§ 332-101. Property accepted.
§ 332-102. Conditions of trust; Board of Trustees.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Reading 2-23-1899 by Ord. No. 53-1899 (Ch. 12, Part 1, of the 2001 Code of Ordinances). Amendments noted where applicable.]
STATE LAW REFERENCES
Appropriations — See 24 P.S. § 4401.
Payment for operation and maintenance — See 53 P.S. § 38603.
The City of Reading hereby accepts the donation of the real estate and the buildings thereon erected, situated on the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Franklin Street, in the City of Reading, and the books, manuscripts and other personal property therein contained, tendered to the City of Reading by the Reading Library, a corporation existing under the Laws of Pennsylvania, to be conveyed and transferred to the City of Reading on the passage of this chapter. The Mayor of the City is hereby authorized to receive the same in the name of the City of Reading, and to cause the deed therefor to be duly recorded.
The donation is received by the City of Reading upon the following trusts and conditions:
A. To establish a free public library for the use and benefit of the citizens and residents of the City of Reading, to be reasonably maintained at the public expense under the authority of an Act of Assembly, entitled: "An act empowering any city in this commonwealth to take and hold donations of money, books, real and personal property, for the purpose of a free library in said city, and to make appropriations to maintain the same" and of any other laws of the State of Pennsylvania which are now or may be hereinafter enacted.
B. The library shall be managed and controlled by a Board of 16 trustees, to be constituted as follows: The Mayor of the City shall be ex officio, and the 15 others shall be appointed as follows: Ten thereof shall be elected by Council and five thereof shall be elected by the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, the donor as aforesaid. At the meeting for organization of the Board of Trustees, the terms of the members shall be determined by lot. Three shall serve for one year, two to be appointed by the City and one by the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, three for two years, two to be appointed by the City and one by the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, three for three years, two to be appointed by the City and one by the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, three for four years, two to be appointed by the City and one by the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, and three for five years, two to be appointed by the City and one by the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, and at the expiration of the term of each, a successor shall be elected or appointed as hereinbefore provided, for a full term of five years, the terms to date from the first Monday of January of the year in which they may be named, respectively. Vacancies occurring from any cause shall be filled, for the unexpired term, as follows: Where the vacancy is the selection of Council, Council shall fill the unexpired term; where the vacancy is the selection of the Board of Directors of the Reading Library, the Board of Directors of the Reading Library shall fill the unexpired term. The Board of Trustees shall annually, on the first Monday of January, report to Council of the City of Reading, the condition, expenditures and necessities of the library and property, real and personal, connected therewith.