ADAMS TWP — The Mars Public Library board of trustees will consider revisions to its bylaws following a community meeting.

Adams Township supervisors held Wednesday’s meeting to address concerns raised by citizens about the library, its bylaws and finances. Supervisor Thomas Franceschina said the meeting was intended to bring clarity to the situation while avoiding dwelling on past issues.

“This is not to point fingers at anyone ... because most of the issues that have been brought up pre-date (board trustees) being on the board or the library director,” he said.

Francheschina asked library trustees — all seven of whom were present at the meeting — to consider revising their bylaws to address concerns, many of which involved transparency. He said residents were frustrated by rules that required them to submit a request to address the library board during public meetings two weeks in advance. Those rules also allow the board to decide if they want to hear those issues in public session.

“The feeling is that residents cannot truly go to the board and get answers,” he said.

He also pointed to the library’s change in nonprofit status from public to private, as well as a bylaw that indicates municipality representation on the board is dictated by the amount of money donated.

Francheschina said Adams Township routinely donates the largest amount to the library, while donations from Middlesex Township and Mars and Valencia boroughs are smaller or nonexistent.

He said varying interpretations of that bylaw lead to potential issues of equal representation.

Francheschina pointed to a September recommendation from Kim Geyer, Butler County commissioner, which outlined ways the library could be more transparent. This included hiring a new library director, amending bylaws to demonstrate good faith standards and limiting terms served by board members.

He also suggested making the board positions even in their representation, with two members each from Adams and Middlesex townships and Mars borough, and one from Valencia.

“It would make a lot of the issues here just go away,” he said of the suggestions.

Caitlyn Boland, who took over as library director in November, said the board has tried to add representatives from every area the library serves, but has not found willing participants. She added that board meetings have been run in a way that invites public comment.

“If we can address those concerns at our meetings, we make every effort to do so,” she said.

Steven Chadwick, library board member, said the ideas presented were “terrific,” but also could be complicated to achieve. He said the board often meets to an empty room, and added it could be problematic to remove members of the board based solely on their place of residence. He said though the board has tried to find members from all areas, it currently consists of four members from Adams and three from Middlesex.

“You’re potentially insulting two people who of their own free will have given their time,” he said. “To what end?”

Francheschina responded quickly.

“You’re insulting Mars borough ... by not allowing them representation on the board,” he said.

Russell Ford, an Adams Township supervisor, said the main problem supervisors have is that while the township contributes taxpayer money to the library, there has been little to no communication or transparency about library business in the past. He suggested an advisory board of elected officials from each municipality be formed to keep an eye on the work being done by the library board.

Francheschina agreed with the proposal, and further suggested the library board fill open positions as they arise with a focus on gaining equal representation. The idea also gained support from Gregg Hartung, Mars mayor.

“The process being suggested here is a wise road to go,” he said, adding that municipalities help the library in more ways than just financial.

Francheschina also asked if the library board would consider making financial records more readily available, and also consider changing meeting times to accommodate the public. Boland said financial documents are always available upon request, and meetings times are always posted in advance.

Chadwick, meanwhile, asked for the supervisors to present the requests in a bullet-point list so the board may consider them at its next meeting, which is set 5 p.m. May 21.