MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners left the county’s eight libraries without an advisory board when they voted 6-1 to table seven appointments to the nine-seat board in January, despite having 13 candidates step up to volunteer.
Two of those candidates were seeking reappointment to the board.
The move was initiated by Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who said that he didn’t feel any of the candidates, including the two seeking reappointment, shared the same viewpoint as the county commissioners.
Commissioner George Kruse was the lone dissenting vote.
In April 2023, commissioners voted to expand the library board from five to nine seats. With the four new seats vacant and three of the five existing seats expired as of Jan. 31, that leaves only two members sitting on the board.
The 2023 county ordinance governing the Library Advisory Board, ordinance 23-105, which replaced a previous ordinance from 1984, states that the board must be ruled by a simple majority. Without a majority, the board can’t meet. The county’s webpage dedicated to the advisory board notes that meetings, usually held once a month, are now to be determined. As of press time for The Sun, no county commission agendas had been released listing the appointments to the advisory board as an agenda item.
According to the ordinance, board members are tasked with several responsibilities, among them, working with the library services manager to review and purchase new books and other materials, making recommendations on available and new resources and providing recommendations on the Manatee County Collection Development Policy.
They are also in charge of receiving grants, payments and other monies designated for the library and turning them over to county commissioners; advising the library services manager on public needs that can be served by the library and giving input on programs and services; reviewing and recommending library policies to the county board of commissioners; reviewing and recommending a long-range plan for library services to the county commission; ensuring that the library collection meets the needs of the public; and annually presenting a report to Manatee County commissioners on the state of the library system.
Speaking during the Jan. 23 county commission meeting, Manatee County Library Services Manager Tammy Parrott said that she was pleased with the candidates who had put their names forth for consideration to the Library Advisory Board and said it was “the most robust” pool of candidates she’d seen in her time with the county.
All nine seats on the Library Advisory Board are appointed by Manatee County commissioners. Each person appointed to the board serves a four-year term unless filling an unexpired term vacancy on the board.
