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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 2091 By: Standridge
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to library systems; amending 11 O.S.
7 2021, Section 31-102, which relates to municipal
8 library board appointments; modifying terms for
8 members appointed to board; amending 65 O.S. 2021,
9 Sections 2-103, 4-103, 4-203, and 154, which relate
9 to library system board appointments; modifying terms
10 for members appointed to board; and providing an
10 effective date.
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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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14 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 11 O.S. 2021, Section 31-102, is
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15 amended to read as follows:
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16 Section 31-102. The municipal governing body may, in its
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17 discretion and by ordinance, place the management and control of the
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18 public library under a library board of directors. The library
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19 board shall consist of at least five but not more than nine
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20 directors, chosen by the municipal governing body with reference to
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21 their fitness for such office. No director shall receive
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22 compensation as such. Directors appointed to the library board
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23 shall hold office for a term of three (3) years from the first day
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24 of May following their appointment, and their terms shall be
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1 staggered. The municipal governing body may remove any director for
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2 misconduct or neglect of duty Directors appointed to the library
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3 board shall serve at the pleasure of the municipal governing body
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4 and may be removed without cause. Vacancies in the library board of
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5 directors shall be filled in the same manner as original
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6 appointments.
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7 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 65 O.S. 2021, Section 2-103, is
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8 amended to read as follows:
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9 Section 2-103. The term of office of each appointive member,
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10 except for initial appointments as herein specified, shall be six
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11 (6) years, beginning July 1 of the year of appointment or until his
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12 successor has been appointed and qualified. The present State
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13 Library Board shall become members of the Board of the Department
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14 and shall continue in office until their respective terms expire.
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15 The Governor shall appoint one member on or before July 1 of each
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16 year; provided that he shall make the first appointments for the
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17 following terms in the years indicated: One member for a term of one
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18 (1) year, and one member for a term of two (2) years in 1967; one
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19 member for a term of two (2) years, one member for a term of three
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20 (3) years and the member-at-large for a term of three (3) years in
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21 1968; one member for a term of three (3) years, and one member for a
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22 term of four (4) years in 1969. After the initial appointments,
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23 terms shall be for six (6) years. Any vacancy on the Board shall be
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24 filled for the remainder of the term only and by the method of the
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1 original appointment. No person who has served a full six-year term
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2 shall be appointed to succeed himself. Members may be removed only
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3 for cause Members appointed to the State Library Board shall serve
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4 at the pleasure of the Governor and may be removed without cause.
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5 SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 65 O.S. 2021, Section 4-103, is
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6 amended to read as follows:
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7 Section 4-103. A. The Board of Trustees of a library system
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8 containing two or more counties, herein defined as a multicounty
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9 library system, shall consist of at least five (5) members. There
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10 shall be at least one member from each county appointed by the board
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11 of county commissioners. Additional members shall be appointed for
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12 each city within the system with a public library located in the
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13 city, with these appointments to be made by the governing body of
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14 the city. Should the board serving a multicounty unit result in
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15 fewer than five members, additional board members shall be appointed
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16 on a proportional basis agreed upon by the county governments
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17 involved.
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18 B. Any member serving on a system board as of the effective
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19 date of this act shall continue to serve until the end of the
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20 current term for which they were appointed. Thereafter,
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21 appointments shall be made as provided for in subsection A of this
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22 section.
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23 C. Initial appointments shall be distributed among one-, two-
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24 and three-year terms, with one-third (1/3) of the appointments to be
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1 made for one (1) year, one-third (1/3) to be made for two (2) years
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2 and one-third (1/3) for three (3) years. Subsequent appointments
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3 shall be for three-year terms, except in the case of an appointment
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4 to fill a vacancy in the membership of the system board, which
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5 appointment shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term of the
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6 member where death, resignation or removal has created the vacancy.
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7 A partial term of not more than eighteen (18) months served
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8 immediately prior to a full three-year term shall not be counted as
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9 a full term. No person shall serve more than two full successive
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10 terms. Provided that a person who previously served for two (2)
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11 successive terms or less may be reappointed if two (2) years has
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12 expired since the person's last service on the board. All tenure of
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13 initial and future appointees shall expire on June 30 of the
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14 designated year. A member of a system board once qualified can
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15 thereafter be removed by the appointive authority during his term of
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16 office only for misconduct or neglect of duty without cause.
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17 D. Appointments to the system board shall be made on the basis
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18 of ability, a sound understanding of the total responsibilities and
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19 objectives of public libraries and an active interest in the
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20 attainment of these comprehensive goals. Appointive members shall
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21 be qualified electors and bona fide residents of the counties from
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22 which they are appointed. No member of the system board shall in
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23 any way be connected with the business of publishing or selling
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1 books, periodicals or other forms of library materials nor with the
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2 business of manufacturing or selling library supplies or equipment.
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3 E. All system board members shall serve thereon without
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4 compensation except actual and necessary travel expenses as
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5 authorized by the State Travel Reimbursement Act. Individual
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6 memberships for systems board members in state, regional, and
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7 national library associations and expenses incurred in attending
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8 conferences of these associations, board meetings and other library
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9 and library-related meetings may be paid from library funds upon
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10 proper authorization of the board.
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11 SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 65 O.S. 2021, Section 4-203, is
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12 amended to read as follows:
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13 Section 4-203. A. The board of trustees of a rural single
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14 county library system shall consist of at least five (5) members.
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15 One member shall be appointed from each county commissioner district
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16 by the board of county commissioners. One member shall be appointed
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17 by the governing body of the county seat city or town. A member
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18 shall be appointed from the city or town with the largest population
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19 that is not the county seat.
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20 B. Initial appointments shall be for one-, two-, and three-year
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21 terms. Subsequent appointments shall be for three-year terms,
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22 except in the case of an appointment to fill an unexpired term which
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23 appointment shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term. No
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24 person shall serve more than two full consecutive terms in addition
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1 to any partial term served by appointment to fill an unexpired term.
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2 A person who previously served for two consecutive terms or less may
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3 be reappointed if two (2) years has expired since the last service
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4 on the board. All terms shall expire on June 30 of the designated
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5 year. A member of a system board can be removed by shall serve at
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6 the pleasure of the appointing authority during the term for which
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7 appointed only for misconduct or neglect of duty.
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8 C. Appointments to the system board shall be made on the basis
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9 of ability, a sound understanding of the total responsibilities and
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10 objectives of public libraries and active interest in the attainment
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11 of system goals. Appointive members shall be qualified electors and
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12 bona fide residents of the county. No member of the system board
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13 shall be in the business of publishing or selling books, periodicals
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14 or other forms of library materials or the business of manufacturing
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15 or selling library supplies or equipment.
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16 D. All system board members shall serve without compensation
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17 except for actual and necessary travel expenses which shall be
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18 compensated from library funds upon proper authorization of the
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19 board of trustees of the system at the rate provided in the State
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20 Travel Reimbursement Act, Section 500.1 et seq. of Title 74 of the
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21 Oklahoma Statutes. Individual memberships for system board members
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22 in state, regional, and national library associations and expenses
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23 incurred in attending conferences of these associations, board
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24 meetings and other library and library-related meetings may be paid
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1 from library funds upon proper authorization of the board of
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2 trustees of the system.
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3 SECTION 5. AMENDATORY 65 O.S. 2021, Section 154, is
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4 amended to read as follows:
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5 Section 154. The city-county library commission shall consist
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6 of eleven (11) members. Six of the members shall be appointed by
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7 the mayor of the city subject to approval of the governing body
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8 thereof. Three of the members shall be appointed by the board of
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9 county commissioners. The mayor of the city and the chairman of the
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10 board of county commissioners shall be ex officio members of the
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11 commission and shall be entitled to vote on all matters. The
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12 chairman of the board of county commissioners may designate another
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13 county commissioner to serve in place of the chairman on the
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14 commission. The county commissioner designated by the chairman
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15 shall have the same voting rights as the chairman of the board of
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16 county commissioners. The initial appointments by the city shall
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17 designate two members to serve a term of three (3) years, two
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18 members to serve a term of two (2) years, and two members to serve a
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19 term of one (1) year. The initial appointments by the county shall
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20 designate one member to serve a term of three (3) years, one member
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21 to serve a term of two (2) years, and one member to serve a term of
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22 one (1) year. Provided, that the terms of such initial appointees
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23 and the terms of all future appointees of both the city and county
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24 shall expire on July 31 of that year in which they expire,
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1 regardless of the calendar date when such appointments are made.
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2 Subsequent appointments of either the city or the county shall be
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3 for three-year terms, except in the case of an appointment to fill a
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4 vacancy in the membership of the commission, which latter
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5 appointment shall be for the balance of the unexpired term of the
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6 member whose death, resignation, or removal has created the vacancy.
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7 A member of such commission once qualified can thereafter be removed
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8 during his term of office only for misconduct or neglect of duty at
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9 the pleasure of the appointing authority and, if he requests a
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10 hearing before the governing body by which he was appointed, after
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11 such hearing has been held. All members of the commission shall
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12 serve thereon without compensation. Expenses which are incurred by
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13 members pursuant to prior specific authorization by the board of
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14 county commissioners and the governing body of the city shall be
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15 reimbursed, provided that expenses incurred for transportation,
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16 meals, and lodging shall be reimbursed only if incurred in
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17 connection with authorized travel outside the county.
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18 SECTION 6. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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