ARTICLE I
Authorization
Section 1.
This organization shall be called “Board of Library Trustees” of the Jacksonville Public Library (hereafter called the “BOLT”) existing by virtue of the provisions of Chapters 50, 90, and 662 of the Jacksonville Municipal Code and exercising the powers and authority and assuming responsibilities delegated to it under these resolutions.
Section 2.
The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library (hereafter called the “Library”) is to enrich lives, build community, and foster success by bringing people, information, and ideas together.
Section 3.
Authority of the BOLT: The BOLT shall have authority to receive, accept and exercise control over funds, property, gifts, legacies, or devises now and hereafter granted to the library or its predecessor libraries and agencies for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a free public library in and for the consolidated government and its citizens. The BOLT shall be responsible for the administration of the Library and services.
ARTICLE II
Membership
Section 1.
Appointment, Confirmation and Members: The BOLT shall be composed of twelve voting members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Two members shall be appointed from, and reside in, each of the five City Council At-Large Groups, and two members shall be appointed At-Large. One At-Large voting member may be a non-resident provided that said member works in Duval County and is a patron of the Library with a valid Library card.
The BOLT shall also include the following non-voting members:
- a) The President of the City Council or his/her designee, who shall be a member of the City Council;
- b) The Superintendent of Schools for the Duval County Public Schools or his/her designee; and
- c) At the discretion of the President of the City Council, a second member of the City Council may serve as a third non-voting member. (Sections 50.102 and 90.101.)
Section 2.
Terms: A voting member’s term shall be four years. Each term shall expire on September 30 of the last year of the term. The terms of the twelve voting members shall be staggered so that three members shall be appointed to terms of four years every year. No voting member appointed to the BOLT for two consecutive full terms shall be eligible for appointment to the next succeeding term, however a voting member may continue in his/her role until a respective successor is appointed and confirmed. (Sections 50.104 and 90.101)
Section 3.
Any member who, for any reason, resigns his/her position on the BOLT, shall do so in writing to the BOLT Chairperson, who shall notify the Mayor’s Office.
Section 4.
Any vacancy in the BOLT shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as provided for initial appointment to the BOLT. Any individual appointed to serve on the BOLT for a period of less than 50 percent of a full BOLT term (appointed for less than two years from the effective date of the legislation to the expiration of the term of service) shall be said to be serving a partial term. (Section 50.104) Trustees who complete a partial term shall be eligible to be reappointed to serve up to an additional two full terms.
Section 5.
No member of the BOLT shall receive compensation for his/her services as such, except as expenses incurred in the performance of official BOLT duties. (Section 50.102)
Section 6.
A member of the BOLT can hold another non-elective position in the consolidated government provided limitations in Section 50.103 of the Jacksonville Ordinance Code are followed.
ARTICLE III
Officers
Section 1.
The officers of the BOLT shall be Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary, elected from among the voting members of the appointed trustees.
- a) Chairperson – The Chairperson of the BOLT shall preside at all meetings, appoint all committees, issue all calls for regular and special meetings, and generally perform all duties associated with that office.
- b) Vice-Chairperson – The Vice-Chairperson of the BOLT shall perform all the duties of the Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson, and such other duties as may be directed and authorized by the BOLT.
- c) Secretary – The Secretary shall see that all proceedings of the BOLT are recorded faithfully. The Secretary may delegate the drafting of minutes to a member of the Library staff, and all such minutes shall be approved by the BOLT.
Section 2.
Terms: Officers shall serve a term of one (1) year beginning October 1 and until their successors are duly elected. Officers may serve multiple terms in succession.
In case of a vacancy in the office of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall fill the office of Chairperson. In the case of a vacancy in the offices of Vice Chairperson or Secretary, the BOLT shall elect a member to fill the unexpired term. An election to fill a vacant office shall be placed on the agenda of the BOLT’s next regular meeting after a vacancy occurs.
Section 3.
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will consist of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and immediate Past-Chairperson, if still serving on the BOLT. The primary purpose of the Executive Committee is to act as a personnel committee, responsible for developing processes and procedures used by the BOLT to hire and assess the work of and to discharge the services of the Library Director. The Executive Committee may also meet from time to time to discuss issues related to the overall functioning of the BOLT.
ARTICLE IV
Meetings
Section 1.
Each board and commission is subject to the provisions of F.S. Ch. 119 and F.S. Ch. 286 (the Public Records Law and the Government in the Sunshine Law, respectively) and any exceptions as provided for by Florida law, specifically Section 112.324 (Commission on Ethics).
Section 2.
Unless otherwise decided by the consent of a majority of the BOLT or by the Chairperson at his/her discretion, regular meetings shall be held each month at the date and hour set by the Chairperson of the BOLT. The Chairperson may consult with the BOLT in making such decisions, so long as the consultation complies with local, state and federal laws governing the BOLT.
Section 3.
Special meetings of the BOLT shall be called by the Chairperson, or at the request of the Executive Committee, for the transaction of business so stated in the call for the meeting and with reasonable and appropriate public notice.
Section 4.
A majority of the voting membership of the BOLT (which, in addition to those members whose terms have not expired, will include those whose terms have expired, but for whom no replacement appointment has been made and approved) shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of meetings and transacting business. (Section 50.105) The BOLT Chairperson shall count toward a quorum. If a quorum is not present at any meeting of the BOLT or Committees, the meeting may be held but no business may be voted upon.
BOLT members may participate and vote in meetings via telephone or other interactive technology if the individual's absence is due to extraordinary circumstances and a quorum of members is physically present at the location where the meeting is being held. Members participating via telephone or other interactive technology shall not count toward the meeting's quorum.
Section 5.
Tie votes: The BOLT Chairperson will be a non-voting member of the BOLT except in the case of a tie vote; in the event of a tie vote, the BOLT Chairperson will act as the tie-breaker.
Section 6.
In the event of controversy in matters relating to the conduct of business at BOLT meetings, the rules of order contained in the most recent version of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the BOLT in its deliberations in all cases to which they are applicable except when such rules are in conflict with these bylaws.
Section 7.
Public meetings and locations: All BOLT meetings shall be held in a public library, or on premises owned or leased by the City of Jacksonville, and shall be open to the public.
Section 8.
Public comments: Members of the public shall be given reasonable opportunity to be heard on a proposition before the BOLT, prior to the BOLT’s vote on the proposition. (Florida Statute Section 286.0114)
Section 9.
The presidents or representatives of all affinity groups (including the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation and all related Friends organization) shall be invited to submit written reports and attend all regular BOLT meetings.
Section 10.
Annual Work Day: The BOLT will hold an annual Work Day each year. This Work Day will allow for discussion about strategic and tactical planning and a review of advocacy, budget and any other pertinent topics.
ARTICLE V
Committees
Section 1.
Committees are working bodies. The BOLT shall establish a policy for the creation of standing and special ad hoc committees to gather facts, study and investigate designated problems and perform planning and performance monitoring. The result of each committee’s work shall be recommended BOLT actions.
Section 2.
At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Chairperson shall appoint standing committees defined in policy. Standing committees may consist of BOLT members and non-BOLT members as is appropriate. Standing committee terms shall be one year in length, and may be renewed.
- a) Finance Committee – Shall review the financial position of the Library and make reports and recommendations for a sound, feasible program for financing its costs. The Finance Committee shall develop and recommend to the full BOLT for its action, annual budgets for the fiscal year.
- b) Personnel Committee – Shall be responsible for the selection and hiring process of the Library Director. The Personnel Committee shall be responsible for developing a process to be used by the full BOLT to annually evaluate the performance of the Library Director.
- c) Governance Committee – Shall review policy issues and ideas related to governance of the Library. The Governance Committee shall be responsible for regularly reviewing customer communications and feedback, identifying policy issues, reviewing policy options and implications, and presenting those options to the full Board for its action.
- d) Nominating Committee – Shall prepare a slate of officers as well as a representative from the Library Board to serve as an ex officio member of the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation’s Board of Directors, for presentation at the July meeting.
- e) Capital Improvements Committee – Shall explore, recommend, and pursue goals, methods, and contacts for advocacy of library-related capital projects and improvements.
Section 3.
Additional standing or ad hoc committees may be appointed when deemed necessary by the Chairperson or a majority vote of the BOLT. Terms for ad hoc committees and the appointees are to be determined at the time the committee is created and the appointments are made.
Section 4.
The BOLT Chairperson may appoint non-members of the BOLT to a committee; however the Chairperson of each committee must be a BOLT Member.
ARTICLE VI
Roles and Duties of Board of Library Trustees
Section 1.
In connection with monies drawn from the City’s General Fund in each budget year, the BOLT shall abide by the provisions of the City’s Budget and Accounting Code, the Mayor’s Executive Orders relating to the Mayor’s Budget Review Committee procedures and the Administration of Non- Departmental Lapse, and any other Executive Orders pertaining to budgetary matters, and the City’s budgetary policies as published from time to time. The BOLT shall ensure that no expenditure of budgeted funds from the General Fund shall exceed the maximum permissible expenditure by object account within an activity except as allowed by the City’s published budgetary policies. (Section 90.102)
Section 2.
The BOLT shall recommend an annual operating budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1 and ending September 30 before presentation to the appropriate governing authority. The budget shall be submitted through the Budget Office in the consolidated government within the time and in the manner provided in Article 14 of the City Charter.
Section 3.
The BOLT shall employ and discharge a Library Director and such other appointed employees as may be necessary to conduct free library service. The BOLT shall delegate selection and discharge of all such employees to the Library Director. The person employed by the BOLT as Library Director shall have a Master’s Degree in Library Science and at least five (5) years’ experience in library administration. (Section 90.103)
Section 4.
Reports and Plans: The BOLT shall submit annually to the Mayor and the City Council, and to the Mayor upon his/her request, such reports as the Mayor and City Council may require upon the activities of the BOLT and of the Library. In connection with any library capacity study or plan, the BOLT shall provide the Mayor and the Council with recommendations for action by the legislative and executive branches of government within 60 days after the BOLT’s receipt of the study or plan. (Section 90.104)
Section 5.
BOLT Members should attend all regularly scheduled meetings and any special meeting called by the Chairperson of the BOLT. If any appointed member fails to attend two of three successive meetings of the BOLT without cause and without prior approval of the Chairperson, the BOLT shall declare the member’s office vacant. (Section 50.104)
Section 6.
Excused Absences: Trustees should notify the Library Director or his/her designee of a planned absence from a full BOLT or Committee meeting at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting by email or telephone. Emergency absences from full BOLT or Committee meetings will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Section 7.
Roles and Duties of Individual Board Members: The BOLT shall adopt a policy that establishes a job description outlining the roles, duties and expectations of individuals agreeing to serve as members of the BOLT.
ARTICLE VII
Role of Library Director
Section 1.
The Library Director is the executive officer of the Library and shall have sole charge of the administration of the Library under the direction and review of the BOLT. The Library Director shall be held responsible for carrying out the mission of the Library, the employment and direction of the staff, the effectiveness of the Library’s service to the public, the preparation of long-range plans, the preparation of the annual operating budget to the BOLT, the preparation of the annual report of the Library, and the operation of the Library under the financial conditions set forth in the annual budget.
Section 2.
The Library Director shall attend all BOLT and committee meetings except for excused absences approved by the Chairperson, or those at which the hiring, termination, or salary of the Library Director may be discussed or decided.
Section 3.
The Library Director shall appoint one or more subordinate staff persons to record minutes, distribute communications to and from the BOLT and perform duties necessary to ongoing progress of the BOLT. Any individual performing these functions or others as defined in Library policy or procedure will be known as the Clerk of the BOLT.
ARTICLE VIII
Affinity Groups
Section 1.
The BOLT shall create policies and procedures establishing formal relationships with affinity groups and other organizations to fundraise, advocate and otherwise support the Library and its mission.
Section 2.
Use of the name Jacksonville Public Library: The BOLT has the authority to permit or deny any group the use of the name of “Jacksonville Public Library” or the name of any branch or otherwise named space in association with the groups’ name or activity or event performed by or for the group. No group may use the name “Jacksonville Public Library” or the name of any named space under the administration of the BOLT without approval of the BOLT and the groups signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the BOLT.
ARTICLE IX
Amendment
The Bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the BOLT by a simple majority vote of all voting members of the BOLT, provided this amendment was stated in the call for the meeting. The Bylaws shall be reviewed in the fall of every third year, beginning 2022, by the Governance Committee, with a final draft of any proposed changes presented to the BOLT for review and approval.
ARTICLE X
Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read
The BOLT subscribes to and adopts the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement as adopted by the American Library Association. (Addendum 1 and 2)
