BY-LAWS
GATES PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD of TRUSTEES

Article I - Officers

1. The Board of Trustees shall consist of seven members appointed by the Town Board. (Enlargement granted 7/26/91 by State Board of Regents resolution #20963.)

a. A full term is for five years and terms expire on December 31 on a staggered basis per original appointment by the Gates Town Board.

b. Pursuant to the terms of the library’s original charter #7611, dated February 26, 1960, “vacancies due to cause other than expiration of term shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term by the Board of Trustees.”

c. No Board member shall serve more than two full terms, plus any fraction resulting from an appointment to an unexpired term.

2. The Officers of the Board shall be a President, Vice-President, and Secretary.

3. The President shall be elected at the regular meeting in December of each year. He shall preside at all meetings and shall have the usual powers of a presiding officer. The President shall be ex-officio, a member of all committees. No Trustee shall hold the office of President for more than two terms consecutively.

4. The Vice-President shall be elected at the regular meeting in December of each year and shall preside in the absence or disability of the President. The Vice-President shall also be the Financial Officer. No Trustee shall hold the office of Vice-President for more than two terms consecutively.

5. The Recording Secretary for Board minutes and packet preparation shall be the Director or staff person designated by the Director. The Board Secretary shall act as Corresponding Secretary, conducting Board requested correspondence.


Article II - Meetings

1. The regular meetings of the Board shall be held on the third Wednesday of each calendar month. (Exceptions: whenever a different time is set by the majority action of the Trustees resent at the preceding meeting.) These meetings shall be held at such place and hour as may, from time to time, be prescribed by the Board. The Board may by resolution, intermit the meetings in the months of July and August.

2. Special meetings may be held on the call of the President or any two Trustees, provided that notice be served personally to all Trustees before such meeting and shall state the subject proposed for consideration, which subject only, can be acted on at such special meeting.

3. A Quorum at any meeting shall consist of a simple majority of the presently appointed trustees and a majority vote shall be necessary for the transaction of business.

4. Parliamentary procedure of the Board shall be governed by “Robert’s Rules of Order”. (Most current edition.)

5. If any Trustee shall fail to attend three consecutive meetings without excuse accepted as satisfactory by the Board of Trustees, he shall deemed to have resigned and the vacancy filled. (Education Law, Sec. 226)

Article III - Committees

1. Special Committees may be appointed by the President from time to time with the approval of the Board.

2. No action of any committee shall be binding until approved by the Board unless full authority has been previously given by the Board and no committee shall authorize any expenditure without authority of the Board.

Article IV - Conduct of Trustees

1. All Library Trustees are covered by the Town of Gates’ Code of Ethics, as trustees are serving the Town in an advisory capacity, as defined in the Code of Ethics. The Library Board may choose to refer any violations of the Town’s Code of Ethics to the Town’s Board of Ethics.

2. The Board functions as an entity, with no one Board member speaking on behalf of the Board unless so authorized at a public meeting. In the case of a library emergency or media contact, the President, or the Trustee acting as the President, must confer with a majority of the Board before issuing a statement on behalf of the Board.

3. Any discussion of matters exempt from the Open Meetings Law as defined in New York State or Federal law, which are addressed in Executive Sessions, are confidential in nature and are not be distributed outside the Library Board. They are:

  • Matters that will imperil the public safety if disclosed.
  • Any matter that may disclose the identity of a law enforcement agent or informer.
  • Information relating to current or future investigation of a criminal offense that would imperil effective law enforcement if disclosed.
  • Discussions about proposed, pending or current litigation.
  • Collective negotiations pursuant to Article 14 of the Civil Service Law.
  • The medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.
  • The preparation, grading or administration of examinations.
  • The proposed acquisition, sale or lease of real property or the proposed acquisition of securities, or sale or exchange of securities held by such public body, but only when publicity would substantially affect the value thereof.

Article V - Executive Director

1. The Head Librarian shall be in sole charge of administration of the library and directly responsible to the Board of Trustees.

Article VI - Amendments

1. These By-Laws may be repealed, amended or added to at any regular meeting but may become effective only after a favorable vote at a subsequent meeting.

2. These By-Laws shall be reviewed by a committee appointed by the President in June of every third year.

Approved by the Library Board of Trustees of
Gates Public Library
February 14, 1973

Revised by the Library Board of Trustees of
Gates Public Library
June 20, 1990

Revised by the Library Board of Trustees of
Gates Public Library
September 18, 1991

Revised by the Library Board of Trustees of
Gates Public Library
March 19, 1997