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.
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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