173.340 Library board of trustees. (1) The management and control of a library shall be vested in a board of trustees. In cities and counties, the board shall consist of five (5) members except that in cities with populations equal to or greater than twenty thousand (20,000) based upon the most recent federal decennial census, it shall consist of seven (7) members. In the event a contract for library service is made pursuant to subsection (4) of KRS 173.310, the board may consist of equal representation from the contracting parties with the total membership not to exceed twelve (12). In a library region, there shall be five (5) members, except if the number of counties exceeds five (5), there shall be one (1) trustee from each county in the region. (2) Within thirty (30) days after the establishment of a library has been authorized by any of the methods authorized by KRS 173.310, a library board shall be appointed. In cities the trustees shall be appointed by the mayor and in counties they shall be appointed by the county judge/executive. There shall be established a board of trustees in each regional library district for purposes of coordinating library programs and effecting economies and efficiencies of the member county library systems. In each regional library district, the trustees shall be appointed by the joint action of the judges/executive of the respective counties or as may be agreed upon by contract. In any region in which there are four (4) or less counties, provision shall be made in the contract for rotation of members and an equitable adjustment of terms. If a region consists of an even number of counties, the trustees appointed by the judges/executive of the respective counties shall appoint an additional trustee whose term of office shall be four (4) years and whose successor shall be appointed by the trustees in office at the time of expiration of such term. Trustees shall be appointed from the governmental unit at large with special reference to their fitness for such office. Upon initial establishment of the board, members of the board shall be appointed to terms as follows: two (2) members for two (2) years, one (1) member for three (3) years, and two (2) members for four (4) years respectively, and thereafter trustees shall be appointed to serve terms of four (4) years. Trustees may serve for two (2) consecutive terms after which they shall not succeed themselves. They may be reappointed no earlier than twelve (12) months following the end of their last service. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired terms as soon as possible in the same manner as the original appointments. In the event that vacancies have existed for a period of at least six (6) months, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, upon the recommendation of the state librarian, may make such necessary appointments. After absence of a trustee from four (4) regular monthly meetings of the board during any one (1) year of the trustee's term, the trustee shall be considered to have automatically resigned from the board. An advisory board may be appointed and serve as specified in bylaws of the public library board of trustees. (3) Library trustees shall not receive a salary or other compensation for their services, but may be reimbursed for actual expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties, upon approval by the board. Before entering upon the duties of his office, a trustee shall take oath that he will faithfully discharge his duties. No board shall employ as a member of its library staff any member of the board or any person related closer than a second cousin to any member of the board. No person is eligible to this office who is directly or indirectly interested in the sale to the library of books, magazines, supplies, equipment, materials, insurance or services for which library funds are expended. (4) A library trustee may be removed only by vote of the legislative body of the respective governmental unit from which he was appointed. Effective: January 1, 2015 History: Amended 2014 Ky. Acts ch. 92, sec. 244, effective January 1, 2015. -- Amended 1990 Ky. Acts ch. 58, sec. 1, effective July 13, 1990. -- Amended 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 245, sec. 9, effective July 15, 1982. -- Amended 1976 Ky. Acts ch. 367, sec. 2. -- Amended 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 8, sec. 4. -- Amended 1970 Ky. Acts ch. 109, sec. 1. -- Created 1944 Ky. Acts ch. 160, sec. 5.