The City of Crosby and its main library, the Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library, are headed to mediation over a dispute concerning the city’s observance of statutes concerning the governing of public libraries. Specifically, the library’s board accuses Crosby of taking money from the library’s budget without approval to pay attorney’s fees, and that the city has prevented the board from setting compensation packages for library employees, whom it claims, is clearly its purview under state law.

The library board successfully filed a writ of mandamus last year, which seeks to compel the city to follow its legal responsibilities in regards to the library. A judge agreed and ordered the city to cease using library budget and accept the compensation packages outlined by the library board. In a mutual effort to avoid a full-fledged court battle, the city and the library board recently agreed to mediation.

The dispute goes much deeper than misappropriation of funds, but centers on diverging concepts of what a “public” library is. The library board believes it is an independent agency funded by the city. The city believes it is a city department like any other and therefore under city authority. Things got messy when the library board filed for the writ and the city used library funds to pay the attorneys hired to handle the court action.

Mediation is expected to last about a day. Both sides have admitted they may need to compromise in order to reach an agreement.