The Limestone County Commission convened on Monday without discussing a crucial motion. If passed, this motion would have requested the Attorney General to intervene in the ongoing dispute between the city of Athens and the county commission regarding appointments to the library board.
The City of Athens has claimed to hold all power over appointments to the library board since 2009. However, there has been a dispute over whether the county ever agreed to this breakaway, as no documentation has been provided. The county passed a resolution in January asking that they be allowed to make their two appointments in line with the original policy posted.
The resolution passed in January referenced the original policy and is the last one produced so far that records show both entities agreed to. Yet there have been no changes since that resolution's passage, and the city has maintained its position.
The City of Athens and the library board have continuously told the public and 1819 News that the policy, which said the county was supposed to have two appointments, was inaccurate and even removed the policy from their website. However, that policy was the document that the APLS had on file with the state.
SEE ALSO: AG opinion must be requested to solve Athens-Limestone library board issues
The issue at hand was a focal point of the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) meeting held last Thursday. In a unanimous decision, the board voted that either the city or the county must vote and request the Attorney General investigate the issue, highlighting its urgency and importance.
Speakers at the meeting referenced the APLS decision and mentioned that the county had been appropriating annual funding and owned a percentage of the building. Several of those speakers asked that any additional funding be withheld until the investigation is concluded and the board is shown to be appropriately established.
SEE ALSO: Dysfunction at the Athens-Limestone County Library as board not following its own policies
1819 News has spoken to multiple individuals involved in this issue, and all felt that this issue could be resolved easily if the county and city came together and worked on this problem. None of them understood what the holdup was to that type of cooperation or why the vote was not held today.
1819 News reached out to a representative of the Limestone County Commission following the meeting to request a comment and discuss why a vote was not conducted to request the AG, but as of publishing, we have not received a response.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email Bradley.cox@1819news.com or on Twitter @BradleyCoxAL.
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