The Catoosa County Commission will accept the resignation of its library board’s chairwoman this morning.
Darlene Cutler, who has served on the board since 2007, submitted her letter of resignation on Dec. 12. She did not provide a reason for leaving in her letter.
On Monday, Cutler again declined to say why.
“I really have no comment at this time,” she said. “We just need to leave it at that.”
When pressed for more information, however, Cutler said she was leaving because she doesn’t have time to serve on the board anymore: “No personal agendas. Just time for me to move on. I have a full-time job and being chair is a full-time job.”
Cutler has held a full-time job while serving as the head of the library board for several years. She declined to say Monday what has made the two positions — or perhaps one of the two positions — more demanding now than it used to be.
Life is just busier right now.
“Everybody has different demands at different times of their lives,” she said. “It’s just a busy time for me and a busy time for the library. I’ve just decided to move on and focus on the job that pays me money.”
Before the commissioners accept Cutler’s resignation this morning, they will consider another thorny library issue: Who should be in charge of the library’s finances and employees. Since 2007, county administrators have overseen these issues.
But in October, Cutler and Library Director Darla Chambliss asked the commissioners to let the library control these issues on their own. At the time, Chambliss told the Times Free Press that the library board felt the county was not giving them as much money as they should.
Catoosa Commissioner Jim CutlerChambliss did not return a call seeking comment Monday. County Manager Mike Helton didn’t, either.
And neither did Commissioner Jim Cutler, Darlene’s husband, who will be asked today to accept his wife’s resignation.
Julie Walker, state librarian for the Georgia Public Library Service, said Darlene Cutler and Chambliss sent her messages last month to tell her that Cutler was stepping down. She said Cutler didn’t give her a reason for leaving.
On Monday, Cutler said she is open to returning to the board. When she’s less busy.
” I loved it,” she said. “If I were asked in a few years to maybe serve again, I would consider it.”
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@times freepress.com or at 423-757-6476.