Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Meeting Room 1B
Tom Bunger and Rita Lichtenberg.
President John Walsh called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m.
The consent agenda (Minutes of July 15, 2009 Board meeting; Minutes of August 5, 2009 Special Board Meeting; Minutes of August 5, 2009 Work Session; Monthly Bills for payment; Monthly Financial Report; Personnel Report; Board Calendar (revised)) was presented for approval. Sara Laughlin noted that the Board Calendar has been changed to show the two November meetings (work session and regular meeting) will be held at the Ellettsville branch due to first floor renovations at the main library. Steve Moberly moved; Melissa Pogue seconded approval of the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously (Fred Risinger absent for vote).
Sara Laughlin reported that the Ellettsville addition is nearly completed. A grand opening will be scheduled for some time in October. A pre-bid meeting for the Main Library renovation is scheduled for August 20. The Board of Zoning Appeals will also meet on August 20 to consider the library’s variance requests.
Sara Laughlin distributed a handout showing budget adjustments to provide an additional $30,000 in Employer Insurance Contributions. $10,100 has been taken from Supplies and $19,900 from Other Services/Charges.
Steve Moberly thanked Sara for reworking the budget again.
Kara Isaacson asked whether the changes would cause hardships to any departments. Sara believes the changes should not cause any undue hardship, but noted that it will be difficult to cut additional budget lines.
John Walsh noted that the $30,000 will help to deal with an anticipated insurance cost increase.
Randy Paul asked whether there has been any additional news on projected income. Sara explained that the County Option Income Tax amount will be announced at the end of August and that it should be an accurate figure.
Sara Laughlin reviewed the figures for the budget to be approved for advertising purposes. The budget is based on a net assessed valuation (NAV) of $5,031,902,174.
Fund Name |
Budget Estimate |
Maximum Estimated Funds to be Raised |
Excessive Levy Appeals (inc. in Col. 3) |
Current Tax Levy |
Operating Fund |
$8,122,055 |
$4,865,292 |
$861,651 |
$3,626,642 |
LIRF |
$364,000 |
|
|
|
Bond & Interest Fund |
$0 |
|
|
|
Capital Projects Fund |
$512,007 |
$462,935 |
|
$389,201 |
Debt Service Fund |
$1,996,000 |
$1,815,350 |
|
$1,662,948 |
Rainy Day Fund |
$206,488 |
|
|
|
Totals |
|
$7,143,577 |
|
|
Steve Moberly suggested approving the $30,000 in budget changes first. He moved; Randy Paul seconded the budget revisions of reducing Supplies by $10,100 and Other Services/Charges by $19,900 to increase the Employer Contributions/Insurance by $30,000. Motion carried unanimously.
Randy Paul moved; Kari Isaacson seconded approval of the 2010 budget for advertising as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
None.
Chris Jackson, Community Outreach Department Manager, presented a proposal from Specialty Vehicle Services, Inc., for consultant services for the purchase of a new bookmobile in 2010 (a Capital Projects Fund expenditure). Chris reported that the bookmobile is a made-to-order vehicle with many complex details involved. A consultant will work with library staff to ascertain goals and functional requirements for the bookmobile, write the specifications, issue an RFP, analyze responses, recommend a vendor, interact with the vendor during construction and delivery, and follow-up on warranty issues. Working with a consultant would help insure the Library gets the best vehicle for the best price. The contract is for $11,800 with an additional option of $2,100 to cover extra on-site meetings/inspections, depending on location of the vendor. At the present time, SVS is the main company offering this service. Michael Swendrowski, president of SVS, has 25 years of experience in the specialty vehicle industry with special focus on bookmobiles and comes highly recommended.
Randy Paul asked why the contract must be awarded at this time. Chris Jackson explained that the National Bookmobile Conference will be held in October and he would like to be able to have specifications drafted by that time. Randy Paul asked from what fund the consultant will be paid. Sara Laughlin explained that funds already in the Capital Projects Fund could be spent for this item and reimbursed out of the 2010 Capital Projects Fund bookmobile money. Randy Paul asked why the Outreach Department staff cannot do the work themselves based on their experience. Chris Jackson explained that staff could handle part of the task, but a lot of time would be involved. He also noted that there is much new technology (diesel, generators, etc.) that requires a degree of expertise that staff does not have. Randy Paul asked what would happen if the consultant made a mistake in the contract. Chris Jackson noted that the key will be to write air-tight specifications. This consultant has a lot of experience.
Steve Moberly felt that with an expense in the range of $200,000 for a new bookmobile, a $10,800 consultant fee would be a wise investment.
Randy Paul moved; Fred Risinger seconded approval of the contract between the library and Specialty Vehicle Services in the amount of $10,800 with optional costs. Motion carried unanimously.
Melissa Pogue expressed an interest in “paperless Board meetings” and asked whether the Board had considered this option. John Walsh noted that the Board was polled in the past and some still preferred paper packets. Dave Ferguson noted that Richland-Bean Blossom School Board provides laptops to their board members and digital documents. The Board discussed the pros and cons of paperless meetings. Sara Laughlin will contact Richland Bean Blossom School administration and will poll the MCPL Board to ascertain the preferred method of delivery for the Board documents.
Rita Lichtenberg spoke in favor of continuing to use the area adjacent to Sixth Street as garden space instead of for additional parking spaces. She felt that 1) people are finding their way into the library with the current number of parking spaces and noted that circulation numbers continue to increase; 2) that people want to see the garden continued; and 3) it is a wonderful example to the community.
John Walsh agreed that the garden has been a success but noted that the current location of the drive-up window is very problematic and that the goal is to improve that by relocating the window without losing parking spaces.
Sara Laughlin added that improving parking at the library continues to be a goal and that staff was aware that the garden space was temporary for as long as the space was available.
Randy Paul agreed with Rita Lichtenberg that the garden makes a good statement to the community and felt that adding a couple of parking spaces would not solve parking problems.
Sara Laughlin noted that the library is obligated to continue working on the parking issue.
Discussion ensued on other locations for the garden whether in the ground or in raised beds.
Jason Nicky, owner of Landlocked Music, stated that the library had previously purchased CDs from his store but recently had stopped doing so. He felt that he had provided good pricing and was a good provider of local music. John Walsh explained that the Board does not get involved with this type of purchasing decision but noted that many Board members have expressed an interest in supporting local businesses. Pam Wasmer, Collection Services Manager, will speak with Mr. Nicky.
Meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
Contact
Us Monroe County Public Library, Monroe County, Indiana ° (812)349-3050
Updated:
September 29, 2009
° http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/board/200908min.html
