Replaces 11/15/2022
ARTICLE I – GENERAL PROVISION
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Section l: |
These rules, adopted pursuant to the provisions of the Illinois Local Library Act, are intended to set out the duties of the Board of Library Trustees, provide procedures by which meetings of the said board are to be called and conducted, set out methods by which the business of the Board of Library Trustees is to be carried on, and provide other general rules relating to governance by the Board of Library Trustees. |
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Section 2: |
These rules are supplementary to the provisions of the statutes of the State of Illinois as they relate to the procedures of boards of library trustees. |
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Section 3:
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Each trustee elected to the library board is expected to perform all of the functions of the office, promoting a high level of library service while observing ethical standards. Trustees must avoid situations in which personal interests might be served or financial benefits gained at the expense of library users, colleagues, or the institution. It is incumbent upon any trustee to disqualify himself or herself immediately whenever the appearance of conflict of interest exists. Trustees are asked to distinguish clearly in their actions and statements between their personal views and the adopted positions of the board, acknowledging the formal position of the board even if they personally disagree. Trustees must be aware of and in compliance with applicable laws governing freedom of information while respecting library business of a confidential nature. Trustees must be prepared to resist censorship of library materials and information by groups or individuals in order to preserve intellectual freedom for all library users. |
| Section 4: | The office of the board shall be located at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 North Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois. |
ARTICLE II -- MEMBERS AND OFFICERS – DUTIES
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Section 1:
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The term of each member of the Board of Library Trustees shall commence at the first regular board meeting after the official election canvass has been completed (usually in April) in the year in which he or she is elected and continue until the regular board meeting in April of the sixth year thereafter, or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, unless state law shall hereafter otherwise provide. |
| Section 2: | The Board of Library Trustees shall elect the president, vice-president/secretary, and the treasurer from among its members. Each of the said officers shall be elected at the first regular meeting of the board following the April general elections and official canvass when library trustees are elected, sworn into office by a board officer or senior board member and formally seated on the board. Officers shall serve for a term of two years and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. If a vacancy occurs in any of the said offices of the board, the vacancy shall be filled by the board for the balance of the term. The president of the board shall not generally be elected to succeed himself or herself more than once; however under the circumstances deemed appropriate by the board, the president may be elected for a third term. Five affirmative votes of board members are required to extend the tenure of the president to a third term. |
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Section 3: |
The president shall supervise the affairs of the Board of Library Trustees. He or she shall preside at all meetings of the board and shall appoint such committees and subcommittees as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the board.
The president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and subcommittees so appointed. |
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Section 4:
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The vice president/secretary shall supervise the records of the Board of Library Trustees and preside at meetings of the board in the absence of the president. He or she shall inspect and certify by signing official minutes of the board's proceedings, and shall verify that records of all official actions of the board are properly maintained and made available as a public record. Minutes will include the date, time and place of the meeting, those present, and a summary of discussion on all matters proposed, deliberated or decided in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act. |
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Section 5: |
The treasurer shall lead the development of the annual budget and represent the library in financial matters with other agencies as required and monitor budgets, audit reports, financial plans and other key financial matters. The treasurer shall verify that all agents handling funds for the library are properly bonded. |
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS
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Section 1: |
The board will hold at least one business meeting per month at a regular scheduled time in the library. The date, place or time of a particular regular meeting may be changed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the trustees present and voting at a regular meeting. |
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Section 2: |
A special meeting of the board may be held at any time at the call of any two members of the board. No special meeting shall be held unless written notice of the time and place thereof shall be given to all board members at least 48 hours in advance of the said special meeting, except in bona fide emergencies. |
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Section 3: |
All meetings of the board shall be open to the public and conform to the requirements of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. |
| Section 4: | A quorum of the board shall consist of four members. |
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Section 5:
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Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the deliberations of the Board of Library Trustees, except when such rules are in conflict with any of the rules provided herein. |
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Section 6: |
The rules of order, other than such rules as may be prescribed by statute, may be suspended at any time by the consent of a majority of the members present at any meeting. |
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Section 7:
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An agenda for each regular, special or committee meeting of the Board of Library Trustees shall be prepared by the executive director in consultation with the president or committee chair preceding such meeting. Board members who wish to have items included on the agenda for a regular meeting shall submit such items to the executive director at least three business days prior to the meeting. |
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Section 8:
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Within 10 days after the beginning of each calendar year, the vice president/secretary of the board shall cause public notice to be given of the schedule of regular meetings of the board for the ensuing calendar year, stating the regular dates, times, and places of such meetings, by posting a copy of the notice in accordance with Illinois law. Whenever any meeting of the board is canceled, public notice of a rescheduled meeting shall be given by posting public notice in accordance with Illinois law. Public notice of a reconvened meeting need not be given when the announcement of the time and place of the reconvened meeting has been made at the original meeting and there has been no change in the agenda for such meeting. |
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Section 9: |
Any requests for notice of meetings or records related to such meetings by the media, individuals or groups will be handled as specified by Illinois law, including the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act. |
ARTICLE IV -- COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, OTHER COMMITTEES AND LIAISONS
| Section 1: | A committee of the whole shall consist of all board members. The president shall preside at meetings of the committee of the whole. The purpose of such meetings is to provide an informal forum for board members to engage in dialogue and provide an opportunity for open discussion and recommendations on issues. Board members who wish to have items included on the agenda shall submit such items to the executive director at least three business days prior to the meeting. |
| Section 2: | The committee of the whole will meet at least once per month, unless there is no business to come before the committee. |
| Section 3: | A quorum of the committee of the whole shall consist of four members. |
| Section 4: | The board may appoint ad hoc committees, special committees, or standing committees from time to time at the board's discretion. The president shall appoint the chair and all members of any such committees unless the board shall otherwise direct. |
| Section 5: | The president shall designate a member or members of the board as liaison(s) to the Friends of the Library and the Arlington Heights Memorial Library Foundation, who will serve for a term of two years. Re-appointment to additional terms as liaison is permitted. |
ARTICLE V – PROCEDURES
| Section 1: | The order of business at all regular meetings of the board shall be as follows:
A. Call to order C. Pledge of Allegiance E. Liaison reports G. Approval of minutes of previous committee of the whole meeting H. Review of financial reports I. Review of the warrant/check register |
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| Section 2: | No vote or action of the Board of Library Trustees shall be rescinded at any special meeting of the board unless there be present at such special meeting as many members of the Board of Library Trustees as were present at the meeting when such vote or action was taken. |
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| Section 3: | At the request of any member of the board, any resolution or motion presented to the Board of Library Trustees shall be reduced to writing before being voted upon. |
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| Section 4: |
No person other than the president or a member of the Board of Library Trustees shall address the board at any regular or special meeting other than in the time so designated on the agenda, except upon consent of a majority of the members present. Rules for public comment are as follows: |
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| 1. Any person shall be allowed to speak at any regular or special meeting on any library matter of public concern. No person shall be prevented from speaking on the basis of any prior speech. Persons wishing to speak must be present at the meeting. Public comment by use of any telecommunications device to speak at any regular or special meeting will not be permitted, except in the case of individuals with disabilities that prevent them from attending in person. Individuals who cannot attend due to disability or who require disability related accommodations to allow them to observe and/or participate are requested to contact the library in advance, if possible, to allow the library to try to arrange reasonable accommodations. | ||
| 2. Every public meeting shall set apart a maximum time of thirty (30) minutes near the beginning of each meeting to allow for public comments. Each person who wishes to speak will be allotted nor more than five (5) minutes, unless the presiding office reduces the allotted time because numerous people wish to speak. | ||
| 3.Each person who wishes to speak must place his or her name on a speaker’s list prior to the start of the meeting, and indicate whether they are an Arlington Heights resident. Speakers will be called to speak in the order of the list. In the event the period allotted for public comment elapses before all speakers have an opportunity to be heard, those speakers on the list still wishing to be heard shall retain their position on the list for the public comment portion of the next meeting. | ||
| 4.Each speaker must maintain civility and shall not disrupt the meeting by using obscene or threatening language or gestures or by violating the library’s Code of Conduct. Any person who does so, or who poses a threat to public safety, will be removed from the meeting and the library. | ||
| 5.Any person shall be permitted to address the Board of Library Trustees or any member of it at any time via mail or email at the trustee’s library email address. | ||
| Section 5: | Public comment at board committee meetings is permitted also. All rules set forth in Article V, Section 4 apply. |
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| Section 6: |
All written documentation of any nature, including graphs, letters and/or proposals, that is intended for consideration by the board or a committee from a member or members of the public shall be submitted to the office of the executive director at least one week before the scheduled meeting(s) at which consideration of the documentation is sought, if possible; otherwise as early in advance of the meeting as possible in order to give trustees reasonable opportunity to review same.
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| Section 7: |
Although the library will strive to provide reasonable access upon request to the records and documents relating to the business of the board and the library, documents issued by the library staff for consideration by the full board or a board committee may be classified as confidential drafts until the document is brought before the full board or a board committee. Reports, documents and other information that are legally confidential will be reclassified as public information if and when the conditions requiring confidentiality are no longer applicable.
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| Section 8: |
All meetings of committees and the board shall end no later than 10:00 p.m. unless specifically extended by a majority of the members present. Access to the meeting by the public will be maintained after the library is closed.
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| Section 9: | Attendance by means other than physical presence. If a quorum of the board is physically present a trustee not physically present may attend the meeting (including any closed portion of the meeting) by video or audio conference, if the following conditions are met: |
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| A.The board member desiring to attend the meeting by video or audio conference must notify the recording secretary before the meeting, unless advance notice is impractical. | ||
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B. The reason the board member is prevented from physically attending the meeting is because: |
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| A board member attending by means other than physical presence has the full rights of a board member who is physically present; i.e., the board member may vote, move or second motions, discuss the business on the agenda, and take other action as desired. |
ARTICLE VI -- AMENDMENT OF RULES
| Section 1: | These rules may be amended from time to time by a majority vote. |
| Section 2: | A proposed amendment to these rules shall be presented in writing at a regular or special meeting preceding the meeting at which the vote is taken. |
The foregoing rules are hereby approved by the Board of Library Trustees of the Village of Arlington Heights
on September 19, 2023.
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President, Board of Library Trustees