The Library Board at its meeting Tuesday discussed next steps for transitioning to being an elected board instead of an appointed one.
Board member Eric Magette gave an update on discussion he’s had with City Commissioner Tim Bruce and City Manager Zack Daniel about the plan for Library Board members to be elected instead of appointed.
Magette said Bruce had already reached out to state legislators about sponsoring a new bill in the statehouse to make it so Library Board members are directly elected.
“They remain very adamant that this needs to be library-led,” Magette said.
Magette said he wanted to get in contact with people who know library law to help with the transition.
Board President Kenny Massey warned that with the holidays coming up, plus the often slow-paced state Legislature, the process could take some time.
When Eudora was upgraded to a city of the second class, the city made the library its own entity. As a part of that change, the Library Board members were supposed to become independently elected, but that change was not made.
Currently, the city is responsible for three appointments to the five-person Library Board. Two of those board members, Massey and Magette, have terms expiring at the end of this year. They have said they want to remain in their roles, but Mayor Tim Reazin recommended Lynn Reazin and John Cullen to fill the spots. The City Commission tabled those nominations last week to continue discussions. Cullen was present at Tuesday’s Library Board meeting.
Amy Jankowski is also up for reappointment to the Library Board as one of the township’s members. The township will meet in early January, where Massey will speak more on the appointment process.
Massey also said one of the township trustees had a lot of questions about the current library building, which will soon be vacated. Massey said the building, based on a long-standing agreement, will revert back to city control.
In other business, Massey gave an update on a meeting he had with Jankowski and Sean Zaudke, an architect from Multistudio, about the new library space.
Jankowski said Zaudke told them the library’s budget probably needed to be larger for the project. He also requested the development of a steering committee for the project. Zaudke will come back in three weeks with a schedule.
Massey said they told Zaudke they want to be frugal but not cheap.
Massey also recapped a meeting with Eudora Times Publisher Teri Finneman and staff members about the possibility of hosting a gallery reception in early 2026 in the new library space. The event would feature the work of Times photographer Annalynn Phanthadeth, who has captured images in the community for over two years and who graduates from KU in May.
Board members said they thought it was a good idea.
Board member Mike Keltner and Library Director Carol Wohlford updated the board on a trip they took to Baldwin Library.
Keltner said the Baldwin Library had a room that hosted a bunch of activities. He said they have a staff of six, including two full-time employees.
“It has kind of become the gathering spot,” Keltner said.
The board also conducted its end-of-year budget review and reviewed its 2024 audit.
The board voted to shift money between its accounts with the goal of ensuring money donated by private donors was separate from money the library had saved from its past budgets.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
