Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Call to Order: The October meeting of the Board of Trustees was held at the Paulding County Carnegie Library. Board President Sue Derck called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.

Roll Call: The following were present: Board members: Leah Smith, Sue Derck, Susie Thrasher, Michelle Stahl, Corey Walker and Terry Wehrkamp. Director Susan Pieper, Assistant Director Diana Coy, and Wilma Mullins, Fiscal Officer, were also present.

Citizen Participation: Staff members Anissa Williamson, Vicky Hull, Michelle Sidle, Heather Hunt, Sue Thomas, Ann Shuherk and Mrs. Shuherk’s husband, Con were also present.

Minutes: The September 2008 minutes had been distributed prior to the meeting. Corey Walker to approve the minutes. Mrs. Thrasher seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Financial / Fiscal Officer: Motion to pay bills (Pay-X 011955-012009); (Finance 014098-014147) was made by Leah Smith and seconded by Susie Thrasher. Motion carried.

Transfers: Terry Wehrkamp moved and Corey Walker seconded the approval of the following transfer. Motion passed.

Amount From: To:

$200.00 100.01.51650 Workers Compensation 100.01.53360 Trash Hauling

Fiscal Officer Additional Report & Discussion:

· The board reviewed the VISA expenditures and the bills.

· Mrs. Mullins shared that so far for this year we were spending within our means and not dipping into our investments. She also pointed out that State revenue allotment is being more evenly distributed on a monthly basis.

· The Board discussed the current status of the wireless service at the Cooper Community including security issues.

· The Board requested that Mrs. Coy look into a smaller and less costly entry in the next Yellow Book issue.

Resolution 08-1021 (Budget Reduction)
It is resolved that the Board of Trustees is reducing expenditures by $15,515.07 due to a decrease in State funding. The reductions will be as follows:

100.01.51150 -- $9,299.93 (Operatives Salaries)

100.01.51140 -- $6214.07 (Office and Clerical Salaries)

Passed via a roll-call vote in the affirmative: Susie Thrasher, Leah Smith, Corey Walker, Terry Wehrkamp, and Sue Derck. (Michelle Stahl was not present for the vote.)

OLD BUSINESS

Stykemain Vehicles: Mrs. Pieper informed the board that the vehicles had been removed from library property. There was a discussion about the need to clean up the back parking lot area. No action taken at this time.

Expenditure Notification: The Board requested that Mrs. Pieper give them a “heads up” when there is any action taken regarding expenditures between board meetings.

Personnel Manual: Mr. Wehrkamp suggested that the Director bring recommendations for revisions to the next board meeting. The board will then divide the manual amongst them and work on the updates.

Levy Update: Mrs. Pieper shared that she had spoken to the Rotary Club, the Retired Teachers and Meet the Candidates regarding the need for the levy.

Storage Building: Mr. Leslie, building manager, has consolidated the storage units to one small one. Many items that have been damaged or were considered “trash” were discarded. All original wood items were saved, as well as shelving for a future branch.

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED): The board continued to discuss the acquisition of AED units for each location, including requesting units from the local Homeland Security director.

Executive Session: The board moved to adjourn to executive session to discuss personnel issues. They reconvened at 8:45 p.m. to continue with New Business.

NEW BUSINESS

Budget Reduction: There was a general discussion of the 2009 budget and what to expect as far as funding. Mrs. Mullins provided the board with a “dream budget” that included contingency funding as well as modest raises for all employees. Mrs. Mullins informed the board that there would be 27 payroll periods instead of the usual 26. According to Mullin’s preliminary figures, we will have about $799,165 available to spend. We need $874,854. We will be $75,689 short. Mrs. Pieper prepared a list of suggested budget cuts from the areas of salaries and wages, lawn care, cell phones, storage building, and materials budget for a cut of about $64,110 per year. Mrs. Mullins and Mrs. Pieper will bring recommendations to the board in November if the levy fails.

Mrs. Pieper and Mrs. Mullins informed the board that the cell phone accounts carried by the library have either been closed or transferred to the employee.

Mrs. Mullins was directed to revise the Employee Travel and Expense Form to include reimbursement for business calls made on personal cell phones at a rate of .15 per minute. The reimbursement requests must be accompanied by the bill with the calls highlighted.

Zero Fine Policy: Terry Wehrkamp moved and Susie Thrasher seconded that effective December 1, 2008, patrons must have a zero balance before they can borrow materials or use library computers. Motion passed.

Water Pipe Repair: The board requested that the basement water pipes be repaired (if possible) on Veterans Day when the library is closed, as water will have to be turned off.

Director’s Travel: Mrs. Pieper informed the board that she would be conducting a staff development day in London, Ohio on October 22 and traveling to a Public Library Association (PLA) board of directors meeting in Chicago from October 23-26. There will be no cost to the library for these events.

Computer Classes: Mrs. Pieper has scheduled and is teaching computer classes this fall. The classes include “Introduction to the Computer”, Learn Ohio Web Library, and Exploring the Internet.

CPR Classes: The board suggested that Pieper arrange for CPR classes for the staff. Mrs. Pieper will contact the hospital and the American Red Cross for possible scheduling after the first of the year.

Adjournment: Corey Walker moved and Susie Thrasher seconded the motion to adjourn. The next Board meeting would be held on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at the main library in Paulding at 6:00 p.m.

Michelle Stahl, Board Secretary Sue Derck, President

MS: snp

Action Plan:

Diana:

· Look into the Yellow Book ad for next year and find out how much the minimum entry would be.

Susan:

· Bring personnel handbook with suggestions for revision (divided into sections for each board member)

· Go forward with Unique Management Collection services

· Update/correct website calendar to include times for board meetings

· Contact hospital or American Red Cross for CPR training details

Corey:

· Send Susan an example of life or useful life chart for inventory

· Contact Randy Shafer, Homeland Security director, for possible AED donations

Terry:

· Find out when levy money would be available (Susan did this already…moot point now)

· Ascertain the minimum age to be considered full-time and still stay on the county health insurance