Pike County Public Library (Photo by Susan Koomar)

By Jim Davis

MILFORD — The Pike County Commissioners fired the most decisive salvo thus far in an ongoing battle with the county’s library board, enumerating a list of conditions, the commissioners “final position,” that they say must be met in order for the library to receive their 2010 appropriation of $200,000 from the county.

According to the stipulations made by the commissioners, the library board will consist of nine members, four appointed by the commissioners and four appointed by the board, with the remaining appointment the responsibility of the Milford Community House (to view the letter, click here).

If the board wishes to have five members, the total size of the library board will be expanded to 11 members, with the commissioners also getting a fifth appointment.

Additionally, the bylaws of the library must be changed to allow for the changes in the board’s composition, as well as to ensure that library board members can only be removed for cause and that library board meetings will be ruled by Robert’s Rules of Order.

A further stipulation in the commissioners’ letter is that the library board and the commissioners will meet every two months, and will ultimately meet in December 2010 to discuss the future composition of the library board and the continued support of the county.

In return, the county will disburse $200,000 in quarterly increments depending on the library board’s performance and progress towards a countywide library system.

After a new facility is built, the library board will be appointed according to the Pennsylvania Library Code’s criteria for library’s established after 1961, which calls for all members of the board to be municipally appointed.

Commissioner Karl Wagner said that the board of commissioners caucused on the library issue, and this is what they came up with.

Library board member Carole Linkiewicz, who was in attendance at Wednesday morning’s weekly commissioners’ meeting, thanked the commissioners for directly addressing the issues and placing them clearly on the table. She noted that the library board will be meeting on 9:30 Monday morning to discuss the issue.