‘A wonderful mix of residents’: New Richmond Hill Public Library board officially sworn in

Board includes three Richmond Hill councillors and six volunteer community members

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 18, 2023
Sheila Wang

Richmond Hill Public Library has welcomed its new board of members from city council and the community for the next four years.

The board members, who were selected last fall, have officially been sworn in for the 2022-2026 term, according to a news release Jan. 10.

The board consists of three Richmond Hill councillors -- Carol Davidson, Scott Thompson and Castro Liu -- and six volunteer community members.

“I’m thrilled that our new board contains a diverse mix of experiences, skills, backgrounds and perspectives that will represent our community as we build modern services and spaces,” said Darren Solomon, chief executive officer of Richmond Hill Public Library.

Residents applied to join the library board last fall, while the new city council appointed new members in November after the October election.

The new library board marked the end of an eventful past term which began with controversial cost cuts on the library services, leading to a resignation of its previous chair, David Bishop, following the retirement of the former CEO Louise Procter Maio.

Solomon took the position as CEO in July 2020, after an extensive search.

On Dec. 5, the new board elected Stephen Chait as board chair and Sugantha Raj as vice-chair during the first meeting.

“It’s a great honour to be elected as the RHPL board chair, a position I hold with high regard,” Chait said. “The board consists of a wonderful mix of residents who are passionate about the immeasurable value that libraries provide to our community.”

At the meeting, the board adopted its 2023 operating budget for the city's consideration, which amounts to a $440,600 increase. It represents a 5.5 per cent increase in the library’s budget and a 0.36 per cent increase to the city’s tax rate impact as a whole, according to the meeting.

‘You really can’t fight city hall’: Richmond Hill library board chair quits over service cuts

A library staff report says the library’s operating budget has been reduced and constrained over the last three years due to a significant cost-cutting restructuring of personnel and 0 per cent tax rate approach at city hall.

In 2023, the library is expected to launch an enhanced, online experience through a redesigned website while expanding its collections beyond books to include passes to galleries and museums.

It will also develop a master plan that will recommend future library spaces in Richmond Hill.

The library will invite community members to get to know its new board members through posts on its website and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the coming weeks.