Bylaws of the Iowa City Public Library
Board of Trustees
ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. | This organization shall be known as the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees and shall operate a free public library for the City of Iowa City. |
ARTICLE II - POWERS AND DUTIES
Section 1. | The Board of Trustees shall have the powers and duties set forth in Chapter 11 of the Iowa City Code and as required by Chapter 392.5 of the Code of Iowa (2007). |
Section 2. | The powers, duties and procedures shall be subject to all changes or repeals of state law and all such changes or repeals shall take precedence over these bylaws. |
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. | Terms and Qualifications. The Board of Trustees shall consist of nine (9) members, appointed for six (6) year terms by the Mayor of Iowa City and approved by the City Council. All members shall be residents of the City and shall be over the age of eighteen (18), except there may be one (1) non-resident member if the library is receiving funds for a county-wide library service on a contract basis. Appointments are approved by the City Council except the non-resident member who is approved by the Board of Supervisors. |
Section 2. | Compensation. Members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses incurred relating to official Library business. |
Section 3. | Vacancies. Any vacancy on the Board because of death, resignation, long-term illness, disqualification or removal due to four (4) consecutive unexcused absences from regular meetings shall be filled by appointment by the Mayor, with approval of the City Council, or the Board of Supervisors in the case of the non-resident member. The appointed trustee shall fill out the unexpired term for which the appointment is made. Members are expected to give the Mayor at least 30 days written notice of intention to resign. |
Section 4. | Orientation for New Members. Prior to the first regular meeting following their appointment, new members shall be provided with copies of these bylaws, pertinent sections of the City Code and other documents that would be useful to Board members in carrying out their duties. They will also be given an orientation briefing by the President of the Board and the Library Director or their designees. |
ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS
Section 1. | Number. The officers of this Board shall be President, Vice-President and Secretary. |
Section 2. | Election and Term of Office. The officers shall be elected annually at the April meeting and shall serve for one year beginning July 1. In February the president shall appoint a nominating committee who will present a slate of officers at the April meeting. Other nominations may be presented. |
Section 3. | Vacancies. In the event of the death or resignation of any officers, the Board shall chose a successor at the first meeting following the vacancy and that person shall hold office until the next regular election of officers. |
Section 4. | President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board, appoint committees, make appointments to the Friends Foundation Board, call special meetings, execute all documents authorized by the Board and generally perform all duties associated with the office. The President and the Secretary shall sign all disbursement lists prepared by the Director. |
Section 5. | Vice President. In the event of the absence or disability of the President, or of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice President shall assume and perform the duties and functions of the President. |
Section 6. | Secretary. The Secretary and the President shall sign all disbursement lists prepared by the Director. |
ARTICLE V - MEETINGS
Section 1. | Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at the Library at 5:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month, January through October. In November and December the meeting shall be held on the third Thursday of the month at the same place and same time. Any change in the regular meeting time or date shall be approved by the Board at a previous regular meeting. |
Section 2. | Special Meetings. A special meeting of the Board may be called at any time by the President or at the request of any two Board members for the transaction of business as stated in the call for the meeting. Such requests shall be given to the Library Director who shall give notice as described in Section 3. |
Section 3. | Notice of Meetings. Notice of regular meetings shall not be required; a special meeting may be called upon written notice. Notice must be received not less than twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting except for emergencies and must include time, place, date and tentative agenda. News agencies will receive notice via the City's web site. |
Section 4. | Place of Meetings. Regular meetings shall be in a place accessible to persons with disabilities. |
Section 5. | Quorum. A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting shall consist of five (5) members of the Board present in person. |
Section 6. | Procedural Rules. Proceedings of all meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, most recent edition. |
ARTICLE VI - ORGANIZATION OF BOARD BUSINESS
Section 1. | Agendas. The President and the Director shall prepare the agenda for all regular Board meetings. Agendas shall be posted and sent to Board members and the media at least three (3) days prior to the regular meeting. Agendas of all meetings must be posted at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting on the bulletin board in the Library lobby, and as requested by the City Clerk. |
Section 2. | Order of Business. The order of business of each meeting shall be established by the Board by motion made from time-to-time as the Board deems necessary, and the agenda shall be established and posted in advance of each meeting in accordance with the requirements of the Iowa Open Meetings Law (Iowa Code Ch. 21). |
Section 3. | Minutes. Minutes of all regular and special meetings are to be prepared and distributed to Board members and the City Council. The Library shall keep as a permanent record copies of all minutes, including documents attached to the minutes by Board action. |
Section 4. | Board Policies. All policy statements adopted by the Board shall be filed by subject in a policy notebook containing these bylaws. Each policy and each revision shall carry the date of its adoption. |
Section 5. | Committee. Board committees and their composition, duties and terms shall be designated by the President. All committees shall make progress reports at each regular Board meeting. |
ARTICLE VII - THERE IS NO ARTICLE VII
ARTICLE VIII - LIBRARY DIRECTOR AND STAFF
Section 1. | The Board shall appoint a qualified Library Director who shall be the executive and administrative officer of the library on behalf of the Board and under its review and direction. The Library Director shall carry out policies adopted by the Board and shall be held responsible for: employment and direction of staff; the care and maintenance of the building and equipment; the efficiency and effectiveness of the Library's service to the public; the provision of library collections and the operation of the Library under the financial conditions set forth in the annual budget. The Director or designee shall attend all Library Board meetings and shall present a report at each regular meeting. |
ARTICLE IX - RELATIONSHIP TO ICPL FRIENDS FOUNDATION
Section 1. | Membership. The membership of the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation consists solely of the Trustees of the Iowa City Public Library. Each member of the Board of Trustees shall become a Member of the Friends Foundation Corporation concurrently with becoming a member of the Board of Trustees and shall continue to be a Member of the Friends Foundation Corporation as long as he/she is a Trustee of the Library. Powers and duties of the Members are found in the bylaws of the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation. |
Section 2. | Friends Foundation Board of Directors. The President shall appoint two (2) trustees to serve one-year terms on the Board of Directors of the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation. The terms begin upon the adjournment of the Annual Meeting of Members of the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation. The President of the Trustees may serve as a Director. No Trustee may serve more than six (6) consecutive terms as a Director of the Friends Foundation. |
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
Section 1. | These bylaws may be altered or repealed, and new bylaws adopted by the members of the Board at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose. The proposed changes in the bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the members of the Board at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting for their consideration. |
Adopted - 07/26/84
Revised - 12/17/87
Revised - 10/27/88
Revised - 12/14/89
Revised - 01/93
Revised - 01/95
Revised - 08/98
Revised - 01/05
Revised - 2/28/08
