VAN BUREN -- The Crawford County Library System board has delayed a decision as to whether it will approve funds from library coffers to help the county government pay legal fees related to a lawsuit over LGBTQ-related books.

Still, multiple people spoke during public comment period at the board's Tuesday evening meeting to oppose using library funds for legal costs.

"Guys and girls, I just have to ask: Whose side are you on?" Crawford County resident Sheila Bell asked the board. "Why would you even consider a discussion of paying the fees for the lawsuit when (County Judge Chris Keith) said in open court the county is paying for the legal fees? And before the federal judge has issued an opinion after the latest filings?

"We cannot afford to pay the lawyer fees," Bell said.

Vickie Davis of Van Buren said she spends a lot of time at the library.

"We don't have enough money to pay for lawsuits. We barely have enough money to run the library," Davis said. "Y'all are representing us. We're saying 'no.'

"Why should we pay for other people's mistakes?" she said.

'POLICY STANDPOINT'

The library board agenda included a discussion on lawsuit fees related to a suit brought by three parents in which the plaintiffs alleged the county and its library system violated the First Amendment in the handling of LGBTQ-related books.

A federal judge ruled against the county on Sept. 30.

County officials have informally asked library leaders to pay $100,000 of the expected approximately $118,000 plaintiffs' legal fees out of library funds if the county is ordered to pay them, according to attorney Bob Ballinger, who was hired as the library board's legal counsel in September 2023.

"You all have to decide from a policy standpoint what you want to do," Ballinger said.

Board members decided Tuesday to delay action on whether to pay the fees after discussion that followed the public comments.

The library board is next scheduled to meet Jan. 14 in the Alma Public Library.

Library board members present Tuesday were Kayla Rich of Cedarville, chairman Keith Pigg of Mulberry, Kaelin Schaper of Alma and Tammara Hamby of Van Buren.

Robbie Dyer, who represents the Mountainburg library on the board, was absent. Ballinger also attended.

'HATEFUL RHETORIC'

On Monday, the county filed a motion opposing a move by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to require that no library funds be used to pay plaintiffs' legal fees.

Rebecca Virden, one of the three parent plaintiffs in the lawsuit, responded to that filing Tuesday evening.

"You know, (federal Judge P.K. Holmes III) cited Tammi Hamby's hateful rhetoric as the catalyst for removing books from the children's section," Virden said in a statement. "Now that she didn't get her way and the books are available and back where they belong, it's like she's trying to punish the library by having the library pay for these legal fees.

"Judge Keith has said this whole time that legal costs are coming out of the county's general fund," Virden added. "The county was given the opportunity to avoid a lawsuit if they would just allow the library to return the children's books to their original placement.

"Instead, the Judge let their lawyers take the county for all it's worth even though this was obviously a violation of the First Amendment," she said.

Asked after the meeting for comment, Hamby declined.

County resident Eli Clardy, a Democrat who ran for the justice of the peace District 12 seat in the Nov. 5 election but was defeated, was another member of the public who spoke at the library board meeting.

"This situation was not the library's fault; this was the Quorum Court's fault," Clardy said. "I know we have gone through a contentious time over this issue.

"Now is the time to end this once and for all, no appeal, no more book bans, and I urge you tonight to stand up to the people that put you in this position in the first place and reject their requests to have our already underfunded libraries take on any more of this financial burden," Clardy said. "Then we can finally put this behind us and say definitively, 'Our libraries are off limits from political attacks.'"