West Fargo Library Board postpones officer elections, appoints building and HR liaisons

The West Fargo Library Board voted July 9 to postpone its annual election of officers until an open board seat is filled and to appoint two board liaisons to coordinate building and human resources work.

Board President Leanne moved to delay officer elections "until we have a full board," citing the benefit of allowing a newly appointed member to participate in officer selection; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The board also agreed to review bylaws and return with suggested wording changes, including a recommended edit in section 9 to change the requirement that members "shall" hold North Dakota Library Association membership to language allowing membership instead of mandating it.

Jenna, the library director, told members the board currently has an open seat and that staff can repost the existing applicant form; she said the form captures name, address (to verify West Fargo residency), contact information, a resume option and short answers about why candidates want to serve. Jenna said the board typically posts applications for about 10 working days and invited Sarah, who volunteered as the HR liaison, to work with staff on the process.

Tyler raised Century Code concerns and recommended tabling elections until the board is complete; Tyler also cited Century Code 40‑38‑03, sub. 4 when discussing timing for electing officers. The board asked staff to double‑check the code language before final action on bylaw edits.

Instead of forming formal subcommittees (which counsel warned can trigger open‑meetings and public‑records obligations), the board favored using liaisons to gather information and keep the full board informed. Members moved and approved a motion naming Leanne as the building liaison to work with Jenna on facility discussions, and they confirmed Sarah as the human resources liaison to coordinate candidate interviews and related HR tasks.

Next steps: staff will post the board application, Sarah will coordinate an interview plan with Jenna and make a recommendation to the board about whether interviews should be held in open meeting or conducted virtually/privately to avoid open‑meeting violations. The board will revisit bylaw edits at a future meeting once members have had time to review the proposed language.

Votes at a glance: the board recorded voice votes on the agenda, consent agenda, postponement of officer elections, the two liaison appointments and rescheduling the August meeting; each motion passed with all present members saying “aye.”