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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 2026 02-09-26APPROVED 3/9/26 Page 1 of 3 Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Monday, February 9, 2026 7:00pm Michelle Pfister Meeting Room 902 Game Farm Road, Yorkville, IL The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Theron Garcia, roll was called and a quorum was established. Roll Call: Theron Garcia-yes, Sharon Mix-yes, Valerie Burd-yes, Tara Schumacher-yes, Jason Hedman-yes, Jackie Milschewski-yes, Wendy Gatz-yes, Ryan Forristall-yes Absent: Keri Pesola Staff Present: Library Director Shelley Augustine, Director Youth Services Jennette Weiss, Technical Services Madison Ward Others Present: Friends of Library President Kathi Bell, City Finance Director Rob Fredrickson Recognition of Visitors: President Garcia recognized staff and guests. Amendments to the Agenda: President Garcia asked to amend the agenda and have Rob Fredrickson review the budget just prior to the Treasurer's report. Presentations: None Approval of Minutes: January 12, 2026 Finance Committee and January 12, 2026 Board of Trustees Moved by Ms. Garcia and seconded by Ms. Milschewski to approve both sets of minutes as presented. Roll call: Mix-yes, Burd-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes Carried 8-0. Correspondence: None Public Comment: None Friends of the Library Report: Kathi Bell gave the financial information for the Friends, discussed the raffle baskets for the upcoming used book sale, used book donations and reported 52 guests at the recent murder mystery event with refreshments provided by Midland States Bank. There was a profit of $467.47. She also explained the proposed changes in the Friends of the Library bylaws regarding terms of officers which will be staggered in the future. The proposed amendment will be presented at the March meeting and voted on in April. Also, the annual meeting will be changed to April instead of May to coincide with the fiscal year of the library. The Friends also suggested another dining out fundraiser at Maciano's Pizza, date to be determined. Page 2 of 3 Staff Comment: Strategic Plan/Department Updates from Youth & Tech Services Staff members Jennette Weiss and Madison Ward were present and both gave reports of their respective departments regarding the Strategic Plan. Ms. Weiss reviewed her areas of focus for the Youth Services Department and how she is accomplishing each: 1. Increasing staff communication 2. Building relationships to benefit the community and library 3. Engage in program service evaluations/build library services 4. Develop targeted programs for specific groups Ms. Ward reported on her areas of focus for Technical Services and how she will accomplish them: 1. Maximize community engagement services 2. Optimize usage of library space 3. Prioritize future growth Addition to Agenda: Budget Review by City Finance Director Mr. Fredrickson said the library is on solid footing with a healthy Fund Balance. Library Operations Fund 82: Budget projections are shown through 2031. The largest source of revenue is from property taxes and he noted some of the other sources of revenue. He said a special census may also add to the revenue. He also noted the budget amounts for new items such as an IT person, space needs assessment and increased outside repair and maintenance. Increases in wages for full-time and part-time employees are also reflected in the budget. He noted the debt service was completed last year and the library is now fully paid. He said overall he budgeted conservatively. Library Capital Fund 84: This fund is expected to have a surplus of about $36,000. Building permit fees doubled and they are a primary source of revenue for this fund. He said they always assume about 100 housing starts per year, but historically it has been better than that. He and Ms. Augustine will meet again to true up some of the figures. He predicts a healthy fund balance through 2031. Report of the Treasurer: Financial Statement and Payment of Bills Treasurer Milschewski said there was nothing outstanding to report this month and she entertained a motion, seconded by Ms. Garcia, to pay the bills as follows: Accounts Payable: $ 38,055.73 Payroll: $ 68,896.32 Total: $106,952.05 Roll call: Burd-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix- yes. Carried 8-0. Report of the Library Director: Ms. Augustine reported the following: 1. Three burglar alarms were activated, 2 were faulty motion sensors and 1 was a heating sensor – all were replaced. 2. Contacted plumbing company for a quote regarding installation of a water bottle filling station on the water fountains. The HVAC company also has a licensed plumber on staff so she requested a quote from them as well. The water will be filtered. 3. The maintenance person, Ted, discovered a small drip where the new water meter was installed. This will be addressed. 4. The LTA practicum student has started and will be at the library through May. 5. Megan Carey will attend a webinar regarding updates on platforms, best practices, trends, etc. to optimize the social media presence. Page 3 of 3 6. All managers have received their professional development plans. 7. Director attended Kendall County Community Health Summit breakfast to discuss their 5-year public efforts plan. 8. Worknet has installed a kiosk to allow patrons to search for jobs and training resources. 9. Food Pantry contacted library to donate a Lego table for the children's department. 10. Murder Mystery event was held with a recap meeting for improvements for next year. City Council Liaison: None Standing Committees: None Unfinished Business: Space Planning Consultant RFP After a brief discussion, it was decided that Ms. Augustine would contact two library consultants for presentations. Mr. Hedman suggested providing some information to the consultants prior to meeting with them so they have an understanding of what is needed. The Facilities Committee and Ms. Augustine will meet with the consultants and the committee will present the information to the Board. New Business: FY27 Budget Planning Discussion/Approval It was noted that the cost for any actual building improvements will need to be spread out over a couple fiscal years. There was no further discussion about the budget and Ms. Milschewski moved to approve the FY27 budget as presented and Ms. Garcia seconded. Roll call: Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz- yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes, Burd-yes. Carried 8-0. Discussion on Support for Y115 Referendum Last month Principal of District #115 Dr. Zediker gave a presentation on a school referendum scheduled for the March 17th ballot. It will seek funding for new school facilities and improvements. It was questioned if a statement of support should be made by the Library Board. Director Augustine consulted with the library attorney who opined that the Library should not make any statements whatsoever since it would likely run afoul of the Election Code. President Garcia also made a statement as follows for the record. “The Library cannot advocate for or against the referendum. I understand why you feel strongly about the referendum and I appreciate the commitment to our community. As a public library, we are legally required to remain neutral on ballot measures. Election and ethics laws prohibit the library from using public meetings or official positions to advocate for or against a referendum. What we can do is provide factual information about the referendum which was provided at our last Board meeting. As for issuing a statement, that would cross into advocacy and that is something we are not permitted to do as a public body. Our responsibility is to ensure that the library avoids any appearance of using our public meetings for political advocacy purposes.” Ms. Augustine also noted that the schools had asked the library to post meeting dates on the library sign regarding the referendum. It was decided that the library can post meeting dates since it is information only. Other: None Executive Session: None Adjournment: There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:53pm on a motion by Ms. Garcia and second by Ms. Schumacher and Ms. Milschewski simultaneously. Unanimous voice vote approval. Minutes respectfully submitted by Marlys Young, Minute Taker