June 23, 2009
Teton County Library Board Meeting
July 23, 2009
President Lisa Delaney called the meeting to order. Attending were board members Bill Wotkyns and Patricia Moeller. Also attending were Foundation Director, Missy Falcey, her assistant, Pauline Towers-Dykeman, Foundation board member John Becker, Director Deb Adams, and Facility Manager, Dail Barbour.
Correspondence from the Public: None
Approval of Minutes: Patricia moved to approve the June 18, 2009 minutes, Bill seconded, all voted in favor.
Section 215 Report: There are no requests under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Friends Report: No report
Foundation Report
Pauline gave the board an update on preparations for the 2009 Old Bill’s Fun Run. The plan is for Foundation and Friends to be in the library on a regular basis until Old Bill’s to help inform the public about the event. Volunteers and staff will have brochures and bookmarks to hand out. There will be a mailing inviting people to come to the library for a personal tour.
Approve Foundation FY 10 Budget: Missy requested approval for the Foundation’s budget for this year which is 17% less than last year. Bill asked her to remind the board why they approve this budget. Missy said the main reason is that it helps promote good communication between the Foundation and the Library board. She shared that other counties have occasionally had problems with the directions their foundations have chosen. Our process helps keep everyone informed and on the same page. Bill moved to approve the Foundation budget for FY 2010 as presented, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
Missy then informed the board of discussion between Foundation and staff about creating an onsite donations presence for the Foundation in the library. There appears to be strong support for this effort to allow for donations of all sizes. The Foundation is working on some ideas to create the right appearance and location for the effort. Missy felt that the Foundation would not be ready until after Old Bill’s to start the project. Deb stated that her only concern is that the library has a public trust to ensure that all feel welcome and that there is not a price of admission. The donation format needs to be sensitive to this responsibility.
Missy informed the board that the Foundation has received $10,000 to be matched by state endowment funds and she anticipates about $100,000 more at this time.
Financials
Monthly Report: Deb reminded the board that this is not our year-end report. That will be presented at next month’s meeting and she anticipates we will be really close with less than $500.00 remaining unspent. This does include the 10% cut required by the Commissioners. The Commissioners will review county revenue numbers in October which could further affect the library’s FY 10 budget. All county agencies were required to submit a 12% reduction plan in the event the commissioners need to make more cuts. This fiscal year’s budget has already been reduced 5% from last year as requested by the County.
Deb informed the board that the property tax error in the treasurer’s office has been resolved. In order to make up the shortfall, $185,000 has been added to the library’s FY 10 property tax request and the County Treasurer is anticipating that we will get $95,000 in delinquent taxes.
Approve Vouchers: Bill moved to approve the vouchers as presented, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
Approve FY 10 Budget: Patricia moved to approve the FY 2010 budget as submitted noting that it includes the 5% reduction from last year’s budget requested by the County Commission. Bill seconded and all voted in favor.
Librarian’s Report
Staffing Update-Summer Use: Deb explained that in order to cover the increased summer tasks without summer help, staff from all departments have been helping with shelving and desk duties. There have been very few glitches although some departments have found their time available stretched pretty thin. General input is that staff is enjoying this opportunity to have some hands on library experience. The intention is to continue this approach through Labor Day.
Strategic Direction-Trial Run: The management team has agreed to try a new approach to strategic planning. There would basically be three strategic directions which would serve as a basis for departmental annual planning and services for patrons. Tangible, measureable goals are important to this approach as this would enhance staff buy-in and awareness of big picture efforts. The management group would like to have a trial run with this effort during 2010. Then the library would look to get public input with regard to setting the three strategic directions. The idea is to use the trial run year as a means to fine-tuning the process. The timing is important with regard to expansion. Bill inquired about the process of gathering community input. Deb felt that there could be several approaches such as public forums and/or surveys on the library website. The three directions currently under consideration are: (1) Every child ready for school. This would include learning from birth to 18. The library is already focuses significant efforts in this area through programs, collections, summer reading, and college prep. There is opportunity to build on existing programs and take a look at other partners. (2) Every adult ready for work. The emphasis would be on helping patrons find the resources they need whether for traditional employment, self-employment, volunteerism, or small business. The library would continue to build on its established programs, such as computer classes, and would be seeking additional collaborations. (2) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The goal is to focus on finding ways to save tax dollars through greater sustainability. This fits well with the County’s 10 X 10 initiative.
Facilities Planning
Main Library Addition-Preliminary Timelines: Deb and Dail mapped out a preliminary timeline for public and staff input, along with deadlines for the board and architect to meet in the design process. This will be a very aggressive schedule (attached) as it is anticipated that discussions between the town and county will start early next year about possible candidates for the SPET ballot. The County Treasurer is projecting collecting some money for the 2008 SPET recipients by the end of this calendar year or possibly not until the first of next year. Time is also needed for a public information campaign to develop voter support for the library. A possible approach would be a campaign which emphasizes current use and the consistent increase in use the library has experienced. The Foundation will put together a PAC which will spearhead the effort, probably officially starting next summer.
Alta Branch Library-Construction Updates: Dail gave a short update and urged the board to check out the pictures on the website. Site excavation, road and parking lot preparation and the floor of the library are all in progress. Dail asked the board to approve the third pay application for the project.
Approval of Construction Payments: Bill moved to approve the third pay application in the amount of $48,070.24 for the Alta library project, Patricia seconded, all voted in favor.
New Business
Board member Clark Heindl joins the meeting at 4:25PM.
Executive Session – Personnel Matter: Patricia moved to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter, Bill seconded, all voted in favor.
Bill moved to adjourn the Executive Session, Clark seconded, all voted in favor.
Bill moved to adjourn the regular board meeting, Clark seconded, all voted in favor.
Dail Barbour
Administrative Assistant to the Board