MINUTES

Board of Trustees Regular Meeting

Thursday, September 13, 2001

Traverse Area District Library

(minutes are unofficial until approved by the Board of Trustees)

         The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by President Brown.  Present were Brown, Mesch, Welch, Schermerhorn, Lawrence, Maxson and Quick.  Also present were Judson (Counsel), McGuire, Schneider and Maxwell (Staff). 

 

         Brown asked for a moment of silence to remember those who died and to honor all who have been working so hard to assist those who were injured in the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

 

         Motion by Welch, supported by Mesch to approve the minutes from the Regular Meeting of August 9, 2001.  Carried. 

 

         McGuire brought to the trustees’ attention several items included in the meeting packets:

                 

·       Michigan Library Association information and membership application.  Some trustees have expressed interest.

·       Mid-Michigan Library League’s annual meeting and dinner will be September 21, 2001, in Cadillac.  Registration deadline is September 19.

·       Library of Michigan staff is presenting informational workshops around the State.  The closest to Traverse City is in Cadillac on October 19.

·       There will be a workshop for new library directors and their trustees in Lansing on October 29.  Any board members can attend.  The Library will pay the cost for any TADL trustees interested in attending.

 

Quick reported that the Facilities and Services Committee had received a list compiled by McGuire and staff of things that the Library could/should be doing in addition to what it currently does.  McGuire will attach cost estimates to the various items, and then the committee will meet to review the list, begin to prioritize the items and define a process for proceeding.  Quick expects to have a report of the committee’s progress for the next regular meeting.  Any trustees or Friends or other groups who would like to comment on the list or suggest items to add can contact either Quick or McGuire.  It would be helpful for all of the trustees to review the list and possibly prioritize items.  Schermerhorn suggested that after the committee has reviewed the list, it might be helpful to have a Board study session to discuss it.

 

Maxson reported that the Finance Committee had met to review the proposed budget for 2002.  They also reviewed the July financial report, copies of which were included in the meeting packets.  It looks like revenues for 2001 are right on track and expenditures are in line with what has previously been discussed.  There will probably be a small surplus at the end of the year, which would mean that no funds would need to be transferred from the Budget Stabilization fund.  Welch asked why tctv2 personnel expenses were so much higher in March than in other months.  Maxson said that it was probably because there were three paydays that month.  Brown said that the committee had also asked McGuire to review the budget to determine what funds might be available for expansion of services.

 

Mesch reported that the Personnel Committee had met to work on a tool for evaluating the Director and also a job description.  It has turned out to be more complicated than they expected, but they hope to have a form and a job description for the Board’s review by the next regular meeting.

 

The Policy Committee had not met, but Lawrence said that they are concerned about looking at policies to see what needs to be reviewed/revised, and they also would like to review the by-laws.  McGuire suggested that they have by-laws changes ready for the organizational meeting in January.

 

J. Anderson, Interlochen Public Library, reminded the Board and public of the IPL Friends’ annual meeting and potluck dinner with guest speaker Doug Stanton, September 18.  Storytime has started again, and they also have several school groups coming to the Library every week.  IPL, along with TADL and in conjunction with Interlochen Public Radio, 91.5 FM, is participating in a program sponsored by the American Library Association called Storylines America.  The program will air on Sundays at 6:00 p.m., from October 7 through the end of December and will involve a group of people who like books and like to talk about books.  They will discuss a different book each week, and listeners will be able to call into the main station in Chicago with questions/comments about the book or author.

 

J. Maxson, Peninsula Community Library, reported that their computers were especially well used by summer visitors, who have now left the area, so the staff and computers can rest a little.  PCL’s Friends have had four major fundraisers with proceeds to be used for a new dropbox.   They have several programs coming up and are especially excited about partnering with Old Mission School to provide mentors for school children.  Anyone interested in participating can contact Julie Maxson at PCL, 223-7700.

 

There were no other Member Library reports.

 

E. Kage, Volunteer Coordinator and Friends President, reported that the Quix program will resume October 1.  Volunteers in the math area are especially needed.  Last year’s change from a drop-in program to an appointment basis worked very well and will be continued this year.  The Friends are excited to announce that they have been awarded a grant from Fifth Third Bank in the amount of $20,000 for support for special events to celebrate their 20^th anniversary in 2002.  They are currently negotiating to bring a nationally-known speaker for one of the special events.  The Almost-Rare Book Sale will be Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16.  Last year the sale netted about $7000, and they hope to do better this year.  The fifth annual Poet’s Night Out, sponsored by TADL and the Friends, will be November 9 at the City Opera House.  They are still waiting for some special-order materials for remodeling the area for the gift shop.  They are ready to go as soon as remodeling work is completed.

 

Motion by Welch, supported by Schermerhorn to extend the “no-park” incentive through April 30, 2002.  The motion failed, with only one vote in favor.  Judson reminded McGuire to notify the Union that the incentive period has lapsed and will not be renewed.  Brown referred the parking issue to the

Facilities and Services Committee to investigate other solutions and asked McGuire to gather data regarding how often and what particular times there is a definite lack of parking.

 

Mesch left at 6:10 p.m.

 

Motion by Lawrence, supported by Maxson to enter into a contract with the Library of Michigan for the provision of library service funded under the Library Services and Technology Act.  Carried.  McGuire mentioned that this is the last year for this grant.

 

Authorization of payment of bond interest and fees was tabled until the next regular meeting, as no invoice had been received.

 

Maxson and Schneider introduced the proposed 2002 budget.  He said that there are no major changes for next year.  Schneider answered various questions from trustees regarding specific budget items.  Because of the nature of the questions, Schermerhorn suggested that new board member training should be done on a regular basis to give new trustees a basic understanding of the budget process, among other things.  Brown directed the Policy Committee to look into developing a procedure for training new trustees.

 

Motion by Welch, supported by Lawrence to hold a public hearing on the proposed 2002 budget on Thursday, September 27, 2001, at 5:30 p.m., and to call a special meeting on the same date to adopt the budget and set the millage rate for 2002.  Carried.

 

Motion by Maxson, supported by Quick to authorize payment to Thalner Electronics in the amount of $19,751 for the purchase of equipment for tctv2.  Carried.   

 

The meeting was opened for public comment.  E. Long commended the staff for a display on terrorism.  N. Koontz, Long Lake Reading Center, reported that their summer reading program was well attended, with waiting lists for some of the programs.  S. Burke asked about the status of the proposed Long Lake Branch.  Schneider and several trustees addressed that issue.  M. Moore, Friends of KPL, said that they are doing some small fundraisers and are still interested in and working on a new library building for Kingsley.

 

There was no further public comment.  The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Kelly Maxwell, Recording Secretary

Douglas Brown, President

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