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Administration • 2650 W. 29th Street • Greeley, CO 80631
August 26, 2015
RECEIVED
Re: Appointment of Three New Trustees
AUG 2 8 2015
WELD COUNTY
Dear County Commissioners and Mayors: COMMISSI�NERS
On behalf of the High Plains Library District Board of Trustees, I thank you for coming to our
Board meeting on August 17, 2015 to hand deliver your request that we fill the two open HPLD Trustee
vacancies (Area 5 and At-Large) as well as that we begin the appointment process to fill the Area 1
position,whose term expires December 31, 2015.
The HPLD Board is committed to initiating, supporting, and participating in the HPLD Trustee
Selection Committee pursuant to Colorado Library Law and HPLD Bylaws. However,the HPLD Board is
currently unable to initiate this process, given the injunction which remains in place,the parties'
' ongoing disagreement regarding whether HPLD was delegated authority to initiate and administer the
trustee nomination process as it has done since 2005, and the parties' disagreement regarding the
proportion of participating jurisdictions (establishing bodies) required under the Colorado Library Law to
nominate, ratify, and remove trustees. The Chair of the Weld County Commissioners has summed up
these disagreements by declaring the current trustee replacement process to be "illegal." In addition,
the letters from Fort Lupton and Eaton indicate this would be a one-time action, "Please be advised that,
by agreeing to comply with the Selection Committee procedure set forth in the Bylaws at this time,the
(City of Fort Lupton/Town of Eaton) does not waive or limit its right to argue that the statutory
procedure controls at a later date."
For these reasons,the HPLD Board is unable to initiate the trustee replacement process until the
parties either reach agreement regarding the issues set forth above, or until the court resolves these
issues. These disputes are what led us to ligation. Therefore,the HPLD Board cannot in good
conscience initiate a trustee nomination process which would immediately be clouded by doubt, and
which would require the participation of trustee candidates,whose time is valuable and whose
willingness to serve is critical to the ongoing success of the District.
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Carbon Valley Regional Librar_y • Centennial Park Library • Eaton Public Library • Erie Community Library
Farr Regional Library • Fort Lupton Public 8s School Library • Glenn A. Jones, M.D. Memorial Library
Hudson Public Library • Kersey Library • Lincoln Park Library • Northern Plains Public Library • Outreach
Platteville Public Library • Riverside Library & Cultural Center
1-8$8-861-RLAD C7323} • www.MyLibrary.us
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Administration • 2650 W. 29th Street • Greeley, CO 80631
In the meantime,the issue of representation on the Selection Committee has stirred interest
and concern among elected officials throughout Weld County who have no voice in the governance of
the library district by which they are served and to which they contribute tax revenue. Affected
communities include Johnstown, Platteville, Mead, Firestone, Frederick, Erie and Kersey.
We propose a meeting to discuss and hopefully reach agreement regarding HPLD trustee
nomination, ratification, and removal. Please contact Gail Craig(gcraig@highplains.us or(970) 506-
8588) at your earliest convenience to indicate your willingness and availability to meet.
Sincerely,
4e:t.t. e. 3_,-,,,,,IJ
Lucile Arnusch
Chairman, HPLD Board of Trustees
cc: Dave Sloan
Lanny Clary
Janice Fisher-Giles
Michelle Flowe
Terri Redden
Karen Haberman
Carbon Valley Regional Library • Centennial Park Library • Eaton Public Library • Erie Community Library
Farr Regional Library_ • Fort Lupton Public & School Library • Glenn A. Jones, M.D. Memorial Library
Hudson Public Library • Kersey Library • Lincoln Park Library • Northern Plains Public Library • Outreach
Platteville Public Library • Riverside Library & Cultural Center
1-888-861-READ (7323) • www.MyLibrary.us
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