St. Charles City-County Library

St. Charles City-County Library District

Board of Trustees

Minutes

March 8, 2010

 

The St. Charles City-County Library District Board of Trustees met at 7:00 pmon Monday, March 8, 2010at the Administrative Office, 77 Boone Hills Drive, St. Peters, MO.

 Board Members present:

• Mr. Greg Dohrman
• Ms Myra Crook
• Mr. John Thoelke
• Dr. Jerry Cook
• Mr. Gary Heggs
• Ms. Lisa Pelikan
• Ms. Debbie Haupt

 Board Members absent:

• Ms. Mary Reese

 Library Staff present:

• Mr. Carl Sandstedt, Director
• Ms. Betty Murr, Deputy Director
• Mr. Richard Schultz, Coordinator of Finance and Support Services
• Mr. Frank Noto, IT Coordinator
• Ms. Denise Mandle, Human Resources Coordinator
• Ms. Sara Nielsen, Community Branches and Adult Programming
• Ms. Maggie Preiss, Children’s Services and Marketing Coordinator
• Ms. Kristin Williams, Development Coordinator
• 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 Road
• Ms. Diana Tucker, Branch Manager, Corporate Parkway
• Mr. Tim Deghelder, Branch Manager, Deer Run
• Mr. Trevor Rees, Information Resource Manager, Business

 President Greg Dohrman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Seven members responded to roll call.  Mr. Dohrman opened the floor for public comments.  No requests for time were received.

MINUTES

MOTION:  Ms. Pelikan moved to approve the minutes of the Febuary 8^th meeting.  Mr. Thoelke seconded. Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.

REPORTS

Mr. Schultz indicated that the month’s Financial Report was mailed in the Board packet to each Board member’s home.  As for revenues, cash and investments on hand were $22.2 million (with a liability of $745, 000 on CDs).  With interest rates near zero and the possibility of tax revenue being down, the District may see a shortfall of $350,000 to $500,000 from the budget amount for the year.  As far as expenditures are concerned, our Public Employee Deferred Compensation (P.E.D.C.) may exceed its budget by a slight variance.

                Two additional items to discuss were passed out in the Handout packet.  Firstly, there is a copy of the letter with the District’s proposed tax rate.  The rate will not increase, nor will it decrease.  For the upcoming fiscal year, the tax rate will remain the same at 20.64 cents.

                Second and lastly, Mr. Schultz provided an addendum to the financial reports that discussed the current lease at 71 Boone Hills Drivewith Dance Connection Performing Arts Center.  Mr. Schultz provided four issues—or points to consider in regard to renewal of the lease.  Based on several factors, Mr. Schultz is recommending changing the term of the lease to 39 months and, changing the rate of the lease to $6 per square foot for the first 27 months and $6.50 per square foot for the last 12 months.  Mr. Sandstedt agreed with Mr. Schultz’s recommendation.

MOTION:  Mr. Thoelke moved to accept the lease term recommendations as presented.  Ms. Pelikan seconded.   Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.

If there are any questions regarding the report or anything else, please contact Mr. Schultz at extension 1571.

 Director’s Report

In lieu of time, Mr. Sandstedt passed on additional comments to the Director’s Hotline.  Ms. Nielsen updated the Board members on the status of the current building projects, SouthCountyand Winghaven.  Ms. Nielsen indicated that both branches could possibly open as soon as next week, Monday, March 15, 2010.  Both openings will be soft openings; grand openings won’t be scheduled until possibly the end of April.

                Ms. Murr took a minute to share a Teen workshop success story that was held at the Kathryn-Linnemann Branch on February 25.  The program featured Teen Services Librarian, Paula Brehm-Heeger of the Cincinnatiand Hamilton County Public Library.  This workshop was a huge success and many comments were made by those who attended regarding the information provided as well as positive comments about the remodel of the KL Branch.  As the future of the District evolves, it is important for the Board and library staff to address how much money and attention should go into the Teen Area in the future.

Special Report—E-Books and Electronic Usage Stats

Betty Murr, Deputy Director

Ms. Murr prepared a report on the District’s electronic databases and their usage; the report was presented to the Board members.  Overall, the report indicates that usage of the District’s databases and downloadable audio has continued to increase from one fiscal year to the next.  Those databases that do not have a large number of users or do not increase their users are usually dropped, or replaced with a less expensive option.  One of the most attractive features of any of the databases is the ability to access the database remotely, or from your home or office.  The District currently has more than150 databases with an annual cost of approximately $850,000.

Special Report—Public Service Workloads

Jim Brown, Branch Manager, Spencer RoadBranch

The annual public service workload report is in the handout packet.  The report is based on samplings done for a 3 week period in Spring and in Fall in order to draw conclusions for the entire year.  The front page of the report includes the highlights, anomalies within the report, and note that some distortions exist in the figures during construction projects.  The charts included in the report begin with the most general figures, and breakdown by FTE (full-time equivalent) from there.  Charts D through R are specific to the Regional and General Purpose Branches; Charts S through X are specific to the Library Express and Mini Branch locations.  The report is used mainly by Mr. Sandstedt for staffing levels; we lack comparative districts to compare our District’s workload with other districts’ workloads.  Therefore, it is primarily used internally.

Special Report—Development

Kristin Williams, Development Coordinator

Ms. Williams’ report is handed out in the Handout Packet at the meeting tonight.  Her Library Foundation report included:

• Imagine Campaign will kickoff in May with a goal of $30,000!
• ELA group is progressing—new members include individuals other than staff.
• Acropolis will manage the Foundation’s investments.
• The Friends Book Fair is scheduled for May 21-23 at the Convention Center.  Please contact Lynn Reichmuth if you are interested in volunteering.
• The Foundation has received an $876 grant for the Teen Summer Reading Workshop.
• There has been an application for the Pepsi Refresh Grant submitted; this is a “voting” grant and our grant will be voted on during the May voting cycle.
• Ms. Williams is finalizing materials for the Capital Plan and should hopefully begin cultivation sessions in May.

Please mark your calendar for the following dates:

• March 27^th is Trivia Night.
• May 27^th is the Legislative Breakfast from 7:30 amuntil 9 amat St. CharlesCommunity College.
• September 11^th is Art Uncorked.
• November 12^th is the date for the Library Legends Recognition Event.

Special Report—Investor Databases

Trevor Rees, Information Resource Manager, Business Services

Mr. Rees provided everyone in attendance with a handout on investment databases.  The three investment databases in the report are MorningstarInvestmentCenter, Standard & Poor’s Net Advantage, and ValuelineResearchCenter.  All of the databases can be accessed remotely, and contain comprehensive and current information.  The databases include data on stocks and mutual funds including their past performance.  Also on each database, an individual can create their own list of stocks based on specific attributes.  There is also an educational component to each database that patrons can go through at their own pace.  There is no information on commodities on any of these databases.  Mr. Thoelke requested a report that shows the actual use for each of the databases highlighted in Mr. Rees’ report.

Statistics

Betty Murr, Deputy Director

The circulation and gate count statistics are included in the packet that was mailed to each Board member’s home.  Ms. Murr highlighted a few statistics:

• Year-to-date, circulation is up 8.93% and gate count is up 8.62%.
• Middendorf-Kredell’s circulation for February was over 100,000 at 101,584.
• The internet increased 11.25% over last year at 157,325.
• Emedia, which includes the internet, increased nearly 51% over last year.

Activities Report

Maggie Preiss, Children’s Resources and Marketing

Ms. Preiss referenced the Activities Report included in the Handout Packet received by everyone this evening; she also mentioned the Children’s, Teen, and Adult program and event publications included in the packet.  Here are some items included on the report:

      Community Outreach—Dates on which the Library staff will be out and about in the community are:

• February 23, 25, 26

      Programs—

• Don Corrigan, author of Show-Me Nature’s Wrath is at 7 pmon Tuesday, March 30 at McClay Branch.
• Dale Rollings, An Evening of Wine, Books, & Movies, is at the Kisker Road Branch on Thursday, April 8 at 7 pm.
• There are several Spring programs for children including Nitro Joe Science Show, St. LouisScienceCenter, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, St. Louis Zoo, and Curious George.

The dates for the Summer Reading Program are set for June 7-August 7, 2010.  Lastly, keep your eye out for a St. Louis Post Dispatch story on libraries featuring St. Charles City-County Library District, St. Louis Public, and St. Louis County Library Districts.  The story will be written by Shane Anthony.  Check it out!

OLD BUSINESS

Formal Agenda

10-01 South CountyBranchReplacement

Ms. Nielsen reported that the branch should open on Monday, March 15.

10-02 Spencer RoadBranch Replacement

Due to the complexity of the project, bids are now due on Tuesday, March 16, 2010instead of Thursday, February 25, 2010.  In order to avoid further delay with the project, it will be necessary to consider alternative options for Board action rather than waiting until the April 12^th Board meeting, if at all possible.  Three options presented to the Board for considering the lowest qualified bid are:

• convene on an alternate date for a special meeting to address only the topic of accepting the lowest qualified bid for the project,
• authorize the District’s Director to accept the lowest qualified bid,
• wait until the April 12^th Board meeting.

MOTION: Mr. Thoelke moved to hold an ancillary meeting in order to discuss action on the bids for the Spencer Roadproject.  Mr. Dohrman seconded.  Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.  The date of the ancillary meeting was set for Monday, March 29, 2010, at 6 pmat the Administrative Offices.

Preliminary Agenda

10-03 Director Search Committee

Ms. Crook announced that the committee is ready to publish the RFQ for the search firm this week.

 MOTION:  Mr. Heggs moved to approve the RFQ (Request for Qualifications) for the search firm.  Ms. Crook seconded.  Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent. 

10-05 Policy #C232 Library Cards

Please see Agenda Item 10-10 Agency Agreement—LindenwoodUniversity.

10-10 Agency Agreement—LindenwoodUniversity

Mr. Sandstedt indicated that the university has all of the information they need in order to proceed.  At this time, we are waiting on response from them.  There is no action needed at this time.

NEW BUSINESS

Preliminary Agenda

10-20 2010 Salary Survey

Mr. Sandstedt handed out a copy of the 2010 Salary Survey to all attendees.

Consent Agenda

10-22 Flexible Benefits Provider Resolution

This is a standard resolution provided by the Flexible Benefits Provider.

10-23 Policy #G009 Code of Ethics, Public Disclosure

The re-adoption of this policy should be done every two years, per the State Ethics Committee.  There are no changes to the verbiage recommended by the state.  The only change is the date on the policy.

10-24 Budget Adjustment—Linnemann Branch Library

Mr. Sandstedt presented an estimate of the variance in savings necessitated by the retirement of a full-time paraprofessional and a request from a professional employee to go part-time.  There have been no final decisions made at this time, so absolute figures are not available, or even possible.

MOTION:  Ms. Pelikan moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.  Mr. Heggs seconded.  Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.

Formal Agenda

10-25 Winghaven Branch Expansion

Ms. Nielsen announced the branch opening for Monday, March 15 or possibly Tuesday, March 16.

10-26 FY11 Budget Markup—Materials Budget

There are two goals for the Materials Budget for FY11.  Ms. Murr shared the two goals:

• Keep total materials budget at, or as close as possible to, the FY10 budget amount.
• A staff study group recommended a new format, video games, to the collection.  It was determined that the cost of the startup collection of video games would be $50,000. 

In order to achieve both goals, Ms. Murr recommends diverting $26,000 from existing line items.  Therefore, to achieve the $50,000 to fund the games, Ms. Murr requests $24,000 be added to the FY10 budget; thus bringing the FY11 Materials Budget to $3,171,848, less than a 1% increase.

MOTION:   Mr. Thoelke moved to adjourn the open session. Dr. Cook seconded.  Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.

The meeting adjourned at 9:12 p.m.

Respectfully submitted

April C. Wootten

Recording Secretary

Approved: 

Secretary Board of Trustees             Date