October 2009 Library Board Minutes

Call to order at 4:04 p.m. by President Enos

Present: Carlson, Derouin, Eisen, Enos, Werley, Wicihowski, Wisneski

Absent: Nebel

Also present: Director Saecker, J. Bongers (Head of Adult & Technical Services), K. Seefeldt (Administrative Assistant)

 

1.      Motion to authorize payment of the October list of bills from the 2009 budget by Carlson, seconded by Wisneski, and carried unanimously.

 

Werley arrived at 4:06 p.m.

 

2.      Approve minutes from the Board meeting of September 17, 2009.

Motion to approve minutes from the September 17, 2009 Board meeting, by Eisen, seconded by Werley and carried unanimously.

 

3.      John Nebel.  The October 5^th Finance Committee meeting ended abruptly when Library Board member John Nebel experienced medical problems. According to the latest report from his family, John is making progress in his recovery.

4.      Emergency Response.   Library employees directly involved in the recent medical emergency were debriefed by Sue Nett, Director of Health Services. We will be adjusting some of our emergency response procedures as a result of this recent event. Also, we plan to schedule a medical emergency drill in the library in the near future. Director Saecker stated that we were very grateful to the Neenah Menasha Fire Department’s emergency team for their quick response and reliable assistance.

5.      Statistics. In September 2008 we had record setting increases in both adult and children’s lending, so the 1% decline we saw for September 2009 was not unanticipated. Adult circulation rose 5.3% overall for the month, while children’s fell by 7.4%. 

6.      Endowment Donation. We received a donation of $200 from Transportation Environment Management for meeting room use in September.

7.      Meeting Room Use.   Meeting room usage continues to increase. Groups find that it is beneficial to have their rooms set up in advance for their meetings and appreciate not being charged a rental fee. We continue to receive optional donations for meeting room use.  Our reputation for providing an excellent facility for meetings appears to be spreading state-wide.

8.      Unspent Funds. The handling of unspent library funds at the end of the budget year was addressed. According to a recent opinion from the State’s Assistant Attorney General, Library Boards may not give these funds back to the funding authority as they have always done in the past. Director Saecker will bring this to the attention of our new City Attorney. If we are allowed to retain all funds at the end of the year, the Board will need to review spending and budgeting options. Eisen stated that the Board may want to consider using these unspent funds instead of Endowment funds for certain expenditures.

9.      2010 Budget. Director Saecker reviewed the proposed 2010 budget. Eisen asked for a breakdown in health insurance costs, which includes health, dental and vision. Board members requested more detailed information in the budget summary. Director Saecker was asked to add the previous year’s actual amount, the previous year’s budgeted amount and the Library Board’s current year proposed budget amount. The Board would also like the total amount spent from the Endowment in the current year to be included as a footnote in the summary. Eisen inquired about the schedule for salary and wage increases for staff in 2010. Differences in scheduled increases for union and non-rep employees and City Department Heads were discussed. 

Motion to approve the 2010 budget as presented by Werley, seconded by Carlson and carried unanimously.

10. Director’s Performance Review. Board members reviewed the form intended to be used for evaluating the Director. Discussion ensued. There was a consensus to conduct the evaluation without staff input this year.  Werley recommended that staff participate in the process next year and every five years after that. Board members were asked to abstain from answering those questions on the form that pertained to staff’s assessment of the Director.

11. Trimming the Tree. Building Services Supervisor Adam Alix reported that it is challenge to decorate our large spruce tree on First Street with Christmas lights. New LED lights do not hold up well to the weather and need to be replaced annually. Board members stated that lighting the tree during the holiday season is a community tradition they would like to see continue.

Motion to approve continuing to decorate the large spruce tree with holiday lights by Wicihowski, seconded by Derouin and carried unanimously.

12. Robert’s Rules of Order. Carlson reviewed parliamentary procedure and distributed copies of the Roberts’ Rules of Order motions chart. 

 

At the November meeting, Sue Werley will review Trustee Essential #12 “Library Standards.” 

 

Motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:25 p.m. by Werley, seconded by Wisneski and carried unanimously.

 

The next regular Board meeting will be held in the Gegan Room on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Paul Eisen, Secretary

Kris Seefeldt, Recording Secretary