May 21, 2009
Teton County Library Board Meeting
May 21, 2009
Attending the meeting were Anne Ladd and Lisa Delaney, board members, Deb Adams, Director, Isabel Zumel, Assistant Director, Andy Schwartz, County Commission liaison, and Dail Barbour, Facility Manager. Clark Heindl and Patricia Moeller, board members, attended the meeting via conference call. Vice President Patricia Moeller called the meeting to order.
Correspondence from the public: None
Approval of Minutes: Anne moved to approve the April 23, 2009 library board meeting minutes, Lisa seconded, all voted in favor.
Section 215 Report: No requests under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Friends Report: The Friends made $6600 dollars at the spring book sale, the best ever. Deb reminded the board that the Staff/Volunteer party is on June 27 at Mike Yokel Park from 4-8 pm.
Financials: Monthly report: Deb reported that library financials are on track as we approach year end. Property tax receipts are running slightly behind so she did not renew one of the library’s CD’s in order to have sufficient cash reserve. The library will meet its 10% cut as requested by the county. Deb is anticipating being able to put some money into the capital repairs reserve and have some available for Alta furnishings and fixtures. Deb emphasized the efforts made by staff to achieve this, especially given the large health insurance increase this year.
Approve Vouchers: All agreed to approve vouchers at next meeting so Clark and Patricia can review them.
Recommendation & Approval to Make Online Payments for CIGNA life and AD & D insurance policy: Deb explained that this insurance is an option for employees with half of the cost being paid by the county. It is now possible to make on-line payments which would be easier and more efficient. The voucher will still be available for review at board meetings. Lisa moved to authorize on-line payments for employee’s CIGNA life and & AD & D policies, Clark seconded, all voted in favor.
County Budget Update: Teton County needs 2 million dollars more in order to meet requests for next year’s budget. Deb attended a County Commission meeting and asked to refill selected vacant library positions. The Commissioners preferred that the library wait until they could further review revenue numbers and asked her to return in a week. Deb has been sitting in on the Commissioner’s Monday afternoon budget discussions in order to stay current. Andy suggested he could represent the library at the next meeting as nothing was finalized yet. However, after a discussion with the library board about the number of empty library positions (IT Computer Support Manager, Library Page Job Share, Alta Library Assistant and part-time Library Page) and two impending vacancies this summer, Andy urged Deb to return next week. He felt this was too many empty positions and would definitely impact the level of service at the library. Deb has prioritized which ones she feels are the most important to fill.
Librarian’s Report
Recommendation & Approval of Objectives for Strategic Plan Goal on “Communicating Value of the Library: Deb explained that this goal deals with the roles and support provided by the Friends and Foundation and heightening library budget awareness throughout the community. It would help determine the best methods to communicate ways to support the library. Anne moved to approve the strategic plan objectives as presented, Lisa seconded, all voted in favor.
Deb gave a short report on the work the management team is doing to follow up on the Denison Survey from last year. She worked with all teams to develop a “who does what” chart to provide staff with clarification about tasks in order to increase communication and efficiency. The effort has been valuable in highlighting some gaps and she will bring an improved version to the next board meeting.
Staffing update: The board expressed concern about staff morale particularly with regard to possible reduced hours. Deb said that staff had done a great job of pitching in to help with jobs where there are vacancies. This does impact their ability to do their own tasks but so far it has been manageable. There was concern voiced that a reduction of hours may make it harder for people to live here which will have a negative effect on our economy. It could also impact our ability to get qualified employees.
Facilities Planning: Main Library Addition
Recommendation & Approval for RFQ for Architect: Deb gave the board a tentative timeline for the next SPET ballot. At this time, it appears that the SPET issues will be on the August or November 2010 ballot. In order to be prepared to try to secure a place on the ballot for the library addition, the RFQ needs to go out now. Andy said that the Commissioners are discussing opening up the process to more projects which has potential for more competition to get on the ballot. Dail answered some questions about the RFQ and asked for approval to start the advertising process. Anne moved to approve the RFQ as presented, Clark seconded, all voted in favor. Dail explained that she would submit it to the County Attorney’s office for review and approval before placing the ad in the paper.
Discussion about sub-committee to make a recommendation on an architect: The board decided to have a seven member committee composed of a representative from the County Commission, the library board president, one other library board member, the library director, a town representative, and two community-at-large members. The purpose of this committee would be to review, interview and make a recommendation regarding the architect for the main library addition/remodel. Anne Ladd offered to serve as a board representative. The rest of the board agreed to talk with several possible candidates before the next board meeting.
Alta Branch: Deb informed the board that the bookmobile was now on reduced hours due to staff shortages. It is open four days a week and she is currently considering changing the schedule to include a weekend day due to community requests. At this time, she is anticipating that summer hours may be reduced also.
Anne moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:00PM, Lisa seconded, all voted in favor.
Dail Barbour
Administrative Assistant to the Library Board
