The debate over the Merdian Library District: Public Testimony over the decision to move to dissolve
By Brendyn Jones
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BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — On Monday, the Ada County Board of Commissioners heard public testimony on the decision of bringing the dissolution of the Meridian Library District (MLD) to the ballot of the next general election.
The petition, which was accepted last month, came from a group called the Concerned Citizens of Meridian (CCoM). The group says their concerns lie with some material in the library they see as sexually explicit. They also have concerns with the way their grievances were handled by the library board of trustees.
“We’re not looking to ban books,” Michael Hon, a Member of the CCoM, told Idaho News 6 last month. “We’re looking to inform parents and give them the information to work with that ‘hey there’s some stuff in here that you may not want your kids to see.’”
The group did not want to speak with reporters before the testimony session, but Idaho News 6 reporter Brendyn Jones sat down with Hon in February to discuss his group’s petition.
The CCoM says their goal is to dissolve the library and then reinstate it with the hope that a new board of trustees would have different ideals.
“We want to reestablish this library through a democratic process with a trustee board that is in line with community standards,” said Hon during Monday’s session.
However, the MLD says it wouldn’t be that easy. Dissolution would require all of the library’s assets to be sold, according to the Chair of the MLD Board of Trustees, Megan Larsen.
“If the commissioners decide to put dissolution on the ballot, people will vote yes or no,” Larsen told Idaho News 6 before Monday’s session. “If the people vote to dissolve the library, every book, every building, every computer, will be disposed of and the remaining funds will go to the Ada County General fund. It will not be reformed.”
The Ada County Board of Commissioners does not have the power to dissolve or create a Library district, as they made clear before the meeting. However, they will deliberate, after public testimony is over, on whether or not they will allow the measure on the ballot of the next general election.
The Board of Commissioners ended the meeting Monday night at 10pm. Because there were still people waiting to speak, the board decided to start testimony back up Wednesday evening at 6pm.
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