Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Program Room 2B
Tom Bunger, Lori Hamilton, Antonia Matthew and Mercedes Rodriguez.
President John Walsh called the work session to order at 5:51 p.m.
Sara explained the proposal to renew the CPF is for approximately $500,000, so extremely important. She explained the strategy for building support, noting that she did not include a breakfast meeting as the Board had proposed, since both the Library Board and the Council would have to advertise public meetings or send fewer than four representatives.
Fred asked could not both groups schedule public meetings.
Sara said she didn’t feel that would accomplish what we needed.
Randy said one-on-one meetings would be more effective.
Steve agreed.
Sara proposed that she and one board member meet with each County Council member. She also suggested asking for help from other groups, e.g., those that use meeting rooms, the Friends. The third piece would be public support from individuals and media. She asked if trustees with relationships to other organizations might help in getting invitations for the Library to present programs.
John suggested adding a PowerPoint presentation to the one-on-one meetings, including part of the presentation that Michael White showed at the last trustees meeting.
Penny suggested the PowerPoint be added to the Library’s website.
Fred suggested a 10-15 video, emphasizing the results of the community survey that could be taken by board members to service club presentations.
Sara asked Board members to volunteer to join her in meeting with Council members.
Penny: Jill Lesh
John and Fred: Sophia Travis and Vic Kelson
Steve: Marty Hawk
Randy: Warren Henegar
Fred: Charles Newmann and Michael Woods
After the public hearing and Board approval on April 16 and following the primary elections, Sara will make appointments.
Sara asked if trustees would be willing to volunteer to contact organizations. Steve is a member of Bloomington Rotary Club and would be glad to contact the program director. He cautioned it might be too late to get onto the program schedule.
Randy said he was concerned; he believes it will be tough to get approval this year. The county is facing major fiscal issues. The Library has less than a 50% success rate, since the proposal failed in 2006 and was approved at half the requested amount in 2007. In 2006, the Library presented its successes but didn’t give the Council a reason why we were more important than a pay raise for employees. If the CPF fails in 2008, he visualized a half-completed addition in Ellettsville. On the other hand, he felt the Library had a good story to tell this year with large percentages of respondents saying the library is important to the future of the community. He was concerned about the statement that the survey showed support for the CPF, when the survey question actually asked about replacing lost County Option Income Tax, not property tax.
Sara confirmed that the CPF is funded with property tax.
Steve agreed we should not tell people that the public supports raising taxes. Because the survey question didn’t give people a chance to consider and choose which tax they want to raise.
Sara said she would take the last bullet out of the talking points.
Several members also questioned the use of the word “maintain,” since it seemed to suggest that services would be discontinued if the CPF wasn’t funded.
Fred suggested substituting the word "continues" for "maintains".
John noted that if the Library doesn’t get the CPF funds, it will have to cut back on computers, or people or something else. So it is fair to say some things will not continue if we don’t get the funding. It could be that we would have fewer computers and longer lines.
Sara suggested “maintain current levels…”
Randy’s last concern was the public hearing next week. He knew that the Library has met legal advertising requirements, but suggested that cards similar to last year’s, advertising the County Council’s public hearing be placed at the circulation desks.
Penny said she thought about the legislation passed by the 2008 General Assembly, because future funding limits will be based on what we get in 2009.
Sara said she will have to confirm that. Bonnie and she have struggled to understand this language. They have called DLGF and they don’t know.
John asked if we are involved in helping GE workers.
Sara said we have offered, but have not been invited to any meetings to date.
John said we should include our plans to help those people as a talking point.
Randy said the Library has such a good story to tell, but the County Council may have other more pressing needs and believe that the Library is doing OK. In 2007 we said the Library is not like all the other places; we show a return on investment.
Penny said we can’t let the current facilities fall down. Perhaps there will be a day when we can have a west side branch.
Randy said we have to educate the Council. If we get cut again, there might not be any funding by 2011.
Sara said, when we meet with them we will discover what the sticking points are. That is why the personal meetings will be so important.
Randy said one member said if we interfered in any way with union they would never vote for library again.
Fred said Vic Kelson called him the other day and said he did not say what Randy quoted
Sara asked Randy for suggestions. She asked him if he would like her to prepare a summary of the Library’s actions over the last year related to collective bargaining.
John said these are two separate issues and he believes the Library’s case will be stronger if it is positive and helpful.
Randy said he wasn’t suggesting going in negative and helpless. He reminded the Board that last year’s Council meetings were very hard and difficult. He just wants the Board to be prepared.
Sara said union vote will be known by the time of the Council’s public hearing and vote.
Steve suggested not mixing the two.
Steve said he thinks Sara did good job with talking points and Randy had some good suggestions.
Antonia Matthew asked for clarification about date and time of the public hearing.
Sara said it will be Wednesday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m., just before the regularly scheduled Board meeting in room 1B.
Antonia suggested publicizing this.
Sara said she will make an effort to do that.
Antonia asked when the CPF proposal would go to the County Council.
Sara said the Library would forward the plan immediately after it was approved by the Board; the Council would then also hold a public hearing and must vote by July 31.
Steve added that we don’t know when the Council’s public hearing would be set.
Antonia said according to the community survey, people want notice.
Sara said the Library intends to do that; it is just a bit premature, since the CPF has not yet been approved by the Board.
Antonia asked about the section of the CPF relating to renovating the audio-visual department. In the previous renovation plan, moving AV to the second floor became a point of contention. She didn’t know what it was going to look like until she saw a PowerPoint and she was really shocked. She asked if the public would have a chance to comment on plans.
Sara replied that it was her intention to have substantial public involvement.
Lori Hamilton, resident of Bloomington, made an editorial suggestion.
The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.
Contact
Us Monroe County Public Library, Monroe County, Indiana ° (812)349-3050
Updated:
June 4, 2008
° http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/board/200804wrk.html
