Essex Junction council adopts Brownell Library memorandum of understanding after months of drafting

The Essex Junction City Council on March 12 approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the Brownell Library Board of Trustees after extended discussion about closure authority, budget transfers and legal support.

The MOU lays out roles and responsibilities between the city and the elected library trustees and was prepared by a working group that included two council members and two trustees. Councilors, trustees and library staff said the goal was to clarify authority left ambiguous by recent state legislation and local practice.

Public commenter George Dunbar urged the council not to relinquish responsibility for staff safety and liability and asked which party initiated the document and why it was now needed: “To my knowledge, we've operated without such a document for a hundred years,” he said. Council members and trustees discussed several concerns he raised about closure authority and budget transfers during the public comment and council discussion.

Trustee Chair Jean Grant noted the MOU requires the library to maintain selection policies consistent with First Amendment principles; that language was added after reviewing other municipal MOUs. Library Director Wendy (last name not specified in the record) and trustees said they would coordinate closely with the city manager in emergencies and would develop operating procedures for rapid decisions.

Council members pressed for clarity on whether a quorum of trustees would be required to close the library in an emergency and whether staff would be paid if the library were closed at the trustees’ direction. City staff and trustees agreed they would clarify language so the city manager and trustees each retain a path to close the facility in urgent circumstances and recommended explicit coordination procedures, including use of emergency meeting provisions under open meeting law for rapid follow-up and ratification.

The MOU addresses budgeting: trustees will prepare an annual operating budget for the library, which includes personnel lines; the city manager and finance staff will continue to prepare and reconcile salary and benefit details as part of the city’s budget process. Councilors and trustees agreed the trustees should participate in public budget outreach and that council members should attend trustee budget meetings to better understand library priorities.

Councilor Elaine moved to approve the memorandum of understanding “as amended”; the motion was seconded (record: “Bridal second”). The motion passed unanimously.

The council asked staff to make small clarifying edits discussed during the meeting, and to return a final clean copy for signature. Trustees and council members said they expect the MOU to reduce confusion and allow more cooperative joint planning going forward.