The Garfield Board of County Commissioners, Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees and a multitude of community members gathered at the county administration building to discuss an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) outlining the trustee appointment and reappointment process during a special meeting on Thursday. 

An updated IGA, which has been in the works since the library district and county exchanged initial edits in March, was not finalized during the over three-hour long meeting, which quickly turned to a discussion of restricted access to adult books in Garfield County libraries. 

“Just speaking to women who are mothers and grandmothers, why in the world would you want your children to be subject to filth? No, there were very reasonable requests that were made before this board (of trustees),” Commissioner Mike Samson said. “No, dig in our heels. That’s why we’re at this meeting at this time, and it’s sad. All it does is defy our county, and there are forces that want to push it as far as they can to a court case and spend needless amounts of money. How very sad. So, Mr. Chairman, I cannot support and would advise, and we’re not making any decisions today.”

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County commissioners and the library district prepared draft IGAs prior to the meeting, each detailing the ideal appointment process for the separate entities. If the county’s draft IGA is signed, county commissioners will interview applicants and select a trustee, as well as reinterview trustees seeking reappointment.

The library district’s draft IGA, however, seeks to restore the previous appointment process, in which trustees interviewed applicants and made a recommendation to the board of county commissioners, who could then ratify or reject the appointment. Current trustees seeking a reappointment would also not need to reappear before commissioners. 

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“When you have high turnover on a board, it lessens board effectiveness.” board of trustees Treasurer Michelle Foster said. “That’s why we’ve made it our priority when interviewing candidates to make sure they understand the commitment they’re making in time…” 

“We focus on their board experience and familiarity with parliamentary procedure. We inquire as to their community involvement,” Foster added. “We don’t ask their political affiliation, their philosophy of life, or even what kind of books they like to read. We’re not interviewing to make new friends, but rather to make sure that they will make an effective trustee. We believe our process has worked well.”

Samson proposed editing the last point of the county’s draft IGA, which establishes the reappointment process for current trustees, removing the statement that prevents commissioners from declining to ratify a reappointment of a current trustee without good cause.

“I really wanted to speak to you, Miss Foster, on continuity,” Tony May, former Garfield District RE-2 school board member, said, responding to trustee Foster’s previous statement. “I’ve been on many boards and we also have belief in the resilience of our citizens to step up and make decisions, to be in capacity, to be more than they can be, to step up and be a board member. I’ve seen it with the RE-2 school board. Wonderful people. It’s not only learning what’s happening, but it’s the passion behind that.”

Although the IGA was not finalized, the meeting gave community members in the audience ample time to share their views on the appointment process and discuss restricting access to certain adult books, including those featuring LGBTQ+ characters. 

“I’m just telling you my perspective because I said it a lot during the campaign because this became a campaign issue which is just mind boggling to me actually,” incoming Garfield County commissioner, and Colorado State Senator Perry Will said. “Without knowing all the ins and outs of it I just said, look, I’m not a book banner, I’m not for banning books. I am for protecting children. And that’s kind of where I left it on the campaign trail.”

Restricted access to books has been a hot-button topic since commissioners passed Resolution 24-12 earlier this year, which put the trustee appointment process back in the hands of county commissioners. The resolution was passed after a petition calling for restricted access to Manga for adult readers in Garfield County libraries was created in 2023. The library district had declined to restrict access to any books. 

“We received a letter from one of the frequent speakers that started with ‘Why the big push with gay books, gay pride for a month, replaced with family pride.’ It says ban no book, but put gay pride books on the top shelf so parents can guide their children on what books to read,” John Mallonee, trustee board member at large, said.

Mallonee then referenced SB24-216, Standards for Decisions Regarding Library Resources, which was passed earlier this year. The law establishes specified standards public libraries are required to comply with when establishing policies regarding the acquisition, retention, display, use, and reconsideration of library resources and use of public library facilities.

“That prohibits removing library materials based on particular ethnic origin, ethnic background, gender identity, and issues like that,” Mallonee said. “So we as a board have to be very careful when responding to the public on issues that go to what we have received.”

Commissioners still plan to interview candidates for all three trustee positions, New Castle, Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, on Dec. 5, despite the apparent reappointment of trustees Joceyln Durrance, Carbondale, and Susan Use, Glenwood Springs, during a library district board of trustees meeting on Nov. 7.

Myrna Fletchall, the newly elected library district trustee representing Rifle, stated that Durrance and Use were not reappointed during the Nov. 7 meeting, although the decision was voted on by trustees and declared to the audience as a successful reappointment by library district board of trustees President Adrian Rippy-Sheehy. 

“I think we were all surprised at our last meeting when that happened, when they say we reappointed the board members. We all knew that that was not our position to do, or our right to do. It was the BOCC,” Fletchall said. “I think it was a big confusion in that meeting, and I think we all were looking at each other, and we tried to ask questions at that meeting, but yes, we were aware, and I think we were all aware that the BOCC is the one who appoints it.” 

County commissioners asked for the entire library district board of trustees to be present during the Dec. 5 interviews, stating they would provide trustees with the applications of each interviewee at least three days prior. Each board member will be allowed to ask interviewees one question.

The county will edit its draft of the IGA to reflect the meeting’s discussion. Another meeting to finalize the IGA has yet to be scheduled, but will take place after the trustee selection process ends in December. 

“We talked about some really tough, tough topics,” Commissioner Jankovsky said. “I appreciate everybody’s comments in the room and those that have been here have left. So thank you.”

Trustee Rippy-Sheehy and board of trustees Vice President Durrance, as well as Commissioner John Martin, were absent from the Thursday meeting.