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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-15 - Minutesx F.SYETTEVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Board of Trustees February 15, 2016 4 pm MINUTES Regular Meeting Ann Henry Board Room Trustees present: B. Boudreaux, H. Garner, M. Rice, J. Parry, S. Graham, S. Clark, K. Agee, and H. Garner Trustees absent: none Staff present: D. Johnson, S. Palmer, G. Jelinek, S. Daniel, S. Davis, B. Holt, G. Allen, and L. Greenwood Press: D. Holtmeyer Others: Beau Bittle of Stephens, Inc. and Carol Essen I. Call to order: B. Boudreaux called the meeting to order at 4:01 pm. II. Minutes /s_ {n,p( A. Approval of minutes: H. R ii�e moved to approve the minutes of October 26, 2015; M. Rice seconded. All voted AYE. III. Reports A. Management reports 1. Key upcoming events: Andrew Kilgore's photography will be on display through April 1. Language classes begin in March and are full. The Try FPL series on hobbies continues with good attendance. A reception for author Erik Larson will be ticketed per the Long Range Revenue Committee's recommendation to cover costs. The presentation will remain free but the reception will be ticketed at $10. Board supported an increase to $15. (Scrivener's note: ticket price since increased to $15) 2. December 2015 -January 2016 Strategic Plan progress: Program attendance is up 11%. For example, Chinese New Year drew over 300 people. Home buyer classes and Find It Fund It are examples of well -attended educational programs. 1 -cards, giving access to all on-line resources, have been successful and a long article in the NWA Times/Dem Gazette highlighted the program throughout NWA. In terms of maintenance, the front doors will be replaced and restroom doors will be made more handicapped accessible. First Security Bank is funding the Books and Bites program, and an additional grant from the Lennox Foundation may make it possible to expand the program. F -PL's 100 year birthday will be celebrated over the course of the summer reading program with a grand finale at the end of July. 3. December 2015 and January 2016 Performance Measures: The year 2015 showed a programming increase and circulation decrease. The collection budget was cut for two years and the result has been a dip in check-outs. For this reason, no further cuts were made this year; instead the programming budget was cut. Sari Feldman, President of the ALA noted, "There is no question that libraries must continue to prioritize collections and the legacy of reading, but our value today is less about what we have for people and more about what we do for and with people." B. Financial Reports 1. Budget to Actual as of December 31, 2015: State aid is down about what was expected. But in year grant money from the NWA Economic Development District made up most of the decrease. Expenses: Some categories within some departments are over budget, but overall we are $110,000 under budget for the year. By the time surplus money is allocated to those lines that are over budget, everything will be within budget. IV. Old Business A. Erik Larson event: The New York Times best-selling author has agreed to meet with a small book club in exchange for wine. The reception is at 5:30 pm followed by his talk at 7 pm. B. Village election: timeline for action items: The millage exploratory committee recommended including the operational millage and expansion funding on the same ballot. The most attractive dates for the election are August 9 when everyone is back from vacation and school is starting, and September 13 which is the last election for funds to be available in 2017. Given all the work that needs to be done, (about 21 weeks' worth) D. Johnson is recommending the board start the process by giving its approval to begin identifying people willing to serve on the millage committee. A decision on the City Hospital property could take up to two more years if the Stone Family appeals to the Supreme Court, so staff are proposing to expand on the existing footprint. If the land ultimately becomes available it may be possible to add some things, hold it for a future expansion, land -bank it, or sell it for a profit. M. Rice moved to authorize creation of a millage committee; S. Clark seconded. All voted AYE. V. New Business A. Review suspension of PTO cash out policy set to expire April 30, 2016: An audit in 2013 identified a problem with excess PTO accumulation in that if all staff with large PTO banks quit at once, the library would face a financial hardship. Staff recommends removing the temporary language concerning buy-back of hours making PTO a take it or lose it proposition. H. Garner moved to approve the policy modification as submitted; M. Rice seconded. All voted AYE. B. Budget roll -forwards: D. Johnson and S. Palmer will be looking at maintenance of the building, and budget roll - forwards will focus on maintenance. C. Foundation developments 1. $100,000 donation: This money was donated to the NEH grant, but that challenge has already been met. Staff may request the donors to redirect the gift toward a millage campaign - a question that will be examined by the Foundation Board of Directors. 2. Development Assistant position: With the commencement of a Capital Campaign, some duties of the Development Director must be reallocated to an assistant as it is important not to let annual giving decline. 3. NEH grant status: Need to report back to the donors about the completion of the final report and the benefits the grant will provide to the library. 4. Recent bequest: Oscar Leverenz died and left a sizeable bequest to the library. D. Resolution granting ED authority to sign contracts, grants, and bequests: The trust officer disbursing Mr. Leverenz' estate requires a resolution from the Board of Trustees granting the Executive Director the power to accept donations, bequests, etc. Trustees amended the resolution prepared by staff to make it specific to the Leverenz bequest. H. Garner moved to approve the amended resolution to read, "RESOLVED, that this Board of Trustees by recorded vote on February 15, 2016 does hereby authorize David R. Johnson, Executive Director of the Fayetteville Public Library, to make any agreements and sign all documents relating to accepting a bequest from Oscar Leverenz. M. Rice seconded; all voted AYE. E. Audit dates and Finance Committee meetings: The Foundation and Library Finance Committees will meet prior to their next Board meetings. Dates, time and place TBD. F. K. Agee term expiring: K. Agee has completed the application to complete another term. VI. Public Comment: Beau Bittle of Stephens, Inc. was present to answer questions related to the funding of the expansion. VII. Adjourn: H. Garner moved to adjourn; M. Rice seconded. All voted AYE. Meeting adjourned at 4:58 pm. Signature, Secretary Date