Private Acts of 1981 Chapter 24

SECTION 1. There shall be created in Union County, a commission to be known as the Union County Governmental Library Commission. This commission shall be composed of five (5) members who are citizens of Union County. The judges of the circuit court, chancery court, and court of general sessions, or their successor courts shall each appoint one (1) member of the library commission and the other two (2) members shall be elected by the county commission from members of the Union County bar. The term of membership shall be four (4) years. In the event of a vacancy in office resulting from death, resignation, refusal to serve, or otherwise, of a member appointed by a circuit court judge, a chancellor, or a general sessions judge, such vacancy shall be filled for the balance of the term by the judge or his successor in office who made the original appointment of that library commissioner. In the event of a vacancy in office resulting from death, resignation, refusal to serve, or otherwise, of a member elected by the county commission, such vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the term by the county commission. Each library commissioner shall serve until his successor is appointed and assumes the duties of office after taking an oath to faithfully fulfill the duties of the office.

SECTION 2. The purpose of the library commission shall be to establish, acquire, maintain and operate a county governmental library. The commission shall have full power and authority to acquire by purchase, gift, rent, lease, loan or otherwise, law books, codes, treatises, periodicals or other works of law, government, medicine, literature or other written materials that they may deem necessary or beneficial to the courts, and to state, county and municipal officials, members of the bar and the public; for research or use in the preparation, trial, or decisions of any matters that come or may come before the courts of the county and state; or of use by public officials or the public, on questions of law or government. The commission may also acquire in like manner furniture, fixtures, bookcases, supplies and all things necessary to establish, maintain and operate the county governmental library. The commission also has the right to employ and discharge librarians and other assistants, to fix salaries of these employees, and in their discretion to make all reasonable rules and regulations governing the operation and use of the library. Space in which to house the library shall be provided by the county in the Union County court house in Maynardville without cost to the library commission. All books [sic] furniture and other equipment so purchased or acquired shall become the property of the county.

SECTION 3. For the purpose of financing the library, there shall be taxed as a cost on each civil, criminal, quasi-civil, quasi-criminal, or any other action at law, or suit in equity of any nature, hereafter filed in, arising in, or brought by appeal, certiorari or otherwise to the circuit, chancery, or general sessions courts in Union County, the sum of one dollar ($1.00). The cost taxed in pursuance of this section shall be collected as other costs in such cases are collected by the clerks of such courts, and the same shall be designated as county library tax. On or before the last day of each month the clerks of the respective courts shall pay to the county trustee all amounts collected as county library tax in the preceding calendar month. The sum paid to the county trustee shall be designated as the county governmental library fund and used only for the purposes set out in this act. On approval of a majority of the library commission the chairman and secretary thereof shall draw warrants on the county trustee for expenditures of the commission, indicating on such warrant the fund against which they are drawn and the county trustee is authorized and directed, upon all warrants signed by the chairman and secretary, to make payments out of said fund upon the warrants so issued and presented in compliance with the provisions of this act.

SECTION 4. The library commission shall have full power and authority to raise sufficient operating funds, to assess lawyers and others, except judges and public officials, reasonable dues or charges for the use of the library, and to make charges for the use, damage or destruction of books or other property. Any income from such dues or charges shall be paid by the commission into the office of the county trustee in a like manner and at like times as monies collected hereunder shall be paid by the clerks of the various courts to the county trustee.

SECTION 5. The library commission shall keep written minutes of their meetings, at which meetings a majority of all members of the commission then serving shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the commission shall keep a record of monies received and disbursed, purchases, loss or destruction of books or other property, and a property inventory, with reasonable accuracy.

SECTION 6. This act shall have no effect unless it is approved by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the county legislative body of Union County before October 1, 1981. Its approval or nonapproval shall be proclaimed by the presiding officer of the county legislative body and certified by him to the Secretary of State.

SECTION 7. For the purpose of approving or rejecting the provisions of this act, it shall be effective upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, it shall become effective upon being approved as provided in Section 6.
PASSED: February 26, 1981