nlcontract.html

The Hood River Glacier, Hood River, OR., February 17, 1916, page 2

NEW LIBRARY CONTRACT IS ADOPTED

By the joint execution of a new contract providing for the maintenance and upkeep of the county library, the city council and county court Monday night healed a breach that has been existing between the two bodies for the past two years. The city council adopted the new contract in consideration of the withdrawal on the part of the court of an appeal to the supreme court of a lawsuit, in which Circuit Judge Bradshaw had rendered a decision unfavorable to the court. The suit at law arose over the failure of the court to observe a contract with Miss. Della F. Northey, a former librarian, who under the terms of the contract, which the court declared inoperative, was to have received $90 per month. For a term of five months the court refused to honor vouchers from the library board, serving under the old contract, cutting Mrs. Northey's salary to $75 per month. The board refused the offer of $75 and borrowing money paid Miss Northey in full and in turn is suing the county court for the amount.
The new contract provides that the library shall be administered by a board of seven members, three appointed by the city council and three by the county court, the six having the right to elect their presiding officer. No appointee to the board can be a member of the county court or an elective officer of the city. Except the chairman of the board, whose shall be elected annually, members of the board shall hold office for a term of three years. The first appointees, however, hold, one each for the city and county, office respectively for one, two and three years.
A joint meeting of the city council and county court on the second Monday in each October is provided, in order that the budget of the institution for the following year may be established. In case of disagreement between the members of the two bodies, it provided that each shall appoint a citizen, and these to select a third, the three to draw up the budget. The city and county are each to levy by taxation 50 percent of the annual funds needed for the library maintenance, but in no year shall the sum to be raised by each to be less than $875.
All moneys collected shall be turned over to the treasurer of the library board.