Warren County supervisors vote not to renew Samuels Public Library funding agreement after governance dispute

Warren County supervisors voted March 4 to not renew the county’s funding agreement with Samuels Library Inc., after a series of public comments and a presentation by the newly formed Warren County Library Board that said the library’s trustees altered incorporation language in a way that could allow library assets to be distributed outside the county.

The vote followed a presentation from Eric Belk, chair of the Warren County Library Board, who said a December special meeting of Samuels’ trustees had changed the library’s dissolution clause and that the meeting and notice did not meet Virginia open-meetings and nonprofit-notice requirements. "These actions have trampled any number of Virginia laws in the process," Belk said during his presentation. The board then moved to provide notice of nonrenewal to Samuels Library Inc.

Belk told supervisors the trustees’ December change replaces language that, historically, required assets be distributed to Warren County for library purposes with broader language allowing distribution to any 501(c)(3) educational or charitable organization. He said that, under the change, assets donated for a public library in Warren County could be redirected elsewhere if Samuels dissolved. He cited the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act while urging supervisors to protect the county’s long-term interest in library assets.

Samuels trustees and library supporters disputed the Library Board’s account. In public comments, several Samuels board members and community speakers said the trustees followed legal procedures and that the library’s assets were acquired largely through private donations and grants. Samantha Goode, a Samuels board member who spoke during public comment, said the trustees' actions complied with the library’s bylaws and IRS guidelines and called the county board’s actions a threat to the library’s independence. "If we let these motions pass, we are not just jeopardizing books. We are jeopardizing the core values of access, education and community," Goode said.

Dozens of residents spoke during two extended public-comment periods, overwhelmingly urging supervisors to maintain funding and to work with Samuels rather than remove the automatic contract renewal. Speakers described Samuels as an inclusive, award-winning institution that provides programs and services to children, seniors and people with limited resources.

Supervisor Carol Cullors, who moved to pursue a one-year contract extension and later asked for a referendum on the provider of library services, argued supervisors should work cooperatively with Samuels. "This board of supervisors needs to do the job that we were elected by the people of our community," Cullors said, urging renewed oversight and clearer contractual language rather than immediate severing of the current arrangement.

Following discussion, a motion that the library funding agreement not be renewed was put to a roll-call vote and carried. The transcript records named votes in the roll call: Stanmeyer — Aye; Chairman (Barton) — Aye; Dr. Jamieson — Aye; Cullors — No. The board directed staff to provide notice of nonrenewal to Samuels Library Inc. and to continue work on how future library services and oversight will be structured.

The board and the library are now positioned to enter either a competitive procurement for library services or to negotiate a new agreement; several supervisors said they remain open to Samuels’ participation in any future procurement or cooperative solution. Belk said the Library Board had sought repeated meetings with Samuels’ leadership and declined to meet earlier; Samuels’ leaders maintained they acted within their legal authority and pointed to public materials and press statements.

The county attorney and librarians have not announced additional formal legal steps in public record; Belk warned the alleged actions could warrant further review by state authorities. The board’s nonrenewal decision does not immediately end library services, but it removes the automatic renewal and begins a procurement and oversight process that supervisors said will examine costs, vendor performance and legal protections for donated assets.

What’s next: the board has asked staff to prepare formal notice of nonrenewal and begin work on procurement or an amended funding agreement that would reflect the newly established Warren County Library Board’s oversight role. Supervisors urged both sides to meet and seek a cooperative path forward before any procurement is completed.

Ending: The decision prompted sustained public reaction in the meeting chamber and in subsequent public comments; supervisors said the county will follow procurement and legal processes before any change in operations occurs.