What in the world is going on at the Mount Vernon Public Library? At the September 24th meeting, the board passed Resolution #053-25, which changed the board’s regular meeting schedule. Instead of meeting on the third Wednesday of every month (except for August), which had been the schedule for decades, the board reduced the number of its regular meetings from eleven to eight. Going forward, the January, March, April, May, June, and October regular meetings will be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, with the September and December regular meetings taking place on the first Wednesday of the month. February, July, and November meetings were eliminated in addition to August.
As if this new schedule wasn’t confusing enough, an undated notice on the library’s website outlines a completely different meeting schedule, which contradicts the resolution schedule and the library’s bylaws. According to the notice schedule, the board will only hold four regular meetings a year in June, September, October, and December. The board may also conduct four work sessions in January, March, April, and May. According to the notice, the June, September, and October regular meetings will occur on the fourth Wednesday of the month, but the December regular meeting will occur on the second Wednesday of the month. The March, April, and May work sessions will be on the fourth Wednesday, but the January work session will take place on the second Wednesday. There will still be no meetings or work sessions held in February, July, August, or November. (Board Meeting Notice)
If the library’s meeting schedule is a test, we’re all likely to fail. Neither of these schedules is easy to follow, and neither one should be implemented. Will the library stop receiving bills in February, July, and November? If not, when will the board vote to approve payment for them? According to the bylaws, the board’s July meeting marks the time when new trustees are sworn in, board officers are elected, and the Treasurer is appointed. Both of the proposed schedules eliminate the July reorganization meeting when these important position changes take place. Will the reorganization meeting take place in September going forward? Will no bills get approved for payment in the first half of the year? How’s that going to work? If the board doesn’t need to meet for half the year, why does the library still need a board?
No other Westchester public library has only four regular meetings per year. Other library boards understand the importance of their fiduciary duty to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars all year round, and not just when it’s convenient for them to do so on a haphazard schedule.
On September 22nd, the library’s board voted to suspend public expression until further notice. Now they’re making their meeting schedule so confusing that the public won’t even know when to go and silently watch the proceedings. If you believe that this board’s decisions are hurting our library, please attend the Mount Vernon Public Library’s regular board meeting on Wednesday, October 22nd, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room. Come out and tell this board to rescind Resolutions #053-25 and #058-25, which suspended public expression. It’s our library, and it is our responsibility to hold the people in charge of it accountable for its care.
Tamara Stewart
Library Advocate
