Library board hires attorney amid governance fight and appointments

The Dolores Library District Board voted this week to retain outside legal counsel on an as-needed basis at $385 an hour to help rewrite bylaws and navigate ongoing internal conflicts. The decision follows months of increasingly contentious meetings, a formal censure of a board member and a town withdrawal from a 2024 intergovernmental agreement that had governed trustee appointments.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Board President Sandy Jumper said, "As you recall, back in December, the board authorized me to retain an attorney, and I went through the process. This firm Seter, Vander, Wall & Mielke came highly recommended, and I did sign the letter of engagement." The board approved creation of a three-person subcommittee - including Jumper, Hassan Hourmanesh and Emily Wisner - to draft a prioritized statement of work for the lawyer.

Not all trustees accepted Jumper’s account of how the firm was engaged. "This is another example of a lack of transparency. That is not okay, there is no statement of work, and you went ahead without a plan and letting us know," Wisner told the president and other members Tuesday. Wisner also raised cost concerns, noting she had received quotes of about $150 per hour from other governments.

The retention follows a late-November 4-2 vote to censure trustee Hassan Hourmanesh for alleged misconduct and an asserted violation of the Colorado Open Meetings Law. Hourmanesh has said his actions were intended to raise transparency and staff concerns. The board earlier listed legal counsel among its goals for the year, directing counsel to "investigate and determine any issues of liability relating to recent events and advise the board regarding remedies and next steps."

Complicating the governance dispute, the Dolores Town Board notified the library board this month that it had withdrawn from the 2024 intergovernmental agreement, saying portions did not comply with state law. The IGA had spelled out a joint interview and recommendation process for library trustees; under Colorado law the Dolores Town Board and the Dolores RE-4A School District together oversee the library district through CRS 24-90-107 and appointment and removal procedures are governed by CRS 24-90-108. Town Manager Leigh Reeves said rescinding the agreement restores the state law process and that the town could seek to renegotiate an IGA in the future.

Trustee Jeanne Becker urged the board to ratify an agreement with counsel, saying, "We are at a point where a letter of agreement needs to be ratified," and added that the firm’s specialty in special district law made them a competent choice: "I can understand Emily’s concerns; we can’t backtrack and start again. I do think we have someone that is competent."

Despite governance turmoil, library operations remain busy. Director Sean Gantt reported a story-time pizza party that drew more than 70 people, 832 visitors at December events compared with 544 the prior year, and completion of a computer lab upgrade to Windows 11. The board scheduled a half-day training retreat later this month led by a Colorado State Library consultant and set a special meeting Jan. 27 to sort out next steps for filling three upcoming trustee vacancies.

The takeaway? Attend the Jan. 27 special meeting, ask the town and school boards how they will handle appointments now that the IGA is rescinded, and press the library board to publish a clear statement of work and a fee cap before legal bills pile up. Our two cents? If you care about who steers your local library, show up, ask specific questions, and demand clear, written plans before approving additional spending.