Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tom Bunger, Bob Guindon, Norike Hara, Paul Kuznets, Rita Litenberg, Kathy, Antonia Mathews, and Glenda Standish.
President Steve Moberly called the meeting to order at 5:51pm in CATS Studio A.
President Steve Moberly presented the consent agenda items. Steve 1 requested that there be a correction to the May 16, 2007 minutes on page 4, indicating he is going to form a personnel committee who will attend a Solution Plus meeting.
Discussion followed regarding the monthly bills regarding public use Supply, 2007 budgeted revenue and budgeted expenditures.
Steve asked that the Board Calendar indicate there will be a Board Budget Meeting on September 5.
Penny Austin moved to accept the consent agenda items with corrections. Linda Hunt seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Bob Guindon from KR Montgomery spoke to the Board and presented information on the reason why bids came in a little higher than expected. Bob reported that we had received a total of 8 bids. The bids included expenses with electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and carpeting.
Bob stated we have over 50 computers to move from the PC Center on the 2nd floor, and we will provide clusters of computer stations. Since we have to have 20 amp circuits to do that, Bob stated that we will have to pull wires from electrical panels to new locations. Bob reported that he had worked with staff closely to get exact patterns. A lot of specific locations were dictated in layout, which caused miss layout to us.
Bob had the Trustees review the contract before them and recommended Quantom as the lowest bid for the project. Bob indicated that our library attorney had reviewed the contract and is in agreement of it.
Bob concluded saying KR Montgomery should have come back and restated the cost, but the bids received were good bids. Bob stated that this is an ongoing expense, but they should have kept up on redoing the prints, with the perimeters that they were given, and should have been more accurate on this.
Discussion followed.
Linda Hunt stated that being off $100,000 with the construction was huge. Bob replied she was correct, but the cost is mainly all in the mechanical and electrical costs because of labor. Bob stated there obviously wasn't enough money to cover the cost.
Randy Paul stated that we have just come off the Library Capital Project Fund with the County Council, and asked the Trustees to look at the message behind this. Randy continued to say that we went to the County Council with an amended cut and told them we would look at what was important and what we could cut in cost. Randy reminded the Trustees that some of the Council could not see how the library didn't already look good, and couldn't understand why we needed to spend so much in renovating the library. Randy encouraged the Trustees to remember that we will go before the Council for the next 3 years, and we need to develop a nature of trust and be consistent with our thoughts, and keep our promises. Randy agreed with Linda that the KR Montgomery contract is a lot of money.
After addressing Bob Guindon's report, Randy read examples of e-mails that he had received regarding money, building cost, and staff's concerns over redoing the 2nd floor and moving the A-V area to the 2nd floor.
Discussion followed.
Penny Austin stated that it's important to take care of our building, to maintain, preserve, and protect it. Penny also stated she knows the public doesn't want to see it deteriorate.
Steve asked the Board if they would like to address this issue again.
Randy moved that the agenda item be tabled. Janice Stockton seconded.
Steve asked Bob how long the bid is good. Bob replied it would be good for 90 days.
Steve stated to the Trustees that there is a motion on the floor, and it would now be open to discussion.
Discussion followed regarding shelving space, reconfiguring better security, the figures being so high, and staff concerns.
Steve responded to discussion by stating the Trustees should defer action until a future time when the Director is here, since Cindy was unable to be at today's meeting. Steve reminded that a motion was on the floor to table bids, and not to go ahead with the project until a future meeting with the Board. A vote was taken. The motion passed unanimously.
President Steve Moberly asked Bonnie Estell to present information on this resolution.
Bonnie stated that we were going to go ahead and ask the Building Corporation to release the remaining building fund to help with renovation, but we have to come to the Trustees first for approval.
Steve questioned if it is critical that this resolution be adopted this evening. Penny Austin replied that it isn't any more since we just tabled the contract for a future meeting.
Randy Paul made a motion to table this for the same reason we tabled previous agenda item. Penny seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Ned Baugh presented information on the Internet and Computer Use Policy and stated that this policy is something the state law requires us to do each year. The Board needs to approve this annually.
Randy Paul stated this was another agenda item that staff had e-mailed him about. A staff person told Randy that the technology committee is still talking about this. Ned replied that the committee is not talking about anything in this policy.
Randy stated that it sounds to him like there are issues staff are concerned about relating to this policy. Ned responded the only issues he is aware of are staff concerns about guest passes that we hand out and changes we might like to make in the future.
Randy made a motion to table this until after the Technology Committee Meeting. There was no second and the motion dies.
Linda Hunt moved to approve the Internet and Computer Use Policy. Penny Austin seconded. Randy asked for a roll call. The motion passed 4 to 1. Penny, Linda, Steve, and Janice in favor, and Randy opposed.
Ginger Ziglar-Thomas presentioned information on the Revision of Section 3.10 (Reclassification Process), and stated this has been under discussion with the Solution Plus Committee
Steve Moberly asked why we need these changes before us. Ginger responded that this shows how procedures originally occurred.
Randy Paul stated that he is so surprised that this has been brought up, and he strongly opposes approving this. Randy reported that Penny attended the last Solutions Plus meeting with him, and staff are concerned with this policy.
Linda Hunt asked if the changes came from a solutions plus meeting discussion. Steve replied that it wasn't. It was an error that we didn't have in a regular Board meeting, as a regular Board agenda item.
Randy informed Steve that he is not making up staff concerns. He stated "To say there is no consensus, is putting it mildly." Steve responded that he thinks this is another agenda item that should be tabled until the Director is available to discuss it, and stated that there are two sides of everything.
Randy moved that Revision to the Personnel Manual 3.10 be tabled. Penny Austin seconded. Steve stated that we may want to put this on the agenda at the next Board work session, but in the meantime he opened for discussion.
Penny Austin stated, "I am going to say that some of what I hear, are people who have ideas and suggestions, but because they are afraid of what kind of relationship will emerge they are afraid to say them. I feel people need a voice, and people need input. We have decisions being made that do not have adequate input. It's amazing to me that we make decisions about things that I really don't have the breath of information that I should have. I spent my whole life in a school situation. I feel like I am being asked to do more here than I am at my school board. I want people to have input. We all need to leave our egos at the door, if we do what is best."
Steve opened the discussion to public, if any public wanted to make a comment.
Rita Lichtenberg, from the public, spoke to the Trustees, and stated that she is a happy citizen of Bloomington, Indiana and patron of the library. She also stated that she feels the Administration could use a sensitivity training, as there hasn't been too real listening for a while.
Martha Odya, from the staff, spoke to the Trustees and indicated that she isn't really prepared at this point to say whether she is for or is against this decision. She stated that she had been to two Solution Plus meetings, and is sorry to report how fearful staff are to feel free to talk in the Solution Plus meetings. By the 2nd meeting the room was crowded with staff, and we barely got through the meeting.
Penny replied "We are hearing you".
Dory Lynch, from the staff, spoke to the Trustees, and stated that she would support tabling this agenda item, to wait on more staff input. Dory reported that staff had not seen this until right before the Solution Plus meeting. Dory stated that we need to look seriously at lowering positions, or looking at positions, and she encouraged the Trustees to look at it more.
Noriko Hara, from the public, spoke to the Trustees, stating that she is a regular citizen of Bloomington, who works at IU. The IU Board doesn't give many opportunities for staff to provide input, but Noriko stated that IU staff really like to contribute to the university in general. She also stated that she believes individual staff members should have a say about this type of policy. Noriko complimented Randy on reading staff e-mails and sharing staff input.
Randy replied that we have a good turn out of the public in today's meeting, but there still are not a log of people talking. When people say it is harmful to their jobs, Randy stated that he thinks the Trustees need to take note of it.
Steve reminded the Trustees that they have a motion on the floor to table action on the revision of 3.0 in the Personnel Manual. A vote was taken and passed unanimously.
Bonnie Estell stated that she would like to have this resolution amend our Library Capital Project Fund. It was at .0133 but the county suggested .00079.
Randy Paul moved to approve the resolution. Penny Austin seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Randy reported on the Bloomington Voice taking front page about the Union, and stated that Trustees have been talking to staff. Randy urged that the Trustees have no more Executive Sessions regarding a Union. These should be open meetings for public and staff, because this shows the value of staff and public up front in a voice. Randy stated "I'm not looking for 2 1/2 years of negotiations like in Indianapolis at a library. This is distracting, and a lot of good people are worried about their jobs. I object to any Executive Sessions about this."
Rita Lictenburg, from the public, spoke to the Trustees again. She stated she didn't remember the reason or value for moving A-V from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor. She doesn't want to see this library becoming a big box library, because it distresses her very much. Rita continue to state that everybody is lumped together upstairs, but Trustees need to remember that people like small communities, and small groups of people. Rita encouraged the Trustees to save a lot of money and to not move it all upstairs.
Tom Gillespie, from the public spoke, to the Trustees regarding the idea of moving the A-V area , and taking the computer lab out of the 2nd floor. Tom encouraged the Trustees to base their decision on what the public needs are and what the staff needs are.
Steve Moberly announced there will be a Strategic Plan meeting on Tuesday, June 26 at 5:00pm in Program Room 2B on 2nd floor.
Penny stated that the public are welcome to attend this. A new company will be coming in to advise us on our directions to this new plan, and then we will have public forums. We do want to hear from the public.
The meeting adjourned at 7:00pm.
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Updated:
July 27, 2007
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