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APR submitted a public records request Thursday with the Autauga-Prattville Public Library seeking public information that could reveal the library’s financial status.
APR filed the request around noon on Thursday using the library’s public records request form and paying the requisite $20 fee to start the process.
The records requested include:
- A copy of the current budget and proposed budget for 2025
- A copy of the representative agreements the board entered for representation from attorneys Laura Clark and Bryan Taylor
- Financial statements for January, February, March and April of 2024
- Any insurance policy that would cover the costs of litigation
- A copy of the settlement agreement with Foster
When the board hired Laura Clark as its attorney on Feb. 8, it announced that she would be paid $200 per hour, but the contract has not yet been revealed and it is unclear whether Clark has yet been paid. The board pared back $2,000 in its budget for advertising expenses in order to pay Clark, which only funds 10 hours of her time.
When Foster sued the board, Clark could not represent the board due to a conflict of interest, leading the board to hire Bryan Taylor to represent them in that lawsuit. They did not disclose anything about Taylor’s contract. Now the board has hired Taylor again to represent them in a federal suit. They did not disclose anything about his contract.
The settlement agreement is apparently confidential, as both sides have said they cannot discuss the settlement outside of a joint statement provided Thursday, and that confidentiality extends to any money paid out due to the settlement.
When former director Andrew Foster responded to a public records request from APR, the board fired him. Assistant director Kaitlin Wilson also got shown the door after speaking to APR.
