Select Board and library trustees refine MOU with Whipple Free Library

Library director and trustees and select board members spent an extended portion of the Aug. 3 meeting reviewing a redlined memorandum of understanding with the Whipple Free Library.

The chair and trustees discussed several specific edits. The board questioned the use of the word "some" to describe town administrative support (payroll, accounts‑payable processing); Trustee (spokesperson) said the change to "work with the select board to develop the library budget" would conflict with the RSA and asked that the MOU read instead that the trustees "develop the library budget." The trustee said, "The RSA ... is very explicit that it's the trustees that craft and formulate the library budget, not the landlord." The board agreed to restore language that preserves trustees' budget authority and to consider inserting the RSA citation where helpful.

Snow‑removal language also drew attention. The draft included the phrase "including walkways, parking lots, and if necessary, in the judgment of the road agent, the roof." Trustees said they have not historically shovelled roofs and requested clearer phrasing; the town's road agent and select board members discussed practical thresholds (for example, a 10‑inch accumulation or safety‑driven evaluation) and the board agreed to strike or clarify the roof language. Trustees also asked for monthly or bimonthly budget‑status reports to the library treasurer so the trustees can reconcile town‑processed payroll and appropriations. The board directed staff to incorporate the agreed wording changes, circulate an updated draft and, if agreed, place the revised MOU on a future consent agenda for approval.

The board did not finalize the MOU at the meeting; members asked staff and trustees to exchange specific redlines and return with a revised draft before the trustees' next meeting on the 25th.