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 Oklahoma Statutes (Last Updated: September 18, 2014)
 Title 65. PUBLIC LIBRARIES

  § 65-4-102. Procedure for establishment and termination.  

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  • A library system may be created by resolution or ordinance approved by the boards of county commissioners or by the governing bodies of all cities or towns of two thousand (2,000) or more according to the latest U.S. Census within the proposed district, or by the county seat town if no city or town within a county has a population of at least two thousand (2,000), subject to approval by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board.  Such resolution and ordinances shall specify the type of system to be created, the district to be served, organization of the governing board of the system, proposed financing including agreement to call for a vote of the people as necessary for special tax levies, and shall constitute application for approval by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board when submitted to the Board.

    A library system may be created upon initiative of the county, city and town governing bodies concerned, or upon presentation of petitions to the board of county commissioners of each county signed by not less than ten (10%) percent of of the qualified electors of each county voting in the latest preceding general election.  Upon receipt of such petitions, the board of county commissioners of each county shall forthwith call for a countywide vote on the proposed library system.

    When approval of the proposed system is granted by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board, the county, city and town governing bodies shall proceed with appointment of the system board and financing.

    After appointment of the governing board of the library system, it may request demonstration library services by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries before approval of special tax levies and/or may request a grant of funds for interim services before collection  of special tax levies by the people of the district.

    The boards of county commissioners and the governing bodies of cities and towns involved in creation of a library system, and the governing board of the library system, are authorized to enter into contracts and agreements by and between such governing bodies and with other such library systems, special and school and college libraries, and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries in affecting the purposes of this article and other articles of this Code.

    After a system has been created, another county or counties may be added to the system by action of the governing bodies of the applicant counties and cities as provided in the procedure for establishment.

    Any library system created under the provisions of this Code may be terminated, or a part thereof may withdraw and resulting special tax levies shall be discontinued only by majority vote of qualified electors voting in an election called by petitions signed by not less than twenty (20%) percent of the qualified electors voting in the latest preceding general election of the county or counties wishing to terminate or withdraw.

    This provision for termination of all or a part of a library system shall not prohibit the reorganization of any system, or the transfer of part of a system to another system or the merging of systems, by act of the county, city and town governing bodies with approval of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board, provided that such changes do not result in termination of library service in any other area for which such service has been approved.

Added by Laws 1967, c. 45, § 4-102, emerg. eff. April 6, 1967.  Amended by Laws 1992, c. 322, § 8, eff. July 1, 1992.