Board reviews emergency MOU after library was signed up as a potential shelter

The West Bend Community Memorial Library is listed as a potential emergency shelter under a recently signed memorandum of understanding, and trustees debated whether the board should have reviewed the agreement before it was executed. Library Director Steve told the board the MOU was signed and that, in an emergency, officials would call him first to discuss using the library as a shelter or command post. “If there's an emergency event, they're gonna call me first,” he said. Several trustees said they had not seen the full MOU before it was signed and asked whether board review or approval should be required for this type of agreement. One trustee pointed out that the library should have a staff signer on the document rather than an outside official and said, “It should not have been Tim. It's West Bend Community Library. Tim signed this.” Board members and staff discussed operational concerns if the library opens as a shelter: whether the facility would set aside a designated area for sheltering, how to limit the library’s responsibilities for feeding or supervision, and who would be legally or operationally responsible for incidents involving shelter guests. Board member Jay raised the security question directly: “If something happens, are we responsive for it or the city responsible for that?” Trustees noted the MOU is consistent with common practice for public buildings and emergency planning. A speaker pointed out that city hall and school district facilities are often listed as evacuation or command sites and that having an alternate site is useful if primary sites are unavailable. The board also referenced county coordination; a trustee identified the county emergency manager, saying, “Dustin, I think, is the new guy ... the emergency manager,” and suggested county emergency management should lead or coordinate shelter operations. Board members generally signaled support for the library serving as an available venue but asked that future MOUs be shared with trustees in advance and that implementation details — designated shelter areas, staff roles, shelter duration and responsibility for guests — be clarified with city and county emergency managers. No formal motion was recorded to approve or reject the MOU at the meeting; trustees asked Steve to provide more information about the agreement and recommended city-level emergency management discussions to clarify roles and responsibilities.