The city shall establish and maintain a free public library within the city and to [sic] cooperate with any person, firm, association or corporation under such terms as the city council may prescribe for the establishment of such free public library. For budget purposes, the library shall be considered as a department of the city, and the appropriations therefor shall comply with all the budgetary requirements as outlined in the ordinances of the city and as may be prescribed from time to time by the city council. The expense of operating the public library shall be provided from the general fund of the city and from such other funds as may be contributed for such purposes. Additional branches of the library may be established when, in the judgment of the city council, conditions warrant the establishment of such branches.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 1, adopted 9/11/01)
(a) 
Appointment; additional personnel; compensation of personnel.
Candidates for librarian shall be selected and evaluated by the city council, and said position shall be appointed by the city council on such terms of employment as may be prescribed from time to time by the city council. All other library personnel shall be selected in the same manner prescribed for other departments of the city. The librarian and the library personnel shall receive such compensation as may be prescribed by the city council according to its budget.
(b) 
Duties of librarian.
The librarian appointed by city council shall have authority to maintain order in and about the library premises. In addition to the duties incident to the supervision of the use of the library, the librarian shall maintain a set of books or other set of suitable records as may be prescribed in which a record shall be kept of all receipts of the library, and also of all books, periodicals, manuscripts, furniture, furnishings, instruments, apparatus or other property purchased for or donated to the library.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 2, adopted 9/11/01)
(a) 
Nonresident use.
A nonresident fee shall be charged to users of the library who are not residents of the city. The fee schedule shall be recommended by the librarian and approved by the city council. Elementary and secondary students shall be exempt from the fee. The owner or manager of a business within the city shall be exempt from the nonresident fee.
(b) 
Hours of operation.
The public library of the city shall be kept open for the use of citizens of the city during such hours as may be fixed by the librarian after consultation with the mayor and city council.
(c) 
Gifts, bequests and legacies.
All gifts, bequests or legacies made to the city for library purposes shall be administered by the librarian at the direction of the city council, upon recommendation by the library board, for the benefit of the city public library. The city accepts all gifts and donations of books and equipment heretofore made for the city public library with grateful thanks to the donors, both of books and time, and it is resolved that such books and equipment, together with such additions as may be made from time to time, shall constitute and form the books and equipment of the city public library.
(d) 
Library card.
A library card shall be required of each user of the public library who desires to be loaned books and other library materials and equipment. The fee to be collected for the library card shall be established by the city council upon recommendation of the librarian. To obtain a library card, an individual must provide proof of a current address and must have no outstanding library balances.
(e) 
Fines.
Fines shall be collected by the librarian for failure to return, at the date due, any books or other library materials and equipment which have been loaned to holders of library cards. The schedule of fines shall be established by the city council upon the recommendation of the librarian and library board.
(f) 
Illegal removal of materials.
Every person who shall take from the library any book, pamphlet, periodical, paper, audiovisual material or other property, except in accordance with the rules of the library, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(g) 
Failure to return borrowed materials.
The library shall notify each person who checks out library material of the due date for such material. This notice shall be in writing by a method giving fair notice of the due date to any person who checks out library material. On or after the delinquent date, the library shall give written notice of overdue materials to each person who has failed to return library material on or before the due date. This notice of overdue materials shall be sent by first class mail to the person’s address of record as maintained by the library. It shall be unlawful for any person to fail to return library material within fourteen (14) days after the delinquent date. It shall be a separate violation for each item of library material not returned. Prosecution under this section shall in no way interfere with the library’s right to collect fines or fees from the person prosecuted. The following definitions shall apply unless otherwise specifically noted herein:
(1) 
Delinquent date
means fourteen (14) days after the due date.
(2) 
Due date
means the date established for the return of a library material to the library. This date shall be established at the time the library material is checked out of the library.
(3) 
Library material
means any printed or recorded information, including but not limited to one (1) or more books, audiotapes and videotapes.
(4) 
Notice of overdue materials
means written notice sent by first class mail to the current address of the person who checked out the library material as shown on the records of the library, as provided below.
(h) 
Defacing library materials or injuring library property.
It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully or wantonly cut, mutilate, mark, tear, write upon, deface or otherwise destroy or injure, in whole or in part, any book, pamphlet, periodical, map or document, picture, or written or engraved or printed paper or any other property belonging to the library, or to allow such injury to be inflicted while the property is in his or her custody, or to willfully or wantonly injure any of the furniture or property in the building of the library, or to willfully or wantonly mark or deface or in any way injure the library or any part of the premises thereof, or any fixtures therein or appertaining thereto.
(i) 
Penalty; responsibility for violations by child.
Any person who violates any of the provisions hereof shall be subject to the penalties as provided herein. It shall be presumed that the person whose name appears on the library card is the person who took or borrowed the book or other library material and equipment from the library. The parent or guardian of a child under the age of 17 years shall be deemed legally responsible for the child’s taking or borrowing any book or other library material and equipment or for violation of any of the provisions enumerated herein. Offenses shall be considered misdemeanors punishable by fine as provided in section 1.01.009 of the Code of Ordinances of the city.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 3, adopted 9/11/01)
There is hereby created the city public library board. Such board shall consist of five (5) regular members appointed by the city council. Each member shall be a resident citizen and qualified voter of the Onalaska Independent School District. The regular members are required to attend all meetings of the board. Members of the board may be removed by city council for failure to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the board without first being excused from attendance by the board chairperson. The mayor of the city or a councilmember designated by the mayor shall constitute one member of the board. No more than two members of the city council, inclusive of the mayor, shall be named to such board. The librarian shall serve ex-officio on the board and shall perform the duties of secretary to the board.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.1, adopted 9/11/01; Ordinance 353 adopted 10/14/14)
The members of the library board shall be appointed for terms of two years.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.2, adopted 9/11/01)
The library board is organized to advise the city council and to act as a coordinating agency through which individual citizens, business and industry, government, and private organizations may work together in the best interest of the people of the city concerning the constructive use of the library.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.3, adopted 9/11/01)
(a) 
The library board shall generally have the following duties and responsibilities:
(1) 
To act in an advisory capacity to the city council in all matters pertaining to the establishment and use of the library and to encourage development of the library;
(2) 
To receive suggestions and recommendations from the citizens of the city relating to the development and improvement of library services and to make recommendations to the city council regarding such development and improvement, if deemed necessary or desirable;
(3) 
To review the annual budget for the library prior to submission of the budget to the city council; and
(4) 
To make periodic reports to the city council concerning the work of the board and such special reports as may be requested by the city council, including reports on furnishings, security, books, insurance coverage, maintenance, utilities and other needs of the library.
(b) 
The city council shall have the right and privilege at any time to change the duties or to withdraw any of the rights and privileges granted to the library board or its members.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.4, adopted 9/11/01)
Vacancies in the library board occurring other than by expiration of term of office shall be filled by the majority vote of the city council, and such appointees shall serve for that portion of the unexpired term remaining for the vacancy being filled.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.5, adopted 9/11/01)
A library board chairman and such other officers as may be provided for in the bylaws of the board shall be elected by the board annually. The members of the library board shall organize and select their officers and shall hold meetings at stated times on a monthly basis, or at such other time as may be determined by the board, and shall designate the time and place of such meetings. The board shall adopt its own bylaws and rules of procedure and keep full minutes of its proceedings, which minutes and all other records of the board shall be filed with the person performing the duties of city secretary. A majority of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The librarian shall serve ex-officio on the board and shall perform the duties of secretary to the board. An affirmative vote of the majority of those present shall be necessary to pass upon pending questions, the chairman being entitled to vote upon all questions.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.6, adopted 9/11/01)
The members of the library board shall serve without compensation, and when it is deemed necessary by such board to incur any expense in performing the duties assigned to it, an estimate of such proposed expense shall be submitted to the city council. No debt of any kind or character shall be made or incurred by the board, or by any individual acting for such board, unless such expenditure has been specifically authorized by the city council prior to the time such obligation has been incurred.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.7, adopted 9/11/01)
The city council may, upon the affirmative vote of the majority of the full membership of the council, remove members of the library board, with or without cause, members of the board being considered “at will” appointees. Any member who shall have been absent without excuse or justification for three consecutive meetings, or whose overall attendance at regular meetings of the board for any twelve-month period falls below seventy-five percent (75%), shall automatically be considered for removal.
(Ordinance 240, sec. 4.8, adopted 9/11/01)