SCCCLD Library Board Minutes

The St. Charles City-County Library District Board of Trustees met at 7:00 pm on Monday, July 14, 2008 at the Deer Run Branch Library in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Board Members present:

Mr. Gary Heggs
Mr. Jerry Cook
Ms Myra Crook
Mr. Greg Dohrman
Ms. Lisa Pelikan
Ms. Warlene Reed
Ms. Laurie Stump
Mr. John Thoelke

Board members absent:

Ms Mary Reese

Library Staff present:

Mr. Carl Sandstedt, Director
Ms Betty Murr, Deputy Director
Ms. Maggie Preiss, Children’s Resources and Marketing Coordinator
Ms. Julie Cinco, Human Resources Coordinator
Mr. Richard Schultz, Coordinator of Finance and Support Services
Ms. Audrey Bangert, IT Coordinator
Ms Lynn Reichmuth, Volunteer Resources & Staff Training Specialist
Mr. Jim Brown, Branch Manager, Spencer Road
Ms. Ann King, Branch Manager, Kathryn Linnemann
Ms. Pat Kern, Branch Manager, Middendorf-Kredell
Ms Keri Cascio, Branch Manager, Kisker Road
Ms. Martha Radginski, Branch Manager, McClay
Ms. Diana Tucker, Branch Manager, Corporate Parkway
Mr. Tim DeGhelder, Branch Manager, Deer Run
Ms Sara Nielsen, Community Branch Manager
Ms Jessica Hammond, Paraprofessional
Ms Linda Newgard, Paraprofessional

President Gary Heggs called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance. Eight members responded to roll call. Mr. Heggs opened the floor for public comments. No requests for time were received.

MINUTES

MOTION: Ms Pelikan moved to approve the minutes of the June 9 meeting. Ms. Reed seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

REPORTS

Financial Report

Mr. Schultz reported the preliminary end of fy08 June financial reports had been mailed with the Board Packets. The report did not include June tax revenue and final expenditures for materials and other items received prior to July 1. District currently has $15 million in cash & investments including the reserves for the Spencer Road Branch project. The bulk of tax revenue is received early in 2009. Cash reserves are more than adequate to cover expenses until then with approximately $5 million needed to cover operations until the end of 2008. Mr. Schultz projected that while a few line items may exceed the fy08 budget, total expenditures would not exceed revenues. Revenues may exceed expenditures by $1.4 million in fy08.

The Board discussed the information included in the monthly financial report. It was the consensus of the Board that quarterly reporting in some areas such as investments in CDs would be acceptable. The Finance Committee will make a recommendation for content of financial reports to the Board.

Minutes of the Finance & Audit Committee meetings of June 25 and July 7 were included in the packet. The Finance Committee interviewed three prospective auditing firms for the District. The Finance Committee voted to recommend securing the services of Botz, Deal & Co P.C. for conducting the District audit.

Director’s Report

Mr. Sandstedt reported that the old portion of the roof at the Kathryn Linnemann Branch was leaking and deferred discussion of the issue to the Formal Agenda. He announced that Kristin Williams had accepted the position of Planning and Development, and Frank Noto would be the new Coordinator of the IT Department. Mr. Sandstedt reported that in the process of interviewing for the IT Coordinator position, he concluded that every staff member could be replaced except for Brad Winner. In his position as programmer for the ILS (LISTEN system), Brad had saved the District well over $1 million. He recommended that the District find a way to reward Brad in his current position because he is the one person the District cannot afford to lose. Mr. Sandstedt commented on the Journal story that related the record-breaking year for the Library District with 6.4 million circ and one branch that checked out over 1 million items.

Tim DeGhelder, Branch Manager of the Deer Run Branch, welcomed the Board to the Branch. After one week in his position as manager there, he reported he was learning about the building, building a relationship with the staff and customers, and was enjoying the new challenges.

Mr. Sandstedt introduced Keri Cascio, the new branch manager of the Kisker Road Branch. Keri was formerly with Missouri Library Network Corporation. She is well known in the library community. Keri reported she was enjoying the Kisker Road Branch and looking forward to contributing to the Library District, especially in the area of training.

Special Report - Update on Kathryn Linnemann Construction.

Ann King, Branch Manager

Ms King reported that a clogged hose on an older HVAC unit on the roof had flooded the new children’s program area room. Since carpet has not been installed, there was no damage except for ceiling tiles. Seven leaks were discovered in the older portion of the roof. Wood on one of the columns was damaged from these leaks. The District roof consultant was called to inspect the older portion of the roof at Linnemann.

Mr. Sandstedt reported that the original plan to take possession of the building and make repairs to the electrical components of the Roof Top Units (RTUs) was no longer feasible. The carpet could not be installed until the roof was leak-free. He had hoped that the older portion of the roof and the existing RTU’s would last a bit longer but it now appeared that both would need to be replaced. Mr. Schultz estimated that replacing the roof and RTUs could run as much as $200,000 and unless it was bid out separately would require a change order as replacement was not included in the original contract. Mr. Sandstedt recommended the project would be handled separately from the contract and bid out.

Special Report - Electronic Resources for Legal Information

Betty Murr, Deputy Director

Ms. Murr discussed the content of four electronic resources that provide legal information: Gale LegalTrac, LawChek, LoisLaw, and Gale Legal Forms. These products are available to library cardholders. There was some discussion on value of the products to lawyers. Mr. Dohrman reported most attorneys used Westlaw.

Statistical Report

Ms. Murr reported eMedia circulation for fy08 was 5718 for downloadable audio books from Overdrive and 4059 for eBooks. The District plans to update the eBook collection with newer titles in fy09. Ms. Murr pointed out that the Middendorf-Kredell Branch circulation had exceeded 1 million items in fy08. Spencer Road and McClay Branches had increased circulation from displaced Linnemann customers. Overall circulation for the Library District broke new records with 6,367,709 items checked out. Online renewals now account for 25% of circulation. Gate count of 1.8 million was an increase of 1.74% over fy07.

Activities Report

Ms Preiss announced

Friends of the Library Summer newsletter
Summer Reading registration for the childrens and teens programs was going very well. At one month the children’s program had approximately 14,000 participants and the teen program had 3000 participants.
The Library District would participate in the NECAC Back to School Event on August 11
Jim Rhodes gave a presentation to Tri-County women on July 16
The District’s 35th Anniversary would be celebrated by branches in the Fall beginning in August with special programs, displays, and promotional materials.
Approximately 119 people attended the North County Branch Open House on June 19.
Author Kristin Sauerwein would give a special program on her book about the Shawn Hornbeck kidnapping at the Middendorf-Kredell Branch on July 15.

FORMAL AGENDA

09-01 Graduation-Parapro Class of 2008

Ms. Reichmuth introduced Jessica Hammond and Linda Newgard who recently completed four months of paraprofessional training. A third paraprofessional, Cassie Gilliam could not attend. Ms Reichmuth gave an overview of the paraprofessional classes, mentoring process, and training that compose the parapro curriculum. Ms. Hammond and Ms Newgard commented on their experience in the program. Ms Cinco reported that the District currently has approximately 40-50 paraprofessionals. Mr. Sandstedt commented that the District would be looking at the line between paraprofessionals and library assistants. As technology changed the duties of library assistants, these creative, enthusiastic staff could be given different, more interesting responsibilities.

09-02 Linnemann Construction

Mr. Sandstedt provided an overview of the problems with the current building including: the old roof leaking, 28 year old RTUs on the oldest portion of the roof and damaged wiring, no alarm in ducts in old building, and repainting of the metal standing roof. He recommended that to save money as many projects be completed outside of the contract as possible. The City is agreeable to corrections being made after the District takes possession of the building but before an occupancy permit is granted. The ongoing construction problems include the humidity levels in the old and new concrete slabs and soil compaction by the entrance.

The Board discussed the effectiveness of repairing or replacing the old RTU’s. Newer units would be more energy efficient and the wiring would not need to be repaired which is necessary for the older units. There was concern that the older units might leak or break down and damage the new construction. Mr. Sandstedt suggested having the District’s regular HVAC maintenance service inspect the units to see if they could be repaired. Repair of the units would save the cost of renting a crane to move the units twice. If the units could not be repaired and it was more cost effective to replace them, he asked for a motion to bid out new RTU’s to replace the units on the oldest portion of the building. Mr. Cook inquired about the delay to the project. Mr. Sandstedt reported that under policy, the project would need to be bid in the newspaper. He would try to expedite the project as much as possible.

MOTION: Laurie Stump moved that the Board release up to $200,000 to replace the older portions of the roof at the Kathryn Linnemann Branch and replace the RTU’s that needed to be replaced. Greg Dohrman seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

09-03 WingHaven Library Express Rental Space

Mr. Sandstedt provided the Board with the preliminary lease for rental of the space at the WingHaven Library Express to the St. Charles County Arts Council. The lease was also being reviewed by the Library District legal counsel. Mr. Sandstedt reported that the Arts Council was ecstatic over the opportunity to rent the space in the Library Express at WingHaven building. The space would be used for Arts Council offices and a gallery to display artwork. The preliminary lease would be revised explain that display of artwork would not be considered a sublease.

MOTION: John Thoelke moved to authorize the Library Director to finalize an inter-agency agreement with the St. Charles County Arts Council to lease the rental space in the building with the Library Express at WingHaven for $6 per square foot after review of the contract by legal counsel. Greg Dohrman seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

09-04 South County Branch Replacement

Ms Nielsen reported she had attended the Augusta Town Board meeting. The Library Committee presented the Town Board with the letter of commitment approved by the Library District in June. The Town is now seeking financing.

FORMAL AGENDA

09-05 Policy #032.860 IT Project Manager

Ms Cinco discussed the new policy that describes the IT Project Manager position that will be filled by IT Coordinator when she goes part time. Ms Bangert will assist the new IT Coordinator during a transition period and then continue to handle some departmental projects such as e-rate as IT Project Manager. The new position was included in the fy09 budget adopted by the Board in June.

MOTION: John Thoelke moved to adopt Policy #032.860 IT Project Manager. Warlene Reed seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

09-06 FY08 Audit-Appointment of Auditor

Mr. Dohrman reported that the Finance Committee had screened 9 proposals from auditing firms to conduct the annual audit of the Library District. After reviewing the qualities and factoring in costs, three firms were chosen to be interviewed by the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee recommends that the Board secure the services of Botz, Deal & Co PC to serve as auditors for the Library District. The proposal from Botz, Deal & Co PC was the lowest bid over the 3 year term of the contract. That firm also has experience in governmental accounting. The contract is to conduct the audit for three years with options to cancel the contract each year.

MOTION: Jerry Cook moved that the District accept the bid of Botz, Deal & Co PC to conduct the Library District audit under contract for three years with option to cancel each year. Laurie Stump seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

09-07 Resolution Recognizing Warlene Reed

09-08 Resolution Recognizing Laurie Stump

Mr. Sandstedt announced that library trustees retiring from the Board would under bylaws continue to serve until a replacement was appointed. He also noted that at the August Board meeting, the President would need to appoint a current Trustee to serve as representative on the St. Charles City-County Library Foundation to replace Warlene Reed who would remain on the Foundation but no longer represented the Board of Trustees.

Both Ms Stump and Ms Reed expressed gratitude for being able to serve on the Library Board of Trustees and pledged continued support and advocacy for the Library District.

Resolution in Honor of Warlene Reed

Whereas Warlene Reed served the Saint Charles City-County Library District for almost a decade as Trustee; And

Whereas Warlene Reed served the Trustees as an officer of the Board for many years including two terms as President; And

Whereas Warlene Reed as a retired school librarian understood and supported the ethics of the profession; And

Whereas Warlene Reed was a tremendous representative of the Library District to the St. Charles County Community; And

Whereas Warlene Reed was interested in the value of libraries as community resources for adults and children.

Therefore be it resolved,

That the Board of Trustees of the St. Charles City-County Library District does recognize Warlene Reed for her excellence in service to the District and the community, and wish her the best in future endeavors.

Resolved and passed, this Fourteenth day of July, 2008 in St. Charles County Missouri.

Attest, Margaret A. Preiss, Recording Secretary

Resolution in Honor of Laurie Stump

Whereas Laurie Stump served the Saint Charles City-County Library District for nine years as Trustee; And

Whereas Laurie Stump served the Trustees as an officer of the Board for many years including two terms as President; And

Whereas Laurie Stump as a tireless champion of the underdog looked out for the well being of the staff; And

Whereas Laurie Stump as an active community volunteer represented the Library District to many other organizations within the county in an effective manner; And

Whereas Laurie Stump was especially mindful of services provided by the Library District to the business and non-profit community of the County and openly advocated library services to her many acquaintances.

Therefore be it resolved,

That the Board of Trustees of the St. Charles City-County Library District does recognize Laurie Stump for her excellence in service to the District and the community, and wish her the best in future endeavors.

Resolved and passed, this Fourteenth day of July, 2008

in St. Charles County Missouri.

Attest, Margaret A. Preiss, Recording Secretary

MOTION: Myra Crook moved to accept the resolutions honoring the service of Library Trustees Warlene Reed and Laurie Stump. Greg Dohrman seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

OTHER BUSINESS

Gary Heggs re-appointed Greg Dohrman to the Finance Committee. In his former capacity as Board Treasurer, Mr. Dohrman automatically served on the committee. His election as Vice-President of the Board in June necessitated the re-apppointment.

Jerry Cook accepted the office of Treasurer following the vote of the Board in June. Mr. Cook was not at the June meeting and subsequently accepted the nomination and election as Treasurer.

MOTION: Ms Pelikan moved to adjourn. Laurie Stump seconded. Motion passed eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, one absent.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Respectfully submitted

Margaret A. Preiss

Acting Recording Secretary