[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield 8-26-2002 by Ord. No. 1787. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
There is hereby established by and within the Borough of Ridgefield
a free public library pursuant to, and in conformity with, the provisions
of N.J.S.A. 40:54-1 et seq.
The free public library shall be governed by a board of trustees to
consist of nine members, one of whom shall be the Mayor, one of whom shall
be the local superintendent of schools, and seven of whom shall be citizens
to be appointed by the Mayor, at least four of whom shall be residents of
the municipality. Upon establishment of the Board of Trustees, the initial
appointments shall be for terms of one, two, three, four and five years, respectively,
as they may be selected by the Mayor and shall be made with the consent of
the Borough Council. Thereafter, terms shall be for a period of five years.
When a Board is expanded to include a sixth or seventh citizen, the additional
members shall serve terms of five years. The Mayor and the Superintendent
of Schools, serving as a member of the Board, may, respectively, appoint an
alternate to act in his or her place and stead with authority to attend all
meetings of the Board and, in his or her absence, to vote on all questions
before the Board.
Upon the expiration of the term of office of any Trustee, the Mayor
shall appoint a citizen for a term of five years in the same manner as the
original appointment was made. Vacancies occurring in the Board of Trustees
shall be filled for the unexpired term only, in the same manner as the original
appointments are made.
The Board of Trustees shall be a body corporate under the name of the
"Trustees of the Free Public Library of the Borough of Ridgefield." It shall
have corporate powers of succession, may sue and be sued, and adopt a corporate
seal. It shall meet at a convenient time and place in the municipality within
10 days after its appointment, and shall immediately proceed to organize by
the election from its members of a President, Treasurer, and Secretary, who
shall hold offices for one year and until their successors are elected. The
members shall make and execute under their hands and seals a certificate setting
forth their appointment and their organization and the names of the officers
elected, such certificate to be acknowledged in the same manner as is required
of conveyances of real estate, and recorded in the Clerk's office of
the county in which the municipality is located. They shall also send a certified
copy of the certificate to the office of the Secretary of State, at Trenton,
to be there filed of record, but shall not be required to pay any fees for
such recording and filing. The certificate or copy thereof duly certified
by the Secretary of State or by the County Clerk shall be evidence in all
courts and places of the incorporation of the board.
The Trustees shall receive no compensation for their services and shall
not incur any expense or enter into any obligations to an amount in excess
of the annual appropriation for library purposes and of the funds on hand.
The Treasurer of the Board shall give bond in an amount to be fixed
by the Mayor in cities and by the governing body in municipalities other than
cities, payable to the municipality by its corporate name, conditioned for
the faithful performance and discharge of his duties. The Board shall, by
its Treasurer, upon its warrant signed by its President, receive from the
disbursing officer of the municipality the money raised therein for library
purposes, as provided in section 40:54-8 of this title.
The Board shall hold in trust and manage all property of the library.
It may rent rooms, or, when proper, construct buildings for the use of the
library, purchase books, pamphlets, documents, papers and other reading matter,
hire librarians, and other necessary personnel, and fix their compensation,
make proper rules and regulations for the government of the library, and generally
do all things necessary and proper for the establishment and maintenance of
the free public library in the municipality. The Board may also transfer to
and receive from other libraries books, magazines, prints, maps and other
related library materials for the purpose of augmenting the interlibrary loan
service.
The Board of Trustees shall make an annual report to the Chief Financial
Officer of the municipality which shall include a statement setting forth
in detail all public revenues received by the library, all state aid received
by the library, all expenditures made by the library and the balance of funds
available. The annual report shall also include an analysis of the state and
condition of the library and shall be sent to the municipal governing body
and to the State Library. The State Librarian shall prescribe by regulation
the form of all such reports.
The Board of Trustees shall at all times operate the free public library
as provided by law.
