To the members of the Board of Trustees of FVRLibraries:
At the Feb. 17, 2026, special meeting of the Friends of Battle Ground Community Library, this motion was presented and seconded and passed by a unanimous vote of the members present: Do you vote to support a vote of no confidence in the vote to adopt the last-minute language for the Strategic Plan by the FVRL Board of Trustees on Jan. 26, 2026?
We object to the whole dysfunctional process of voting during that meeting. There were significant factors that, in our estimation, disqualify that vote:
- The way the situation was handled, the insistence on a vote that night, despite several suggestions that it be delayed
- The lack of acknowledgment by the board that the public and staff support for the original language outweighed the public support for the revised language
- The confusion about which motion for which version of the language was on the table.
- The way Trustee Kakorina’s language was introduced as a “preliminary” version with multiple choices of language
- When questions were asked about which language she was proposing, her “final” version was posted and then emailed to the board members for their review, during a 10-minute recess
- None of the board members had reviewed the new language before the meeting
- The need for Ms. Jennifer Giltrop, executive director of FVRLibraries, to ask Trustee Kakorina where the changes she was proposing fit into the document they were voting on
- The many technical glitches that caused confusion and delay
- The disregard for the impact of extended delay due to executive sessions which resulted in a four and a half hour meeting
- The disregard for the $400,000 of taxpayers’ money wasted and the almost year’s worth of time spent on the strategic planning process which they later refused to accept
The start of the meeting was encouraging, with the chair reminding those present of the Trustee Ethics. Then, after 10 minutes for review for the Strategic Plan language that will be in place for five years, the vote was hijacked by a last-minute proposal that was not adequately prepared, presented or processed. There was no discussion and no opportunity for public comment. Sadly, we cannot support the outcome of that vote.
From The Friends of Battle Ground Community Library
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