committee shall have other than advisory powers.
Article VI: Duties of the Board of Trustees
Section 1. Legal responsibility for the operation of the Wautoma Public Library is vested in the Board of Trustees. Subject to state and federal law, the Board has the power and duty to determine rules and regulations governing library operations and services.
Section 2. The Board shall select, appoint and supervise a properly certified and competent library director, and determine the duties and compensation of all library employees.
Section 3. The Board shall approve the budget and make sure that adequate funds are provided to finance the approved budget.
Section 4. The Board shall have exclusive control of the expenditure of all monies collected, donated or appropriated for the library fund and shall audit and approve all library expenditures.
Section 5. The Board shall supervise and ensure maintenance of buildings and grounds, as well as regularly review various physical and building needs to see that they meet the requirements of the total library program.
Section 6. The Board shall study and support legislation that will bring about the greatest good to the greatest number of library users.
Section 7. The Board shall cooperate with other public officials and boards and maintain vital public relations.
Section 8. The Board shall approve and submit the required annual report to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Division for Libraries and Technology, and the city council.
Article VII: Library Director
The board of trustees shall recommend the library director to the city council for appointment. The library director shall be responsible to the Board and shall be considered the executive officer of the library under the direction and review of the Board, and subject to the policies established by the Board. The director shall act as a technical advisor to the Board. The director shall be invited to attend all Board meetings (but may be excused from closed sessions) and shall have no vote.
Article VIII: Conflict of Interest
Section 1. Board members may not in their private capacity negotiate, bid for, or enter into a contract with the Wautoma Public Library in which they have a direct or indirect financial interest.
Section 2. A board member shall withdraw from Board discussion, deliberation, and vote on any matter in which the Board member, an immediate family member, or an organization with which the Board member is associated has a substantial financial interest.
Section 3. A board member may not receive anything of value that could reasonably be expected to influence his or her vote or other official action.
Article IX: General
Section 1. An affirmative vote of the majority of all members of the Board present at the time shall be necessary to approve any action before the Board. The president may vote upon and may move or second a proposal before the Board.
Section 2. Any rule or resolution of the Board, whether contained in these bylaws or otherwise, may be suspended temporarily in connection with business at hand, but such suspension, to be valid, may be taken only at a meeting at which two-thirds of the members of the Board are present and two-thirds of those present so approve.
Section 3. These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board by a majority vote of all members of the Board, provided written notice of the proposed amendment shall have been distributed to all members at least ten days prior to the meeting at which such action is proposed to be taken.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Wautoma Public Library on the 29th day of June, 2016.
Reviewed and accepted without change May 2, 2018.
Reviewed and accepted with changes March 4, 2020.