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HUGO - The Choctaw County Library Board met Tuesday morning.  Foremost on the agenda was how to deal with a budget shortfall.

The library has $135 to operate on until July.  The electric bill alone averages $1,900 per month. Some of the deficit will be made up from use fees due in March.

Salaries, book purchases and some other items are funded through the Southeastern Public Library System of Oklahoma.

"This is no different from the problem the library has faced for the last 80 years,  said board member Brent Shane. "We are going to have this situation until our endowment provides enough money to operate on."

Shane was referring to an endowment fund created several years ago.  Interest from it should eventually provide a steady source of operating funds.

The board voted to raise funds immediately through bake sales, board member efforts and a community "Drive for Lights" campaign.  It approved reduction of outside lighting at night to reduce costs.

The board also tackled organizational issues, some of which have been the subject of recent criticism.

Assigned to committees for review last Dec. were issues involving control of records, financial accountability and board training.

The records committee proposed records be kept in a file cabinet at the library.  Board member Miriam Costilow further suggested records be gathered as soon as possible.

A motion approving record centralization passed following the donation of a file cabinet by Wade Scott of Security First National Bank.

Judy Clancy of the Board Training and Policy Committee made sweeping recommendations.  The report called for annual board member orientation in such areas as financial operation, tax compliance and Open Meeting Act training.

The committee also recommended recruiting board members from various fields of expertise and implementation of a conflict of interest policy.

The board is taking the committee recommendations under advisement.