Wood River Attorney Says Plank’s Self-Appointing Library Board Vote Allowed

Wood River City Council Meeting

WOOD RIVER – Wood River City Councilman Jeremy Plank’s vote to appoint himself to the city’s Library Board will be allowed to stand.

City Attorney Kathryn Warren said at this week’s City Council meeting that after reviewing the City Code and relevant case law and state statutes, she found no rule preventing a sitting councilman from voting to approve his own appointment to the Library Board. The City Code also allows one member of the council to sit on the Library Board in a voting capacity.

“Not only is it allowed by City Code, there is a specific state statute that does allow a City Councilperson to serve as a member of the Library Board,” Warren said. “We were unable to find any law, case law, or any statute that prohibits Jeremy from voting for himself … from what we’re able to find, I think that the vote was valid.”

At the council’s Feb. 2, 2026 meeting, Plank’s Library Board appointment was approved by a 3-2 vote. Voting against his appointment were Councilmen Bill Dettmers and David Ayres; voting in favor were Mayor Tom Stalcup, Councilman Scott Tweedy, and Plank himself.

After Dettmers questioned whether Plank’s vote should have been allowed, Warren said the “best practice” would have been for Plank to abstain, but said she would look into any potential legal conflicts. More details are available in this previous story on Riverbender.com.

A full recording of the Feb. 17, 2026 Wood River City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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