BYLAWS OF THE MORRISTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY
As adopted by the Board August 10, 2026
Article 1 – Name
This organization is and shall be known as the Morristown Public Library. This organization has been created by virtue of the provisions in the Absolute Charter Number 1269 granted by the Regents of the University of the State of New York on June 26, 1899, and exercising the powers and authority and assuming the responsibilities delegated to it under the said charter. This organization shall be located at 200 Main Street, Morristown, St. Lawrence County, New York.
Article 2 – Object
The object of this Association shall be to organize, maintain and promote a Free Association Library in the town of Morristown for the use and benefit of all residents thereof.
Article 3 – Management
1. The business and operation of the Morristown Public Library shall be managed and conducted by a Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall be five (5) in number at minimum and no more than fifteen (15) at maximum. Currently there are five (5) members and five (5) voting positions on the Board.
2. A quorum shall consist of 5 members of the Board.
3. Trustees shall be elected by the Board members.
4. Regular appointment/elections to the Board shall be made at the annual meeting of the Board. The term of membership as a trustee of the Board shall be either three (3) or five (5) years unless the trustee shall have resigned or otherwise terminated membership on the Board.
5. Vacancies which occur for reasons other than expiration of the term shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term by appointment of the Board of Trustees.
6. Trustees who shall fail to attend three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the Board, unless legitimately excused, shall be deemed to have resigned and will be notified by the Secretary. The vacancy will be filled by the Board at the next regular meeting or as soon as practicable.
7. Trustees must be Legal Residents of our chartered service area and must attend all meetings in person unless they are sick or have another excusable reason.
8. Behavior/conduct for trustees- The board may remove a trustee for misconduct, incapacity, neglect of duty, or refusal to carry into effect the library’s educational purpose as provided in Education Law 226; subdivision 8.”
Article 4 – Elections and Terms
1. The officers of the Board of Trustees shall be elected by the Board at the Annual meeting each year and shall consist of President, Vice President, Financial Officer and Secretary. The officers shall be elected from among the members of the Board.
2. The regular term of office for all officers shall be either three (3) or five (5) years beginning January 1st and ending December 31st. The tenure for President shall be for three (3) consecutive terms. A person may be re-elected to the office of President after an absence of one year. Vacancies shall be filled as in Article 3, section five (5), above.
3. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President at the September meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor. The vote for officers shall be by written ballot if two or more Trustees have been nominated for the same office.
Article 5 – Meetings
1. Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at the Library. These shall be held a minimum of 6 times a year with the Annual Meeting to be held in November. The day, date and time shall be set by the Board at the Annual Meeting.
2. All Board meetings with the exception of Executive Sessions shall be open to the public. A notice will be posted advertising each meeting in the Library, on the Library’s website, and Facebook page for publication.
3. A quorum is required to carry out any meeting of the Board and is defined as a majority of its members.
4. Special meetings to conduct the business of the Library are called by the President and arranged by her/him or her/his delegate.
Article 6 -Committees
1. Executive Committee: (A) Membership: The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Financial Officer shall be members of the Executive Committee. The NCLS Director shall be a member of the Executive Committee. (B) Responsibilities: The Executive Committee shall transact such business as may be necessary between meetings of the board and report on all actions taken to the full board at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The Executive Committee shall work with the NCLS Director to establish annual and long-term NCLS objective and regularly assess our progress toward the objectives.
2. Finance Committee: (A) Membership: The President shall appoint a Finance Committee at the first meeting of the calendar year. (B) Responsibilities: Work with the director to develop long-range plans to ensure financial stability. Work with the director to develop budgets to achieve the financial goals.
3. Ensure compliance with New York State and federal non-profit laws and recommend practices.
4. Nominating Committee: (A) Membership: The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee at the first meeting of the calendar year. (B) Responsibilities: Present the names of candidates for the new NCLS trustees to be selected during the annual meeting. Present a slate of board Officers to be elected during the final board meeting of the year.
5. Personnel Committee: (A) Membership: The President shall appoint a Personnel Committee at the first meeting of the calendar year. (B) Responsibilities: Oversee the review and revision of all employee policies and procedures, including the Employee Handbook. Ensure the library is in compliance with state and federal labor laws. Ensure all trustees and staff are aware of the annual education requirements and that new trustees receive appropriate information about their responsibilities. Perform an annual performance review for the Director.
Article 7- Quorum
A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of a majority of the seats currently held on the board.
Article 8- Order of Business
The order of business at the regular meetings shall be as follows:
- Approval of the agenda.
- Welcome and introduction of guests.
- Approval of minutes of previous meeting.
- Period for public expression.
- Approval of receipts and expenditures.
- Director and staff reports.
- Board committee reports.
- Old business.
- New business.
- Period for public expression.
- Time and place of next meeting.
- Adjournment.
This order of business may be changed at any meeting by a vote of the majority of the members of the Board President. Except as otherwise provided in the bylaws, the latest version of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings.
Article 9- Trustee Education
The Board shall comply with New York State Education Law Section 260-d requiring a minimum of two hours of continuing education annually for each year of a Trustee’s term. The local administration of this article shall be governed by the System’s Trustee Education Policy.
Article 10 – Amendments
1. These By Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Association by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present as long as a quorum shall exist at said meeting. Any and all amendments must be presented in writing.
Rose Tallon, President, Carolyn Noble, VP and Treasurer, Sue Spotswood, Secretary, Tracy Gagnon, Trustee, Joanne Vaillancourt, Trustee.