Hutto advisory board finalizes draft MOU with Friends group to formalize cooperation

The Hutto Library Advisory Board spent the bulk of a special-called meeting redlining a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at formalizing cooperation between the advisory board, the Hutto Public Library, and the Hutto Public Library Friends (HBL Friends).

Board members read the draft aloud and agreed the document should "constitute an operating agreement between the Hutto Public Library Friends, the library advisory board, and the Hutto Public Library," with the parties collectively referred to as the "library ecosystem," the chair said. The board settled on a requirement that the agreement be rededicated yearly and be eligible for revision every five years.

Members emphasized mutual accountability while preserving the Friends’ autonomy. "We want to make sure there's not overreach on our part," one member said, proposing monthly reports and a fiscal-year closeout audit so the advisory board can review expenditures. Another member noted the Friends welcomed an annual work session: "They think it's a great idea," the chair said.

The board also agreed to reciprocal standing agenda items so HBL Friends can report at advisory-board meetings and the advisory board may present at Friends meetings (excluding the Friends’ October finance meeting, which is not open to the public). The draft assigns the library director final authority to accept or decline gifts and asks Friends to carry out advocacy "under the guidance of the library director and the library advisory board."

Next steps: the chair said she will provide a redline version to the Friends before their May meeting so the Friends’ executive board may review the proposed wording and respond.