HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-08-19 MinutesFayetteville Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting August 19, 2002 Prepared by Steven M. Thomas, M.L.S., Assistant Director Board members present: M. Thomas, M. Roberts, L. Brewer, S. Singleton, B. Schaffer, A. De Noble. Absent: Louis Gottsponer. Staff present: S. Thomas, L. Schaper,. C. Rew. Also present: Vince Chadick, Bob Kohler, representatives from The Northwest Arkansas Times and The Moming News. The meeting was called to order at 4:05 by M. Thomas. S. Singleton moved to accept the minutes from the previous meeting. L. Brewer seconded. All voted aye. Director's Report: 1.) L. Schaper noted that Jim Blairs donation tothe FPL Foundation had been covered in Library Journal. 2.) L. Schaper noted progress made with the new building; 3.) L. Schaper noted advances made with the planning of the telephone system in the new building; 4.) In response to questions from M. Roberts, L. Schaper also discussed weekly staff meetings and thin -client computers; 5.) M. Roberts stated that he thought that FPL's Volunteer of the Month should get a letter from the Library Board; 6.) The vandalism of the art books at FPL was discussed; 7.) L. Schaper and S. Thomas noted that library circulation is up a projected 110-120% over the last five years: Service Reports: S. Thomas noted that materials discounts are currently being re -negotiated, that library pages have resigned and are beingre-hired, arid that staff members had held a presentation for City staff. He also discussed progress on the upcoming Hispanic Heritage Celebration program and gave a description of security options for materials both in the current and new facility. Financial Report: 1.) C. Rew noted that only $6,000 was left in FPL's budget line for maintenance, but that we were in good shape in other areas, including utilities. Also, everything else Is essentially as anticipated. 2.) C. Rew noted that interest rates continue to drop, and asked the Boardfor permission to funds into other accounts to seek higher rates, as possible. M. Thomas and S. Singleton agreed that this was a wise decision; 3.) C. Rew noted that WCLS funds come in quarterly, but that her financial report comes out monthly. Building Project: 1.) B. Kohler noted a variety of issues surrounding the building project, including progress on the rock removal and issue of soil contamination; 2.) B. Kohler reported the results of a community meeting about the blasting and stated that the pre -blast survey had been completed, and that the condition of all the housing in the area had been completed; he also gave a brief description of the technologies involved; 3.) B. Kohler also noted that liability insurance for the blasts ran through the blasting company's insurance. Elevator: C. Rew noted that she had received an offer to replace the defective gear and parts within the library for $12,000, which was much lower than previous alternatives. She stated that she would still need to talk with city officials. S. Singleton asked about requesting customers to drop off their books at the service desks while the elevator was down, and C. Rew noted that this was being considered. She also noted that the repair would come with a one-year warranty but also reminded the board that the rest of the elevator would still be 40+ years old and prone to additional possible problems. City/County Millage: It was noted that, at the last meeting of the Library Board, it had been decided to conduct further research into replacing the county millage with a city millage. Copies of Amendments 30 and 38 were passed out and it was noted that L. Schaper had been working with V. Chadick and Kit Williams on a potential ballot. If it were decided by the Library. Board to proceed on this issue, L. Schaper stated that 100 signatures would be needed on a petition to begin the process. L. Schaper recommended a special election, because the issue was likely to get buried in the November election and that people might confuse it with a new tax, as opposed to being a rededication of an existing one. She noted that the earliest possible date would be September 24, 2002, with October 1, 2002 as another potential date. She also noted that if the referendum failed, the tax would simply stay in place as a county library tax. B. Schaffer noted that the language of the two lines on the ballot needed to be identical. S. Singleton objected to holding a special election, noting that this would cost approximately $12,000 to hold, that there are already too many special elections in Fayetteville, and because this wouldn't allow the most possible voters to speak on this issue. M. Roberts stated that he felt a state of urgency to get this done, particularly in light of past funding vacillations within the county system; L. Brewer noted that it would be easier to educate voters for a special election; M. Thomas noted that this wasn't a new tax, but simply a re -allocation of an old one; L. Schaper and other board members also discussed the need to hold this election in time for it to be activated in 2003; She also noted that the board would not actually set the date of the election, but i simply make a recommendation to the City; M. Roberts moved and L. Brewer seconded a motion to approve the language of the proposed petition as amended and for it to be used to obtain the required signatures for the purpose of submitting the signed petition to the Mayor in accordance with Amendment 30 of the Arkansas Constitution. M. Thomas, B. Schaffer, M. Roberts, L Brewer and A. De Noble voted aye. S. Singleton voted nay. A discussion about the timing of the election centered around holding the election so that it would take effect in 2003. M. Roberts moved and L Brewer seconded a motion to recommend that upon submission of the petition to the Mayor that this be put on special election ballot either September 24, 2002 or no later than October 15, 2002. M. Thomas, B. Schaffer, L. Brewer, M. Roberts, and A. De Noble voted aye. 5. Singleton voted nay. Library Budget: C. Rew described the $1,391,190 budget proposed for 2003, which assumes essentially flat funding on all items other than personnel services where funding for merit increases and medical benefits will hopefully be fully funded. She is now using the City's budget line numbers and titles. She noted that if the WCLS allocation falls short, we would have problems. L. Brewer moved to accept the budget; M. Roberts seconded. All voted aye. Adjournment: M. Thomas entertained a motion to adjoum the meeting at 6:10pm. M. Roberts moved to adjoum. L Brewer seconded. All voted aye.