Trustees on the Dolores Library Board agree on some issues but continue to argue about others.
At a lengthy meeting Dec. 9, they unanimously passed the 2026 budget and added two work sessions to their schedule for next year.
But they had a split vote in favor of suspending their bylaws to allow two term-limited board members to remain in place until new trustees are chosen. And they also continued to wrangle over concerns about board ethics.
Trustee Jeanne Becker suggested adding some board goals. One was to amend the board’s bylaws to include trustee responsibilities and standards of conduct. She also suggested including procedures for removing trustees who violate the standards.
At a meeting Nov. 25, the board had voted 4 to 2 to censure trustee Hassan Hourmanesh for alleged violations of standards. He and Emily Wisner-Meyers, the two dissenting voters, have raised concerns about board transparency, availability of information, and staff evaluations.
Hourmanesh’s alleged violations included speaking out to the Dolores Town Board about his concerns and emailing the entire library board about them, which his critics said was a violation of state open meetings law because it constituted a non-public board meeting.
A key issue apparently involves the treatment of a former library employee who unsuccessfully sought to have a third person present at her in-person performance evaluation.
Trustee Tamara Woodbury, who often attends by telephone but was at the Dec. 9 meeting in person, said that once the district retains legal counsel to obtain guidance on liability and slander, the board should be able to address ethics and accountability policies.
Wisner-Meyers said that should include evaluating and reviewing current procedures to make sure trustee concerns are acknowledged and responded to.
Woodbury brought up the question of whether there has been “engagement by board members with previous employees who are disgruntled.”
Woodbury asked Wisner-Meyers, “When you were asked why you wanted to be on the board, why, if there were concerns about that situation, that was not disclosed?”
Wisner-Meyers stated that she was not aware of the situation involving the former employee when she joined the board some six months ago.
“I am a regular patron here,” she said. “My children have grown up here. I love this library and it is very important to me.”
At that point, board president Sandy Jumper broke off that discussion.
The board also disagreed over whether to suspend a portion of their bylaws to keep two term-limited members, Becker and Virginia Hernandez, in place on the seven-member board until new trustees are chosen. That measure ultimately passed on a 5-2 vote.
Woodbury made the motion to suspend the bylaws to “maintain continuity and stability.” She suggested the suspension could be for up to 12 months, though it wouldn’t likely take that long.
Wisner-Meyers argued against that, saying there are reportedly five applicants for the open positions and it should not take more than 60 days to choose the new trustees.
“You used the word stability,” Wisner-Meyers said, “and in my opinion, right now stability is indicated by a majority that you want to keep.”
Becker agreed that she did not see any benefit in keeping the same board for 12 months. “We'd still have a five-member board, which is permissible by the bylaws,” which say the board can have five to seven members, she said.
The board finally voted to suspend the bylaws regarding term limits until recommendations for two new members have been sent to the town board and Dolores School Board, both of which ultimately appoint the library trustees.
The library district was created in 1986 by resolutions of the town and school boards.
Hourmanesh and Wisner-Meyers voted against the suspension. Jumper, Becker, Woodbury, and Correen Becher voted in favor.
