May 20, 2010
Teton County Library Board Meeting Minutes
May 20, 2010
Present: Board members: Lisa Delaney, Clark Heindl, Anne Ladd, Patricia Moeller, and Bill Wotkyns; Staff members: Director Deb Adams, Facilities Manager Dail Barbour; Commissioner Liaison Andy Schwartz.
Correspondence from Public: None
Approval of Minutes: Clark moved to approve the minutes from the April 22, 2010 board meeting, Anne seconded, all voted in favor.
Section 215 Report: No requests under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Friends Report: The Friends had a record spring book sale. They raised more than $7,000.00. There will be an appreciation party for the Friends and staff on June 26 at Mike Yokel Park. The Friends will have a short board meeting in order to elect new officers.
Foundation Report: Lisa informed the board that she has attended SPET organizational meetings with Foundation staff and will share that information later in the meeting.
Financials
Monthly Report-Questions & Answers
Deb explained that there have been some savings in personnel and health costs because of the hiring freeze and some attrition as well.
Approve Vouchers: Clark moved to approve the vouchers as presented, Bill seconded, all voted in favor.
Update on County & Library Budgets for FY 11
Andy informed the library board that, although not official, it appears that the library budget will be cut about 15% from last year. There is a state mandated increase for the retirement contribution and while the county has traditionally paid all of this, there is currently discussion about having staff pay part or all of the increase. The Commissioners are also discussing employee health insurance. The current county insurance contract expires on December 31, 2010. To date, most commissioner discussions have been about creating a more efficient system rather than any big differences for employees. The Commissioners are looking at the lack of equity in health coverage between employees with families and those without. Andy commented that claims are really low so far this year which helps contain costs. The Commissioners are considering more incentives for the wellness program.
Deb explained to the library board that a 15% cut will mean that all staff at grade 6 and below will go to a 34 hour workweek and those at grade 7 will go to a 33 hour workweek. The board asked Andy if all departments were taking these kinds of cuts. He explained that it is not an across the board cut as some functions require that offices be open the same amount of hours. Some departments are taking bigger budgetary reductions and some will have a smaller cut. Deb reminded the board that, at 15%, the library would not have to close for any additional hours. She also said that it will be a balancing act to keep everyone working but as the library will not be filling empty positions, this could allow for some staff members to be bumped up in hours as future vacancies occur. The library board inquired about staff morale as they face these cuts. Deb said that staff members understand the reasons for the budget reductions and that the management team and board are doing everything possible to keep them working. She has been very consistent in stressing that our main objectives are to keep the library open, keep staff working, and maintain our benefits. She gave kudos to all staff members who have really pulled together to make it work with the least impact to the public. The library board asked when the budget would be finalized. Deb informed them that although the official vote on the budget is the second week in July, it has to be advertised by the third week in June so it is pretty much done by the end of May.
Librarian’s Report
Update on Staff Vacancies
Deb informed the board that a staff member is leaving next week and there will be one more retiring in the fall. This brings the total number of vacancies to 9.
Update on SPET Informational Process
The Communications Department has worked on a factual brochure which has been reviewed by Keith Gingery in the County Attorney’s office. There will also be a video and a brochure for use by the PAC that encourages voters to support the library addition and renovation at the polls. The Foundation PAC can advocate for voting which the staff cannot. Lisa explained that the overall plan was not to confuse our audience and to be clear about the need. There will also be an email campaign and an FAQ section as part of the information sharing. The strategy is not to try to convert people but to get people to the polls that will vote for the library. Anne feels people need more information about the need and the renovation aspect of the project to make a good decision. Andy pointed out that the newspaper will have a huge impact on this year’s election. He feels it will be a tough year to get people to vote for projects and those that succeed will do so by smaller percentages of the vote.
Recommendation on Library Fees Committee
Deb informed the board that library fine rates were set 30 years ago. She thinks it would be perceived by the patrons as helpful if the library raises fees to generate some funds to sustain library operations. The board discussed the following changes:
—Overdue fines for most materials would increase to $.10/day.
—DVDs/Videos/Console Games remain at $1.00/day.
—The overdue fine cap increases to $10.00
—Interlibrary loan remains at $1.00
—Replacement card-stays at 1.00
—Visitor card increases to $10.00 and a visitor is defined as anyone who is not eligible for a Wyoming library card and does not live in Teton County, ID.
There was discussion about charging for Auditorium and Conference room use for for-profits. Deb felt staff needed to do some more work on how this would look as the library would need to modify the policies and it would be helpful to look at how other libraries handle this. The board agreed that staff should work on defining limits of use and recommend some hourly charges.
Action Item: Approve Library Fees recommendation
Bill moved to increase overdue fines to $.10/day, increase the overdue fine cap to $10.00, and increase visitor cards to $10.00. A visitor is defined as a person not eligible for a WY library card or not a resident of Teton County, ID. Clark seconded, all voted in favor.
Facilities Planning
Review: Recommendation on Disposal of Bookmobile
Dail informed the board that she would try to sell the bookmobile at the surplus equipment sale on Monday, May 24, 2010. That will fulfill the county disposal policy requirements and if not successful, she will request permission from the County Commission to list it with the bookmobile sales firm from which it was purchased. The board agreed with this approach.
New Business
New Board Member Recruiting
The board agreed to keep looking for candidates. Patricia is planning to apply for another term on the library board and there was some informal discussion of other possible candidates.
Initiation of Director’s Review
June is Deb’s anniversary month and she is working on questions for supervisors and for staff input. She informed the board that the results of the Dennison Survey update will be available next week. The board agreed to do her review at the June meeting and scheduled it for June 24, 2010. The July meeting was also set for July 22, 2010.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:30PM.
Dail Barbour
Administrative Assistant to the Library Board
