Subject:
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Appointments to the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (Board of County Commissioners as a whole).
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Recommended Action:
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Approve two appointments to the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC) for a term of three years beginning on October 1, 2025.
• These appointments will fill two positions that are currently set to expire on September 30, 2025.
• Karen LaCorte-Nies was elected to her first term on the PPLC in December 2023 to fill a vacancy created by a member resigning.
• Caol Weideman was recently elected to her first term in April 2025 to fill a vacancy created by a member resigning.
• There were only two applications submitted for these positions; both applications submitted were by current members.
• Ballot is attached if necessary, however a voice vote will suffice.
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Background Information:
There is an established municipal service taxing unit under the name of the Pinellas County Library Services District. In administering this district, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) entered an interlocal agreement in 1989 with governmental units and other appropriate providers of library services within the County to establish a nonprofit corporation (cooperative) to be created for the administration and operation of a cooperative library services system. The purpose of the cooperative is to extend library services to unincorporated areas of the County and of participating municipalities that do not have such services, and to improve library services to citizens of municipalities and of library tax districts that have library services.
Pursuant to Ordinance No. 89-5, February 7, 1989; the section of this Ordinance called for a referendum election to approve the ad valorem tax (not to exceed one-half mill) for the purpose of providing free access to library services to citizens of the County residing in the unincorporated areas and to participate in the library cooperative to administer such funds, was approved on March 28, 1989. Currently these provisions are found at §78-2, Pinellas County Code; state law reference is §125.01(5), Florida Statutes.
The BCC shall be the governing board of the library services district. The Board of Directors of the PPLC not-for-profit consists of nine voting and one ex officio members: (a) four members of the Board of Directors shall be the City Administrator of the City of St. Petersburg and the City Managers of Clearwater, Largo, and Pinellas Park, or their senior management designees; (b) three members of the Board of Directors shall be county senior management employees, representing Pinellas County, who shall be appointed by the BCC upon the recommendation of the Pinellas County Administrator; (c) two members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed by the BCC and shall serve a term of three years. Criteria for such appointment shall be as follows: (a) the candidate has previous experience serving on a Board or similar body and the capacity to evaluate a full range of perspectives, from library service providers to library users; (b) the candidate represents the interests of all parties, including the County, the Cooperative, Members with or without libraries, and patrons; (c) the candidate can envision the future of countywide library services; and (d) the candidate may not be an employee or member of the governing body of a member library.
Per Section III.B.1. of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC) Interlocal Agreement executed on September 25, 2018, the PPLC Board of Directors
consists of nine (9) voting members who shall be selected and appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation and the By-laws as follows:
a. Four members of the Board of Directors shall be the City Administrator of the City of St. Petersburg and the City Managers of Clearwater, Largo and Pinellas Park, or their senior management designees.
b. Three members of the Board of Directors shall be county senior management employees representing Pinellas County, who shall be appointed by the BCC upon the recommendation of the Pinellas County Administrator.
c. Two members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed by the Board of County Commissioners and shall serve a term of three (3) years.
Attachments:
Press Release – Pinellas Public Library Cooperative
Board Roster
Applications/ Resumes Packet
Ballot
Partner(s):
Cheryl Morales, Executive Director, Pinellas Public Library Cooperative