Could one Louisiana parish leave the Audubon Regional Library on its own?

Plain-English summary

East Feliciana Parish police juror Ann Reiley Jones asked whether one member parish could withdraw from the Audubon Regional Library. The AG pointed to the written intergovernmental agreement among West Feliciana, East Feliciana, and St. Helena Parishes. Article VI said it bound the parishes until termination by agreement between them. The AG concluded that a parish could leave only in accordance with that article.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2002. Subsequent statutory amendments, court decisions, or later AG opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current legal advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or remedy mentioned here.

Common questions

Could one member parish leave the regional library unilaterally?
The AG said withdrawal had to follow Article VI of the agreement, which called for termination by agreement between the parishes.

What document controlled the library arrangement?
The AG relied on the parishes' written Intergovernmental Agreement for the Support and Operation of the Audubon Regional Library and Its Branches.

Background and statutory framework

The opinion cited LSA-R.S. 33:1325 for the requirement that arrangements under LSA-R.S. 33:1324 be written. It reaffirmed Opinion 96-476 and applied Articles VI and IX of the agreement supplied to the office.

Citations and references

• Statutory references appear in the reproduced opinion below.

Source

• Landing page: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinions
• Original PDF: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinion/Download/02-0064

Original opinion text

~t~t~ o[ ~o~i~an~
One American Place
301 Ma~n Street, Suite 600
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
P.O Box 94005
CIVIL DIVISION
TEL (225) 342-7013
FAX: (225) 342-2090
BATON ROUGE
RICHARD P. IEYOUB
70804-9005
ATTORNEY GENERAL
OPINION NUMBER 02-0064

Ann Reiley Jones
64-1-LIBRARIES
84-PAISHES
Police Juror, District 6
"lntergovernmental Agreement" entered into by
East Feliciana Parish
parishes controls duration of Audubon Regional
4100 Bob Jones Road
Library.
Clinton, La 70722

Dear Mrs. Jones,

You have requested an opinion of the Attorney General in your capacity as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Audubon Regional Library Board, asking whether a single Parish of the Audubon Regional Library Board can extricate itself from the multi- parish regional library system.

In 1996 this office rendered Attorney General’s Opinion # 96-476 in which we concluded that the Board of Commissioners for the Audubon Regional Library was governed by LSA-R.S. 33:1321 et seq. LSA-R.S. 33:1325 provides, "All arrangements concluded under the authority of LSA-R.S. 33:1324 shall be reduced to writing." This office also concluded in A.G. Op. # 96-476 that the Board of Commissioners for the Audubon Regional Library should be governed by the written agreement mandated in LSA-R.S.
33:1325.

It is still the opinion of this office that the Intergovernmental Agreement for the Support and Operation of the Audubon Regional Library and Its Branches entered into by the Parishes of West Feliciana, East Feliciana and St. Helena should govern the conduct of the Board of Commissioners. This office has been provided with a copy of the above agreement in which Article VI sets out the agreement’s duration. Article VI of the written agreement states, "This Agreement shall be binding upon the PARISHES until terminated by agreement between the PARISHES." Furthermore Article IX states, "The PARISHES hereto pledge their mutual cooperation in complying with the terms of this Supplemental Agreement,..."

Therefore, in answer to your question, a member Parish of the Audubon Regional Library Board can only extricate itself in accordance with the terms set out under Article VI of the intergovernmental agreement.

We hope this sufficiently answers your inquiry, but if we can be of further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us.

Page 2

Ann Reiley Jones
OPINION NUMBER 02-0064
Page - 2 -

Yours very truly,

RICHARD P. IEYOUB
ATTORNEY GENERAL

By: CHARLES H. BRAUD, JR. ~ \
Assistant Attorney General "-J
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