Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

The expiration dates of our trustees’ terms are not properly staggered. Can this be corrected?

Background: Our Library Board has 11 trustees. When the Library was chartered in the 1950s, trustees were given 5-year terms with staggered expiration dates. Two terms expired in 1953, two in 1954, two in 1955, two in 1956, and three in 1957. In other words, there were five “classes”: four with two trustees each and one with three.

Over time, mistakes occurred and the terms are no longer balanced. Currently, four trustees’ terms expire in 2026, two in 2027, one in 2028, one in 2029, and three in 2030. While there are still five classes, they are no longer substantially equal. It may be possible to trace the errors in past records, but it is not clear that doing so would help resolve the issue.

We do not want to shorten the terms of current trustees. However, could future trustees be appointed to terms shorter than five years in order to restore the original distribution of four classes of two trustees and one class of three? Since our trustees are appointed by a municipality, we would need to coordinate with that body to make this adjustment if it’s even possible. The library’s charter and the board’s bylaws specify 5-year terms.

Any advice on how to proceed is greatly appreciated.