What is an MOA?
What is a Memorandum of Agreement?
Here's a legal definition, but jist is: The MOA is often used to define cooperative relationships between entities, specify mutual responsibilities, and ensure a clear understanding of expectations. However, it's not a mandatory document for the provision of funds. The necessary documentation or processes for obtaining government funding vary depending on the specific guidelines of the government entity concerned and could range from grant applications to specific funding proposals.
Why am I just now hearing about it?
Because the same people who have spent months harassing library staff with nearly 1000 reconsideration requests, derogatory and hateful emails, and newspaper opinion pieces calling them "pedophiles" and "child-groomers", would like to deflect from that behavior by painting Director Michelle Ross as incompetent for allowing the MOA to expire.
Just one thing.
The Warren County Board of Supervisors is equally complicit in allowing the MOA to expire without putting a new one in place. Nor is there any provision in the MOA requiring the Library Director, or the Board of Supervisors, to do so.
Yes, Virginia, a government can certainly fund a nonprofit library without an MOA, or Memorandum of Agreement. Funding can be provided in various ways, such as through grants, subsidies, tax relief schemes, or other kinds of financial support.
Director MIchelle Ross is a resilient, dedicated professional, as well as an admired and beloved member of the staff at Samuels Public Library, and their loss is our loss, and the entire county's loss.
But since they brought it up....
Save Samuels agrees that it is in the best interests of Samuels Public Library and the Warren County Board of Supervisors to have an active MOA. That's just good business sense. Any further opinion is outside the purview of Save Samuels.
And while you're here...
We've included a copy of the 2017 MOA below. We recommend such highlights as:
The findings of the Ad-Hoc Committee which determined:
it was best for Samuels Public Library to run as it does currently, as a separate entity overseen by the SPL Board of Trustees
That the county would have to pay more in both employee salary and benefits if the county were to take over the library (county employee benefits and the loss of volunteers)
That the county would pay more to run the library annually due to the significant drop in donations (which means even more money out of taxpayer's pockets)
And after that, if you still haven't contacted the Warren County Board of Supervisors, please do so today! Don't let the 53 speak for you!
2017 MOA Listed Below
