The Board of Trustees

A. Pursuant to the requirements of the general Code of Virginia, the Library Board of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library shall consist of the number of members designated by the library agreement and not less than 5. They shall be appointed by the governing body, in accordance with State Code, with reference to their fitness for such office. All members shall be appointed for terms of four years. Vacancies shall be filled for unexpired terms as soon as possible in the manner in which members of the Board are regularly chosen. A member shall not receive a salary or other compensation for services as a member, but necessary expenses actually incurred may be paid from the library fund.

B. Quarterly meetings shall be held on the second Monday of the third month of the quarter at such time and place as agreed to by the members.

C. Special meetings may be held at any time at the call of the Chair or Secretary or at the call of any five members of the Board including at least one representative from each participating jurisdiction, provided that notice thereof be given to all members at least twenty-four hours in advance of the special meeting.

D. A quorum at any meeting shall consist of one representative from each participating jurisdiction.

E. The officers of the Board shall be a Chair, Vice Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer. The term of office for the Chair and Vice Chair shall be for one year. They shall be elected at the first regular meeting in each fiscal year and shall remain in office until their successors are elected and qualified. The elected officers should be citizen representatives and every effort will be made to rotate the position throughout the jurisdictions. The Director shall serve as Secretary to the Library Board and pursuant to §42.1-41 the Director shall be designated as Treasurer of the Library Board.

F. The duties of all officers shall be such as by custom and law devolve upon such officers in accordance with their names. The Chair shall be, ex officio, a member of any committee.

G. The order of business at all regular meetings of the Board shall be as follows:

● Call to Order
● Public Comment
● Director’s Report
● Consent Agenda
● Old Business
● New Business
● Adjournment

H. Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern in the parliamentary procedure of the Board.

I. The Director shall be the executive director of the policies adopted by the Board. Among her/his duties and responsibilities shall be the direction and supervision of all staff members in the performance of their duties, the submission to the Board of the regular reports and recommendations of such policies and procedures as in the opinion of said Director will promote the efficiency of the library in its service to the people of the community.

J. Amendments to these rules may be proposed at any regular meeting but may become effective only after a favorable vote at a regular meeting. Any of the foregoing rules may be temporarily suspended by a unanimous vote of all the members present at any meeting and the vote on such suspensions shall be taken by yeas and nays and entered in the official record.

K. Individual Board members may participate in meetings of the Library Board by electronic communication as permitted by § 2.2-3708.3 This policy shall apply strictly and uniformly, without exception, to all members and without regard to the identity of the member requesting remote participation or the matters that will be considered or voted on at the meeting.

● Whenever an individual member wishes to participate from a remote location, the law requires a quorum of the Library Board to be physically assembled at the primary or central meeting location, and there must be arrangements for the voice of the remote participant to be heard by all persons at the meeting location.

● A member who is unable to attend the meeting and wishes to participate in the meeting electronically must notify the Chair and the Secretary of the Library Board on or before the day of the meeting and include one of the following reasons:

1. The member has a temporary or permanent disability or other medical condition that prevents the members physical attendance;
2. A medical condition of a member of the member´s family requires the member to provide care that prevents the member´s physical attendance;
3. The member´s principal residence is more than 60 miles from the meeting location identified in the required notice of such meeting; or
4. The member is unable to attend the meeting due to a personal matter and identifies with specificity the nature of the personal matter. However, the member may not use remote participation due to personal matters more than two meetings per calendar year.

● Unless a member of the Library Board objects to the remote participation at the beginning of the meeting, it shall be deemed approved without action by the Board. If a member's participation from a remote location is challenged, then the Library Board shall vote whether to allow such participation. The Board may disapprove the remote participation, but only if it would violate FOIA or this policy. If the Board votes to disapprove the request, the disapproval must be recorded in the minutes with specificity.

● For any approved requests, the reason that the member is unable to attend the meeting (numbers 1 through 4 above) and a general description of the remote location from which the member participates shall be recorded in the meeting minutes. If the reason for the electronic participation is due to a personal matter, the nature of the personal matter must be identified with specificity in the minutes.

L. This policy is adopted pursuant to the authorization of Va. Code § 2.2-3708.3 and is to strictly construed in conformance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA), Va. Code §§ 2.2-3700—3715. This policy shall not govern an electronic meeting conducted to address a state of emergency declared by the Governor or the Board of Supervisors. Any meeting conducted by electronic communication means under such circumstances shall be governed by the provisions of Va. Code § 2.2-3708.2.

● Definitions:

○ ¨Board” means the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Board of Trustees or any committee, subcommittee, or other entity of the Library Board of Trustees.
○ ¨Member¨means any member of the [BOARD].
○ “All-virtual public meeting”, means a public meeting conducted by the [BOARD] using electronic communication means during which all members of the public body who participate do so remotely rather than being assembled in one physical location, and to which public access is provided through electronic communication means, as defined by Va. Code § 2.2-3701.
○ “Meeting” means a meeting as defined by Va. Code § 2.2-3701.
○ “Notify” or “notifies,” for purposes of this policy, means written notice, including, but not limited to, email or letter, but does not include text messages or messages exchanged on social media.

● An all-virtual public meeting may be held under the following circumstances:

○ It is impracticable or unsafe to assemble a quorum of the Library Board in a single location, but a state of emergency has not been declared by the Governor or Board of Supervisors; or
○ Other circumstances warrant the holding of an all-virtual public meeting, including, but not limited to, the convenience of an all-virtual meeting; and
○ The Library Board has not had more than two all-virtual public meetings, or more than 25 percent of its meetings rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater, during the calendar year; and
○ The Library Board’s last meeting was not an all-virtual public meeting.

● The Library Board may schedule its all-virtual public meetings at the same time and using the same procedures used by the Library Board to set its meetings calendar for the calendar year; or if the Library wishes to have an all-virtual public meeting on a date not scheduled in advance on its meetings calendar, and an all-virtual public meeting is authorized under Section 3 above, the Library Board Chair may schedule an all-virtual public meeting provided that any such meeting comports with VFOIA notice requirements.

● The following applies to any all-virtual public meeting of the Library Board that is scheduled in conformance with this Policy:

○ The meeting notice indicates that the public meeting will be all-virtual and the Library Board will not change the method by which the Library Board chooses to meet without providing a new meeting notice that comports with VFOIA;
○ Public access is provided by electronic communication means that allows the public to hear all participating members of the Library Board;
○ Audio-visual technology, if available, is used to allow the public to see the members of the Library Board;
○ A phone number, email address, or other live contact information is provided to the public to alert the Library Board if electronic transmission of the meeting fails for the public, and if such transmission fails, the Library Board takes a recess until public access is restored;
○ A copy of the proposed agenda and all agenda packets (unless exempt) are made available to the public electronically at the same time such materials are provided to the Library Board;
○ The public is afforded the opportunity to comment through electronic means, including written comments, at meetings where public comment is customarily received; and
○ There are no more than two members of the Library Board together in one physical location.

● Minutes are taken as required by VFOIA and must include the fact that the meeting was held by electronic communication means and the type of electronic communication means used.
● If the Board goes into closed session, transmission of the meeting will be suspended until the public body resumes to certify the closed meeting in open session.
● This Policy shall be applied strictly and uniformly, without exception, to the entire membership, and without regard to the matters that will be considered or voted on at the meeting.