Library Minutes 2014 10-13-14Page 1 of 6
APPROVED
Yorkville Public Library
Board of Trustees
Monday, October 13, 2014, 7pm
902 Game Farm Road – Library Historic Wing
The meeting was called to order at 7:01pm by President Beth Gambro
Roll Call: Sandy Lindblom-yes, Barb Johnson-yes, Jo Ann Gryder-yes, Beth Gambro-yes,
Russ Walter-yes, Kate Elder-yes
Absent: Susan Chacon, Carol LaChance, Judy Somerlot
Others Present:
Library Director Michelle Pfister
City Finance Director Rob Fredrickson
Recognition of Visitors:
Ms. Gambro welcomed Finance Director Rob Fredrickson.
Amendments to the Agenda:
Trustee Gryder asked to add a discussion of the August 11, 2014 minutes and attorney bill. President
Gambro asked to add an update of the proposed library coffee shop and a discussion of the survey
results.
Minutes: September 8, 2014
Ms. Gryder moved to accept the minutes as written and Ms. Johnson seconded the motion. Unanimous
voice vote approval.
Correspondence:
Ms. Pfister said a letter had been received from Kay Hatcher thanking the Youth Service Directors for
their hospitality in welcoming the Foxy Readers to the library. A letter was also received from the
family of Jonathan Miller, age 25, who recently passed away. He had come to the library with his
family as a small child. And last, Ms. Pfister read a complimentary letter from Jan Sticka to the Editor
of the Kendall County Record.
At this time, President Gambro introduced Kate Elder, the new Library Board member, and the Board
introduced themselves as well.
Ms. Gambro said she received a note from State's Attorney Eric Weis stating that the Library Board
was allegedly in violation of the Open Meetings Act on August 11, 2014. She read a portion of a letter
she sent to him. The alleged violation pertained to Section 122a of the Act relating to the Executive
Session portion of the meeting.
Public Comment: None
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Staff Comment: None
Report of the Treasurer:
Prior to beginning the report, Treasurer Lindblom pointed out that the September 8, 2014 minutes, page
1, referred to two payrolls on the Payroll Summary and Bill List and three payrolls on the Cash
Statement. The Board approved two payrolls at that meeting, with the third to be verified with Finance
Director Fredrickson. She said the third payroll needed to be approved. (This was addressed later in
the meeting under Payment of Bills).
Check Register
The following highlights were given:
Page 1: Invoice from ACI for elevator monitoring in amount of $335.40. Also invoice for light bulbs
for $382.08
Page 2: Book purchase in amount of $3,125.79
Page 3: Kendall County Record help wanted ads & legal notice for painting bids, total of $46.76
Page 5: Prairiecat quarterly payment of $3,391.26; ancestory database for $1,125; Second Chance
cardiac defibrillator (new pads & battery) amount of $252.90; elevator maintenance for $231.87; Trico
bill for $896.800
Page 6: Warehouse Direct invoice for toner, etc., in amount of $2,115.36; handyman services for
painting youth director office in amount of $425.
Total Check Register Bills: $15,210.76
September Payrolls (2): $34,285.32
City Bills: $22,551.51
TOTAL: $56,836.83
Budget Report:
Ms. Lindblom said the budget is at 42% of the year. Property tax in the amount of $253,244 was
received, putting the budget at 94% of the incoming revenue. Library fines were up slightly and the
subscriptions were up substantially. The total revenue is $657,333 which is 90% of the budget for the
year.
In general, she said expenses are low with the exception of the Outside Repair & Maintenance which is
way over budget. She also said revenues are above expenses, development fees of $3,150 were
received, Debt Service payment will be made in December and Memorials and Gifts currently show
$1,033.47.
Payment of Bills
Mr. Fredrickson commented on the number of payrolls in question. He believes the first payroll was
approved at the August meeting and the other two in September. He said sometimes there are three
payrolls in a month and a payroll might come just before a meeting and is listed due to timing. Mr.
Fredrickson will confirm the payments back to the beginning of the FY. Ms. Lindblom recommended
that the Board approve what is shown on the report at this meeting.
Trustee Johnson moved to pay the bills as follows:
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Total bills $56,836.83
Check register: $15,210.76
Accounts Payable: $22,551.51
Payroll: $34,285.25
Trustee Walter seconded the motion.
Roll call: Johnson-yes, Gryder-abstain, Gambro-yes, Walter-yes, Elder-yes, Lindblom-yes. Motion
passed with 5 ayes and 1 abstain.
Report of the Library Director:
1. Ms. Pfister presented the monthly stats
2. Committee of 3 is working on mini-golf, $1,300 in donations so far
3. Library birthday celebration will have event each month, Shelley's husband building birthday
cake, Dixie making outside banners, Michelle doing binder about history of Library trustees, list
of staff and volunteers, list of Friends of Library, asked Board and staff to write 1 page about
meaning of library for them
4. Youth Directors are developing new ideas such as “Fractured Fairy Tales”
5. 103 kids attended Kay Hatcher's party
6. Tea party had 7 attendees, learned etiquette, had storytime
7. Emily Weber did program “On the Move”
8. Two memorials came in
9. An atlas was given in memory of former Board Member Dr. Gruber who enjoyed travel
10. City came twice to sweep curb
11. Lutheran Church group and other churches had day of service that Scott Sleezer organized; 12-
15 teens worked on library yard. Library will receive bill for mulch. Volunteer doing edging
accidentally cut internet connection. Secretary Chacon will be asked to write thank you letter.
Michelle sent thank you letter to newspaper editor.
City Council Liaison: No report
Standing Committees:
Finance
Ms. Lindblom said the Finance Committee needs to possibly meet regarding the tax levy, depending on
info that will be provided by Mr. Fredrickson later in this meeting. He will forward worksheets to Ms.
Lindblom for the start of the budget.
Community Relations
Ms. Gambro asked to have the coffee shop proposal put on the next agenda to keep discussion going
and that a meeting is needed with the vendor. Ms. Elder volunteered to be on the committee also.
Survey results will be added to next month's agenda for further discussion prior to budget decisions.
Unfinished Business:
Building Siding
Ms. Pfister received one painting quote for over $25,000, so an RFP will be needed requiring City
Administrator Olson's assistance. Mr. Fredrickson will advise Mr. Olson and send an email to Russ.
Ms. Lindblom said Tom Lindblom also knows a couple of the painters who worked on the library.
A lift is a huge portion of the cost and Ms. Johnson said perhaps the library can rent a lift and not make
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it part of the bid. However, Mr. Walter noted that the lift might have to be included in the bid due to
insurance concerns.
It was also noted that the architect conducted the painting bids at the time of construction. Ms. Gryder
asked about the possibility of contacting the library attorney about the feasibility of a lawsuit against
the architect in regards to the paint and directions for using that paint/siding. Mr. Walter said the Statue
of Limitations is probably expiring and that there is only a 2-year guarantee for the paint. The Hardie
siding itself has a 25-year guarantee. Mr. Walter will follow-up with the RFP.
Website Update
The website is still under construction and Mr. Walter suggested withholding the last payment until the
job is complete .
Executive Session August 11, 2014
President Gambro said that the reason given for the Executive Session (ES) on August 11, 2014 was to
discuss “a patron issue”. This alleged violation was reported to the State's Attorney. The Board has
two options regarding this ES: 1) to release the Executive Session minutes to the public or 2) re-do the
meeting by making a motion to go into ES. Ms. Gambro presented a summary of the actions needed to
formally enter into ES. Executive Sessions are currently listed on each Board meeting agenda. Ms.
Pfister spoke with the Deputy City Clerk and 3 reasons for holding Sessions are listed on the October
agenda. There are 30 'approved' reasons for entering in ES. Ms. Gryder asked if an unauthorized
person had read the minutes leading to the alleged violation. Ms. Gambro replied that she had received
a phone call from Bart Olson saying that the Board would receive a letter from Eric Weis. Mr. Weis
also advised Ms. Gambro that the Board should never enter into ES for the reason of “pending
litigation”.
In summary, the approved reason for entering into ES was not announced, resulting in the alleged
violation on August 11. Ms. Johnson asked what reason on the agenda should be used if the Board
decided to re-do the ES. Ms. Gambro said a motion would be needed and reason #2 from the agenda
would be stated. Ms. Johnson also suggested that since the exact issue was not known at the time, the
approved reason was not known. Ms. Lindblom also said that when going into ES, the date, time,
reason and persons present should be stated on the recorder.
Ms. Lindblom asked to postpone this matter until later in the meeting so that Mr. Fredrickson could
present tax levy information.
New Business:
New Firewall
Mr. Walter explained that the computer firewall is 10 years old and needs to be replaced every 5-6
years or when the software is no longer being supported or offered. The current software is no longer
being maintained or offered for renewal. There is currently no web filtering for anyone in the library
and is needed for youth and downstairs. The filter is an appliance placed in the server room. If no
filtering, the library runs the risk of unacceptable material being viewed. He obtained a quote from the
company from whom the library purchased the server. The appliance would be free with payment for 3
years of filtering service. After the third year, the cost would be about $700 annually. There is money
availabile in the automation category for the cost of $2,125.95 and Mr. Walter will configure the device
at no cost. Staff was alerted to a problem when the firewall began making noises etc.
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Ms. Gambro noted that a vote could not be taken at this meeting since it was not on the agenda with a
price. Mr. Weis advised her that such matters must be listed on the agenda with all particulars
(company name, purpose, exact price, etc.). Ms. Gryder asked if this item would fall under Ms.
Pfister's discretionary expenses, however, that amount is $2,000 or under. This item will be placed on
next month's agenda for a vote.
2014 Tax Levy
Mr. Fredrickson reported the preliminary EAV number increased slightly to one-half percent or an
estimated $633,423 for the library. Since this is only an estimate, the actual number to be levied will be
$692,000 to capture all money possible with the cap at .15.
The City has to approve the budget by the last Tuesday in December so the Finance Committee should
meet before next month's regular Board meeting and make a recommendation/number for the agenda.
Ms. Johnson will contact Ms. Chacon to set up a Finance meeting.
Trustee Elder asked how much revenue is obtained from fundraisers. Ms. Gambro said minimal
revenue has been raised this way, however, the current Friends group has raised more than in the past.
Gifts in kind are also accepted.
Amendment: Attorney Bill/August 11, 2014 Minutes
Ms. Gryder asked to talk about the 20-minute Board discussion at the August 11, 2014 meeting,
concerning her call to the library attorney about library staff healthcare. Initially, Ms. Pfister was
instructed to contact the attorney about the legality of the proposed healthcare. Another Board member
suggested to Ms. Gryder that a Board member should contact the attorney instead. During a
conversation, Ms. Pfister mentioned the Inter-Governmental agreement and Ms. Gryder thought it was
decided that she (Ms. Gryder) would make the call. Ms. Gryder said she did not make multiple calls,
but sent an email to the attorney requesting his opinion, he reviewed the Inter-Governmental
Agreement and asked her to call him. She returned the call and kept it brief. For the record, Ms.
Gryder said she felt she was doing what she was asked to do and for the good of the Board.
President Gambro added that it was a miscommunication and the Board is very careful about spending
money. She cited the minutes that stated Ms. Pfister would make the call, however, in the future, she
said the Board will be very clear about who will make such calls and the purpose. If there is follow-up,
she said perhaps the matter should go back to the Board before further action. Ms. Johnson also said
that there are times when the Board really does need to contact the Attorney.
Executive Session:
Session # 1
At 8:27pm, President Gambro made a motion to enter into Executive Session “For the appointment,
employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the
public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint
lodged against an employee of the public body, or against legal counsel for the public body to
determine its validity”. Trustee Gryder seconded the motion.
Roll call vote: Gryder-yes, Gambro-yes, Walter-yes, Elder-yes, Lindblom-yes, Johnson-yes.
Executive Session commenced at 8:28pm and ended at 8:38pm
Session #2
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At 8:40pm, the Board entered into a second Executive Session on a motion by Trustee Gryder and
second by Trustee Johnson “for the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline,
performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public
body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body,
or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity”.
Roll call vote: Gambro-yes, Walter-yes, Elder-yes, Lindblom-yes, Johnson-yes, Gryder-yes
Executive Session commenced at 8:40pm and ended at 8:46pm.
The Board took no action regarding the Executive Sessions.
Additional Business: None
Adjournment:
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 8:47pm on a motion by Mr. Walter and
second by Ms. Johnson.
Minutes respectfully submitted by
Marlys Young