KRS § 173.340 — KY Code / Title XIV / Chapter 173 / Section 173.340
173.340 Library board of trustees
Status: in_force

173.340 Library board of trustees.

(1) The management and control of a library shall be vested in a board of trustees. In

cities and counties, the board shall consist of five (5) members except that in cities

with populations equal to or greater than twenty thousand (20,000) based upon the

most recent federal decennial census, it shall consist of seven (7) members. In the

event a contract for library service is made pursuant to subsection (4) of KRS

173.310, the board may consist of equal representation from the contracting parties

with the total membership not to exceed twelve (12). In a library region, there shall

be five (5) members, except if the number of counties exceeds five (5), there shall

be one (1) trustee from each county in the region.

(2) Within thirty (30) days after the establishment of a library has been authorized by

any of the methods authorized by KRS 173.310, a library board shall be appointed.

In cities the trustees shall be appointed by the mayor and in counties they shall be

appointed by the county judge/executive. There shall be established a board of

trustees in each regional library district for purposes of coordinating library

programs and effecting economies and efficiencies of the member county library

systems. In each regional library district, the trustees shall be appointed by the joint

action of the judges/executive of the respective counties or as may be agreed upon

by contract. In any region in which there are four (4) or less counties, provision

shall be made in the contract for rotation of members and an equitable adjustment of

terms. If a region consists of an even number of counties, the trustees appointed by

the judges/executive of the respective counties shall appoint an additional trustee

whose term of office shall be four (4) years and whose successor shall be appointed

by the trustees in office at the time of expiration of such term. Trustees shall be

appointed from the governmental unit at large with special reference to their fitness

for such office. Upon initial establishment of the board, members of the board shall

be appointed to terms as follows: two (2) members for two (2) years, one (1)

member for three (3) years, and two (2) members for four (4) years respectively, and

thereafter trustees shall be appointed to serve terms of four (4) years. Trustees may

serve for two (2) consecutive terms after which they shall not succeed themselves.

They may be reappointed no earlier than twelve (12) months following the end of

their last service. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired terms as soon as

possible in the same manner as the original appointments. In the event that

vacancies have existed for a period of at least six (6) months, the Governor of the

Commonwealth of Kentucky, upon the recommendation of the state librarian, may

make such necessary appointments. After absence of a trustee from four (4) regular

monthly meetings of the board during any one (1) year of the trustee's term, the

trustee shall be considered to have automatically resigned from the board. An

advisory board may be appointed and serve as specified in bylaws of the public

library board of trustees.

(3) Library trustees shall not receive a salary or other compensation for their services,

but may be reimbursed for actual expenses necessarily incurred in the performance

of their duties, upon approval by the board. Before entering upon the duties of his

office, a trustee shall take oath that he will faithfully discharge his duties. No board

shall employ as a member of its library staff any member of the board or any person

related closer than a second cousin to any member of the board. No person is

eligible to this office who is directly or indirectly interested in the sale to the library

of books, magazines, supplies, equipment, materials, insurance or services for

which library funds are expended.

(4) A library trustee may be removed only by vote of the legislative body of the

respective governmental unit from which he was appointed.