The Greeley Tribune: The High Plains Library District Board on Friday agreed to settlement terms with Weld County and surrounding municipalities, bringing to an end nearly three years of litigation and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

The terms of the settlement, however, are being withheld despite a public vote by the public body.

The lawsuit, originally filed by the district in April 2014, had its inception in a Board of Weld County Commissioners attempt to replace the library board with one of its own choosing in response to complaints from member libraries throughout the county.

Since the spring of 2014, the parties involved have spent more than $250,000 in legal fees, and were prepared for a trial to start Monday.

The 11th-hour settlement averts a potentially costly trial, but will require formal agreement of the various parties to the lawsuit, including the Board of Weld County Commissioners.

“I’m just glad its finally settled, and I’m glad we can save taxpayer money and not go to trial,” Weld County Commissioner Mike Freeman said. “Calmer heads prevailed, and we were able to work this out.”

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