BENTON, Ark. — After months of debate over who should control the Saline County Library, an 11-2 quorum court vote on Monday, officially gives it to the County Judge.
Going forward, the Saline County Judge now has the final say for nearly all library decisions. This will include budgets, employment, and more of a say when it comes to what goes on library shelves.
It was a tense night with strict regulations on public comment, the court even removed someone from the podium who questioned if members were paying attention.
"We must never again allow the Saline County Library to weaponize our tax dollars against the citizens of this county," one supporter of the amended ordinance said.
Another person against the issue explained, "You're wanting to remove the decisions of the library from a board and a director that has a master's degree in library science, to a position that only requires you to be 25 years old, a qualified elector, and resident of Saline County."
Dozens came out from all across the state, both for and against the amended ordinance.
Some protestors expressed concern about a future defunding of the library, and quorum court member Jim Whitley addressed that directly.
"I will oppose any budget cuts any defunding of our library," Whitley explained.
De-funding and firing current staff is still a concern for the Saline County Library Alliance who have been protesting this amended ordinance for months.
"Our next step is obviously going to be taking that power back and giving it back to the library board where it belongs. We're going to be putting this ordinance one way or the other on the ballot," organizer Bailey Morgan said.
There's a lot of speculation on what the judge overseeing employment at the library means for current leadership— but nothing has been shared officially on that.
The Saline County Judge declined to comment further after the meeting.
Back in April, the Saline County court approved a resolution that restricts children's access to material deemed "inappropriate by the public," but a resolution like that is not legally binding.
Meanwhile, the state law that aligns with that resolution, Act 372 was later put on hold by a federal judge.
With Monday's vote, the judge now has a final say in nearly all library proceedings so Saline County will have to wait and see.