Middleborough trustees approve revised operating agreement draft, set March deadline for Friends to sign

The Board of Library Trustees approved a revised draft of an operating agreement with the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library and authorized the chair and the library director to meet with the town manager to finalize the document, the board said at its meeting.

The revised draft requires the Friends to provide annual financial information in accordance with IRS Form 990, to limit fundraising and support to the Middleborough Public Library, and to deposit an approved annual lump-sum programming budget into a town account for library use. The trustees voted unanimously to approve the draft and charged the chair and the library director to present it to the town and incorporate any town counsel changes.

The board emphasized oversight and clarity. Library trustees said the changes are intended to simplify handling of donations and reduce administrative burdens such as collecting W-9 forms and processing many small vendor payments. Diane, the library director, told trustees that moving Friends funds into a town-managed account would “free up time for everybody” and improve transparency.

Trustees said the draft also contains a process for reporting monthly expenditures tied to the…