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Library Minutes 2012 09-10-12 APPROVED W/ CORRECTIONS 10/8/12 Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees Monday, September 10, 2012 902 Game Farm Road – Library Historic Wing 7:00pm The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Beth Gambro. Roll Call Carol LaChance-yes, Susan Chacon-yes, Judy Somerlot-yes, Sandra Lindblom-yes, Barb Johnson-yes, Jo Ann Gryder-yes, Beth Gambro-yes, Gail Gaebler-yes, Bob Allen- (arrived approx. 7:05pm) Others Present Library Director Michelle Pfister City Finance Director Rob Fredrickson Alderman Carlo Colosimo Tony Scott, Kendall County Record Recognition of Visitors – Finance Director Rob Fredrickson, Alderman Carlo Colosimo and Tony Scott of Kendall County Record were recognized. Amendments to the Agenda – none Minutes – August 13, 2012 Page 3, item #8: The second sentence will be moved to page 4 under Standing Committees. Barb Johnson moved to amend the minutes as stated and then approve the minutes as presented. Jo Ann Gryder seconded that motion. Motion approved by unanimous voice vote. Correspondence – None Public Comment – None Staff Comment – None Report of the Treasurer Financial Statement 1. Treasurer Chacon noted that the travel and lodging budget is already at 128% halfway through the year. The expenses were from the RAILS training according to Ms. Pfister. 2. Taxes have been received 1 Check Register: 1. Two new computers were purchased along with new books. 2. Ms. Johnson noted the Sound Inc. invoice is on the annual service contract list. 3. Ms. Lindblom said that the quarterly cost to Prairiecats seemed high. This is due to increased cost to Yorkville Library since other libraries have pulled out of Prairiecats. 4. Treasurer Chacon detailed the Bill List Summary dated September 10, 2012: a. Bills paid: $11,349.44 b. 2 payrolls in August totaling $36,962.73 c. health insurance costs of: $5,946.63 Ms. Lindblom stated there were actually 3 payrolls on the cash statement. Mr. Fredrickson explained there were only 2 on the Summary because the report was compiled before the meeting day and the third one was not reflected. Payment of Bills Motion: Ms. Gryder moved to pay the total disbursements of $54,258.80 as outlined on the Bill List Summary. Barb Johnson seconded this motion. Roll call vote: Allen-yes, LaChance-yes, Chacon-yes, Somerlot-yes, Lindblom-yes, Johnson-yes, Gryder-yes, Gambro-yes, Gaebler-yes. Passed 9-0. Report of the Library Director Statistics 1. Library Directory Pfister reported that Marian Manthei from Friends of the Library could not attend the meeting, but she said the Friends did a great job with the book sale and made $3,452. Some of the Trustees helped with the sale as well. 2. Six people attended the new catalog card system class 3. Six people (3 were Library staff) attended the identity theft program 4. Adult reading program is finished and Friends of Library supplied prizes 5. The Friends have spent $8,990 on Library programs, gifts etc. Ms. Somerlot added that the Friends had their annual meeting this morning and she shared a summary of the money spent. 6. The teen group had a garage sale and $200 was raised for Mutual Ground. 7. 800 reading logs were handed out for the children’s reading program with 135 being returned. All received prizes. 8. Regarding circulation for July and August—specific figures are not yet available since information is not being received from the RAILS system. 9. Ms. Pfister made reference to a library story featured in the newspaper 10. The City has cleaned the gutters and also replaced several light bulbs. 11. The Garden Club did maintenance on the patio and courtyard 12. A Day of Service is being held on September 15 and high school students will be doing fall cleanup, raking etc. City Council Liaison Alderman Colosimo said Public Works Directory Eric Dhuse stated he could wash most of the Library windows with City equipment. Mr. Colosimo will request this be done before the weather turns. 2 River Road update—this project was to be completed by November, however, the date has been changed to Spring of 2013. Come Ed still needs to move some poles, but due to recent storms, they were delayed. Standing Committees Finance Committee This committee will meet in November, date to be determined. (Later determined to be th October 16). Unfinished Business Funding for Maintenance As requested at the last meeting, Ms. Gryder checked on a possible liquor license in conjunction with a fund-raiser. A temporary permit issued by the Mayor would be allowed for a specific event. Alderman Colosimo explained there are 2 ways to obtain a permit: 1) apply for a temporary permit, 2) an alternative would be for a current liquor license holder to co-host the event and provide liquor under their license. Ms. Gryder also suggested that perhaps guests could bring their own liquor, but it was not known if this is allowed. Ms. Johnson voiced concern about having liquor at a fund- raiser. Ms. Somerlot asked if the Library would still be considered tax-exempt and be non-profit if they have a liquor license-holding sponsor. Mr. Colosimo said the Library tax-exempt status would apply. Ms. Somerlot said the Friends would like to hold a fund-raiser, but they are not tax- exempt. She suggested the Friends could pair with the Library to provide assistance and manpower. The Friends are also interested in holding “mini-golf” in the Library and asked if the Library would consider being a sponsor. Donations/checks would be written to the “Yorkville Public Library”. Trustee Somerlot also said the Friends discussed having fund-raiser proceeds be applied to e-books, however, they would want to be able to pay for 2 years. She asked if the Library would consider paying half of the cost. She said their group has also sent letters to businesses for corporate memberships for e-books. The Board also briefly discussed possible lessons in ballroom dancing as a fund-raiser. Also reviewed was the proposed “Gutter Ball” and holding it at a bowling alley. A trivia night with a silent or live auction and refreshments was also discussed. The Board asked Ms. Gryder to pursue the logistics (timelines, manpower) of a trivia night for a possible March event. Themes of “Mop Madness” or “Spring Cleaning” were suggested. Ms. Johnson raised the question of how much money is needed for all the general maintenance desired. Ms. Pfister said the cost would be $4,064 for cleaning carpets and chairs and $875 for windows. She said 2010 was the last time the carpet was cleaned. Mr. Allen expressed concern for the volunteers and imposition on their time. 3 Letter to Newspaper/Building Siding Gail Gaebler reported on the letter she is to write to the Fixer. She had hoped to meet with a Hardie Siding representative, but has not been able to connect with them. Ms. Pfister then stated that a Hardie rep came to the Library and met with her and Tom Lindblom. The rep said the siding is in good condition, but the paint job is the problem. According to him, The Board picked the color, but the siding that was installed was not the siding the Board chose at the time. The siding was special order and came in white. Someone at F.E. Wheaton (now out of business) painted the siding. The Hardie rep said he was not a professional who could say if the siding is their fault or not, however, Ms. Pfister received a claim form to complete. She said there are many questions on the form she cannot answer such as product codes, pieces affected, etc. She called the Hardie Company about the claim form and they requested proof of ownership of the property and she also sent them photos. Ms. Pfister said she was told that the construction company had no record of installing the siding. Ms. Lindblom and Ms. Gryder said the letter Ms. Gaebler wrote to Henry Brothers helped in gaining additional results/answers. Ms. Gaebler said the architect should know where the paint came from and she had contacted him. He fixed blame on Henry Brothers. At this time, Ms. Johnson said the letter should go forward to the newspaper Fixer column. The next possible step could be contacting an attorney. Mr. Allen commented that he sensed that the Board might not make much progress with the claim form. Ms. Pfister also stated that Hardie Siding is meant to be installed a certain number of inches off the ground and that is not the case with the Library siding. Ms. Gaebler questioned what happened to the 30-year guarantee? At this time, Ms. Gaebler will proceed with contacting the Fixer. New Business Building Contents Insurance Renewal Ms. Pfister said the City carries the insurance on the Library building. The contents are insured for $600,000 and the City now has asked the Library Board to decide on the value to be insured since more items have been added to the Library collections. The insurance is paid from the General Fund. She added that nothing under $500 is insured. The Board concurred with increased insurance and Rob will work with Michelle to determine numbers. Mr. Allen moved to increase the assessment on the value of the building contents for insurance renewal and Ms. Johnson seconded the motion. Unanimous voice vote approval. List of Priorities for Future Funding Chairman Gambro had asked the Trustees to think about possible purchases or reinstatement of services, if extra money is received. These 4 items were suggested: 4 1. Increase Library hours 2. Additional personnel 3. Increase collection 4. Maintenance This will be discussed more at the next meeting and items will be prioritized. Ms Gryder said she would like to also keep discussion going for a possible Library District. Landscaping/Maintenance of Grounds Ms. Gaebler asked that there be a landscaping policy or philosophy. She explained that the Garden Club was recently doing maintenance when they were told that certain landscaping would be torn out and replaced with mulch. She stressed that beautiful grounds are important. She thinks people are becoming disconnected from their environment and landscaping provides teachable moments as well as being an outdoor lab. She asked who decides on landscaping and that a policy is needed offering guidance. It was suggested that all actions should go through the Library Director who could consult the Board. Ms. LaChance also suggested that the Garden Club could provide advice. Ms. Gryder was asked to examine the vision statement and determine how the landscaping should be handled. Discussion of Tax Referendum and the Potential Effect on the Levy Ms. Lindblom asked when the levy is needed. Mr. Fredrickson said it should be sent to the City in November. It was noted that because of this deadline, the Finance Committee should meet in October. At this point, Ms. Gryder asked to table this discussion. However, Ms. Lindblom said the Board needed to be able to defend why the Library could not afford a 20% cut in the levy. She explained that the Library does not really have other sources of revenue, unlike some of the City departments. It was decided that Gail would write an article of support, promotion and current state of the Library, for the newspaper. The Trustees had a brief discussion of the non-binding referendum coming in November. It was suggested that the purpose of a non-binding decision is to stimulate conversation. Ms. Gambro said the Board needs to be prepared to inform citizens of the expenses the Library has and the reality of the items already cut. Ms. Lindblom also pointed out that the Library is bound by a tax cap. Ms. Johnson said that the Community Relations and Finance Committees should put forth some information about the cutbacks and Ms. Gaebler added that without the Friends of the Library assistance, the Library would “be in trouble”. 5 This item will be discussed again in October. Additional Business None Adjournment Ms. Gaebler moved and Ms. Johnson seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. Adjourned at 8:31pm. Minutes transcribed by Marlys Young, Minute Taker 6