HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991-02-11 MinutesBoard: of Trustees Meeting Fayetteville Public Library February 1$ 1991 Present: Hoard Members Camilla Crouch, Bobbye Hay, Charles Kircken, Foster Park, Carol Phillips; Library Director Linda Harrison; Ozarks Regional Library Director Karen Duree; Fayetteville Library staff members June Jefferson and Mary Loots President Bobbye Hay called the meeting t:9 order at 4:00 p.m. The minutes for the January 14 meeting were approved as circulated. Library Director Harrison briefly discussed the Statistical and Financial reports for January, noting that circulation was up for the month (considering the closed bad weather days) while registrations were down a bit. Several questions were raised about the Financial Report: a discrepancy between the restricted.. fund balance reported on the general ledger balance sheet and reported as line item 2967 in the detail trial balance; two separate payments -to SWEPCO for utilities= (for the two months December and January); high audio-visual expenditures, mostly for telephone book microfiche, at the beginning of the year; and the new entry for donated services. City of Fayetteville officials have encouraged individual departments to begin accounting for volunteer services. Ms. Harrison noted that after a discussion with the City auditor the $750.47 entry was an attempt to quantify volunteer services (mainly in Genealogy and the Children's Department) corresponding to the salary level of a beginning clerk. It was agreed that in the future such reporting of volunteer/donated services will be reported on the Statistical Report but dropped from the Financial Report. Director Harrison presented a request from a group using the meeting room to sell raffle tickets at the meeting as part of their year-long fund raising campaign. Board members were concerned about possible precedents for further fund-raising activities on Library property. The motion by Carol Phillips, seconded by Camilla Crouch, to deny the request was unanimously approved, President Hay after distributing a sheet of information about the Operating Fund led the discussion of the 1991 Library budget. The City has approved the Library budget for 1991, allocating $203,955 from the City general fund (in addition to $65,000 for capitalized book expendi- tures). But by the adopted budget there would still be an excess of expenditures over revenue of $12,524,55 despite the one-time transfer to the Library of $26,791,145 represdnting reimbursement for books purchased in 1990 from Library funds and later•italized. A projected 1992 budget would indicate an increased deficit, to $39,316. Some relief in 1991, it was noted, will come from delays in letting bids for and completing and occupying the Medark Building, with commensurate reductions in operating costs projected in the adopted 1991 budget. October 1 now seems the likelty early date for Medark Building occupaTh and there is a possibility that we will not have the use of that facility at all in 1991. page 2 Minutes for February 21, 1991 After considerable discussion of budget alternatives the following motion by Camilla Crouch, seconded by Carol Phillips, was passed unanimously: the 1991 Library budget will be adjusted to reflect the following reduction of expenditures: salary (clerk not needed for Medark utilities not needed, line 15 custodial services not needed, line grounds upkeep not needed, line 15 Bldg.), 15 line 14 $5450.00 4900.00 1939.00 115o.00 $13,439.00 The revised budget will be submitted to the City for review. It was further noted that phase 6 of the Medark-Library Building renovation has not yet been approved by the City nor capital funds authorized. Director Harrison reported that a Library staff2 committee is reviewing the proposal that staff wear name tags and will report to the Board at its March meeting. A considerable discussion of the issue of longevity pay for staff (raised at the August 1990 Board meeting) followed. The Board was reminded that longevity payments as such have now -been eliminated by the City of Fayetteville but are reflected in the Library pay matrix:adopted last year. The $1520 representing scheduledseparate longevity pay for Library employees is included in the 1991 budget and is not likely to rise very much in the next five years. Staff member June Jefferson distributed a memorandum in favor of continuing longevity pay, to which was attached a copy of Act 882 of the 1989 Arkansas Legislature, establishing provisions for annual career service recognition payments for classified employees of state: agencies,•, Although it was agreed that longevity payments will need to be reviewed later this year for future budgets, the Board unanimously approved a motion by Carol Phillips, seconded by Camilla Crouch, that 1991 payments be made as scheduled and budgeted. Treasurer Phillips called attention to the distributed copies of letters from the First National Bank, Fayetteville, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regarding insurance protection for deposited public funds. The Board agreed that sufficient protection of Library funds had been assured. Ozarks Regional Library Director Duree reported that federal authorities had not yet issued a final authotization of the TSCA grant through the State Library but that the request was being currently considered (telephone call from the State Library to Washington on Friday, February 7). Charles Kirchen noted the problem of traffic through the Medark parking lot with the completion of adjacent construction. He has called the City page 3 Minutes for February 11, 1991 traffic engineer asking for signs prohibiting through traffic® Director Harrison is currently working on the process of capitalizing the book collection. Last week for three days she attended a very useful management leadership meeting for key City employees and was interested that other City departments face problems similar to those of the Library. The following officers of the Boardwere elected for 1991: Bobbye Hay --President Camilla Crouch --Vice President -Secretary Carol Phillips --Treasurer Charles Kirchen--Member of the budget committee The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Foster Park, Secretary