Library Board Minutes 2023 05-08-23APPROVED 6/12/23
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Yorkville Public Library
Board of Trustees
Monday, May 8, 2023 7:00pm
902 Game Farm Road – Michelle Pfister Meeting Room
The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by Vice-President Theron Garcia, roll was called
and a quorum was established. A Zoom connection was attempted to allow Rosie Millen to attend remotely, but
it was unsuccessful.
Roll Call:
Tara Schumacher-yes, Keri Pesola-yes, Jackie Milschewski-yes, Ryan Forristall-yes, Theron Garcia-yes, Bret
Reifsteck-yes
Absent: Rosie Millen, Darren Crawford
Staff Present:
Library Director Shelley Augustine
Others Present:
Friends of the Library Co-President Susan Neustrom, Russ Walter, Daniel Chacon, Susan Chacon, Mike
Krempski, Molly Krempski, Rachael Rees, Abbey Vath, Ryan Vath
Recognition of Visitors:
Vice-President Garcia welcomed staff and guests.
Amendments to the Agenda: None
Presentation:
Ms. Garcia and Ms. Augustine honored Lisa Macione who has been the facilitator for the creative writing group
for the last 8 years. They presented her with a certificate of appreciation for her work with this group. The
membership has been growing and some in the group are authors and have had their work published.
Approval of Minutes: Physical Facilities April 10, 2023; Library Board of Trustees April 10, 2023
Ms. Milschewski moved to approve both sets of minutes as presented and Ms. Garcia seconded. Roll call:
Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Reifsteck-yes, Schumacher-yes. Carried 6-0
Correspondence:
A letter was received from the Secretary of State/State Librarian regarding legislation he drafted that protects an
individual's right to read and for librarians to curate collections to serve the entire community. Public funding
could be lost if the library does not adhere to state policy.
Public Comment: None
Friends of the Library Report:
Ms. Neustrom reported on behalf of the Friends of the Library. She said they have a current balance of
$19,541.78. At their meeting today they approved $8,785 for a wish list for adult services and $3,125 for a
children's service wish list. The used book sale meetings will begin next month and the summer-end book sale
has not been decided yet. There are ongoing discussions about becoming a 501c3. She said Beth Gambro
presented a program about tablescapes as a fundraiser. Companies or organizations decorate tables in elaborate
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themes and tickets are sold to raise money. Music and refreshments could be provided. Ms. Milschewski also
shared information about the Lemont library. They had an excess of cookbooks and held a pop-up sale for 2-3
hours on a Sunday with a profit of $700.
Staff Comment: None
Report of the Treasurer:
Financial Statement
Treasurer Milschewski noted a payment for a cooking class and chair yoga for almost $400 which the Friends
will reimburse. Outside Repair and Maintenance is over budget by almost 232% due to HVAC and the flood.
There is a surplus in the General Fund of $72,925 and the Capital fund had a surplus of $81,434. Those 2 funds
had been projected to result in a deficit.
Payment of Bills
Treasurer Milschewski entertained a motion to pay the bills as follows and Ms. Garcia seconded.
$16,356.94 Accounts Payable
$40,825.38 Payroll
$57,182.32 Total
Roll call: Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Reifsteck-yes, Schumacher-yes. Carried 6-0
Report of the Library Director:
Director Augustine reported the following:
1. April 30th was the last day for the “Library Road Trip” which had a good turnout.
2. Mike Curtis is doing a genealogy workshop which is a patron request.
3. English as a Second Language classes are being held 6 times weekly with 14 students registered.
4. 25 people helped with the Earth Day cleanup.
5. The city will include the library for the cleaning service RFP.
6. The Governor has ended the Covid disaster proclamation as of May 11 meaning remote meeting
attendance will no longer be allowed except for certain instances and must be specially requested. Ms.
Augustine will draft an electronic meeting policy.
7. Staff evaluations are finished and managers are being evaluated now.
8. Harassment training is being held.
9. Director Augustine is creating a Sunshine Committee to promote camaraderie/positivity for staff.
10. Ms. Augustine met with Yorkville School Director of Operations to discuss the construction that will be
taking place near the library.
11. Attended Director University last month which was very beneficial.
City Council Liaison: None
Standing Committees: None
Unfinished Business:
Discussion/Approval to Adopt Regulations Waiving the Non-Resident Fee for Persons under the
Age of 18
This matter was continued from last month since Board members had questions for the Library Director.
Discussion points were:
1. Non-residents are charged a card fee based on their property value. How many non-resident cards are
issued? The Director provided stats for each year beginning with 2016. The amount of money received
from these cards in 2022 was $9,635.38. About $3,500 of that amount had been paid for adult non-
resident cards.
2. Fiscal responsibility and economics must be considered when making this decision.
3. Has anyone contacted the school district to determine if the home-schooled children could have access
to the school library? No contact was made.
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4. If the Board approves this change it should be tracked financially and how would that be done?
5. How many cards are issued to persons who receive free and reduced lunches? Only about 2 families
received cards under these guidelines.
6. A one-year trial was suggested if this action is approved, however, it could be awkward to rescind if the
program did not work. Can the Board reverse this decision if approved initially? The city reversed a
decision they had made about senior garbage rates.
7. It is a choice to home-school and also to live in unincorporated areas. The library does not deny access
to use materials within the library building.
8. The Library Board is looking at large expenses to keep this building open and if cards are free or at a
reduced rate, there is much less money to meet the budget. The Board may have to ask residents for
more money and they would not be happy.
There was no further discussion and Ms. Garcia moved to adopt regulations waiving non-resident fee for persons
under the age of 18. Ms. Milschewski seconded. Roll call: Milschewski-nay, Forristall-nay, Garcia-yes,
Reifsteck-nay, Schumacher-nay, Pesola-nay. Motion failed with one yes vote and 5 no votes.
New Business:
FY24 COLA for Staff
Director Augustine said this increase was already included in the budget just approved. It is a 5% increase and
matches what the city did. Ms. Milschewski made a motion to approve the FY24 COLA increase of 5% for staff
and Ms. Garcia seconded. Roll call: Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Reifsteck-yes, Schumacher-nay, Pesola-yes,
Milschewski-yes. Motion carried with 5 yes votes and 1 nay.
Library Director's #3 Goal: Preliminary 3-Yr. Strategic Plan
The third goal for Ms. Augustine was to establish a 3-year strategic plan to be presented at the April meeting.
Due to another library commitment in April, she presented the information tonight. She said each 3-5 years a
strategic plan should be drafted to determine vision, goals & objectives and update Mission Statement and
values. She said the first step is to create a committee and the Plan can be done in-house or a professional
consultant can be hired. Focus groups would be needed, a SWOT analysis should be done, conduct community
survey, and after data is collected then strategic plan/goals can be made. She said the plan will take several
months to create and the Board would be updated as the process unfolds. She listed some of the goals she felt
are important which include: grow connections for community, increase visibility through marketing plans,
increase knowledge and discovery for how patrons find info, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Library Director's #4 Goal. 10% Increase of Programs as Result of Hiring Community
Engagement & Marketing Coordinator
The Director has been providing monthly stats to show the increased programming over the past year. She said
many of the programs are spearheaded by Jennette Weiss and Mike Curtis. Katelyn Gregory has drafted an
infographic to show high-exposure programs including the paranormal program and mini-golf. Net profits
increased 68% this year for the golf. Ms. Gregory also did graphics regarding Facebook reach and patron visits
to the web page. Each month has shown a great increase since she started and her position has created value.
Personnel Committee: Schedule Directors Evaluation
This will be determined.
Executive Session: None
Additional Business: None
Adjournment:
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 7:42pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Marlys Young, Minute Taker