May 2010 Board Minutes

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St. Charles City-County Library District

Board of Trustees

Minutes

May 10, 2010

The St. Charles City-County Library District Board of Trustees met at 7:00 pmon Monday, May 10, 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. Debbie Haupt
Ms. Mary Reese

Board Members absent:

Ms. Lisa Pelikan

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
Ms. Karen Golab, Purchasing Manager
Mr. Jim Brown, Branch Manager, Spencer Road
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. Jim Rhodes, Information Resource Manager, Local History and Genealogy
Ms. Denise Ulett, Information Resource Manager, Community Health
Ms. Julie Cinco

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

MINUTES

Ms. Cascio indicated that there were two places in the minutes of the April 12^th meeting where her name is misspelled.

MOTION: Mr. Heggs moved to approve the minutes of the April 12^th meeting, as amended. Ms. Reese seconded. Motion passed six affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and two absent.

Mr. Thoelke arrived at 7:10 p.m.

REPORTS

Financial Report

Mr. Schultz referenced the financial report sent to each Board member’s home. Revenue highlights include:

Cash and investments on hand at the end of the month were at $20.5 million.
Revenues are down due to defaults on taxes, and revenues could be down as much as $600,000.
The district will not spend more than total revenue this year due to the fact that funding Capital Projects will be less than anticipated.
Also a reminder, $1.5 million of budgeted revenue is not accounted for in continuing operations.

Expenditure highlights include:

The following line-items may or have exceeded their budget for the year:
P.E.D.C., Public Employee Deferred Compensation, is “touch and go” on whether or not we will exceed budget.
Healthcare & Life Insurance may exceed slightly from additional costs incurred from switching providers.
Trash/Water/Sewer is being reviewed simply due to the fact that Mr. Schultz is not satisfied with the current rates. The “Trash” has been re-negotiated by Mr. Schultz already.

Mr. Schultz summarized the current financial situation by stating that although revenues will be under their budgeted amount this fiscal year, district expenditures should be under budget by an equal amount. If there are any questions, please contact Mr. Schultz at extension 1571.

Director’s Report

In the interest of time, Mr. Sandstedt passed on further comments besides his Director’s Report. He informed the Board members that he signed the contract for the Spencer Road Branch expansion today. Mr. Sandstedt received the contract from the district’s legal counsel on Friday, May 7, 2010. The contract utilized was a standard AIA contract so there were not any extraordinary issues.

Mr. Dohrman inquired about the letter sent to Mr. Sandstedt from a patron satisfied with the contract security at the Kathryn-Linnemann Branch. His concern is whether or not the district has created an underlying expectation for security in all of the branches. Tim Deghelder, Branch Manager at Deer Run Branch, spoke up and indicated that he has met with the Chief of Police in O’Fallon regarding the issues that his branch currently has with minor children. Mr. Deghelder clarified that the O’Fallon Police Department wants to work with the library to rectify the issue, preferably without bringing the issue into the branch. This being just one example of how the Library District is taking steps to handle external security issues without jumping the gun to put police presence right into the branch.

Special Report—Development

Kristin Williams, Development Coordinator

Ms. Williams’ report is included in the Handout Packet received at tonight’s meeting. Her Library Foundation report included the following highlights from this past month.

Foundation:

Maggie Preiss, Kristin Williams, and Jessie Isley delivered 300 Early Literacy Kits to HeritagePrimary Schoolin Wentzville.
New DVDs were donated by George McKinley, a former resident of one senior center that the District provides summer outreach.
Imagine Campaign goal is $30,000.
There are two possible Foundation Board members up for approval at this week’s Foundation Board Meeting, Dr. Danielle Tormala and Blake Wyatt. Dr. Tormala is the Associate Superintendent for St. CharlesSchool District. Mr. Wyatt is a Vice-President and Bank Manager at Reliance Bank.
Legislative Breakfast is Thursday, May 27^th.
A grant request from Build A Bear has been submitted.
We are still waiting to get submission into the Pepsi Refresh Grant cycle.

Friends:

The Summer Book Fair is May 21-23^rd. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Lynn Reichmuth at 636-441-2300, ext. 1596, or lreichmuthh@stchlibrary.org

Mark your Calendars:

May 27^th—Legislative Breakfast from 7:30-9 amat St. CharlesCommunity College.
June 26^th—Books, Bats, and Brews from Noon-4 pm at Sherlock’s in Cottleville. This event is sponsored by ELA.
September 11^th—Art Uncorked.
November 12^th—Library Legends Recognition Event

Last, but certainly not least, Ms. Williams shared that Praxair, a company with a local facility, donated $35,000 to the Foundation!!

Special Report—New Web Site

Frank Noto, IT Coordinator

Prior to introducing the new web site, Mr. Noto shared results from a nationwide public Library Internet services web survey that the District participated in March, 2009. Locally, our District had over 200 responses. Some of the interesting statistics from the survey:

The number one reason that patrons use computers in the library is a lack of access to high speed internet at home.
100% of your users report using public access technology for homework.
85% of respondents reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their library and access to public computers and services.

Next, Mr. Noto revealed the new web site to the Board members and staff. The new web site is result of a collaborative effort of numerous staff and the web site redesign company, 501 Creative. The original committee consisted of 15-20 staff that represented all areas of the Library District. Eventually the committee became Frank Noto (IT Coordinator), Maggie Preiss (Marketing), Jim Brown (Spencer Road Branch Manager), and Keri Cascio (Kisker Branch Manager). Mr. Noto had two main goals entering the project:

improve navigation, and
to maintain consistency throughout the entire website.

Mr. Noto maneuvered through the website, pointing out some key features and highlights.

There are 5 tabs atop the Home page:
“How do I…”
Find materials
Find information
Programs and events—this has a direct link to the District’s Events system with a calendar of programs and registration capabilities
Library catalog—a link directly to the library’s catalog which has been updated to match the colors and theme of the new web site.
There is a “For Teens” section of the web site and a separate “For Kids” section. This section also contains a “Homework Help” area that kids can access with questions on their homework.
There are different areas that a patron can search through our web site. A patron can search on the site, on the web, or the Library’s catalog.
Links to the Library Foundation’s web site and the Friends of the Library web site.
A patron can access their personal account on the web site.
An individual has the ability to change the font size for more comfortable reading. The font sizes available are small, medium, and large.
One can link to the Library’s Twitter page.

These are just a few of the highlights from the new web site. Please take some time and check it out, and take time to browse the new web site!

Special Report—LiveWell, O’Fallon

Denise Ulett, Informatio Resource Manager, Consumer Health

Ms. Ulett took this opportunity to present how a $30,000 grant from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) is being utilized throughout the community. The committee is comprised of several individuals from the community. The individuals range from doctors, administrators, and obviously, library staff. The ultimate goal of the LiveWell O’Fallon Coalition is to create ways within the community that we as citizens and employers can help prevent chronic diseases. The group’s mission is “healthy policies, healthy environment, and healthy people”. The number one chronic disease in the United Statesis obesity. An example of action that can be taken by an individual or place of business to help with obesity would be to have a sidewalk poured to encourage people to walk more. This is just one simple example. There are numerous ways that we can take action…encouraging exercise at work, placing labels with nutritional information on foods sold at your business or your workplace. These are just a few of the many, many things that the coalition is taking action toward helping prevent chronic diseases in our community. Ms. Ulett invited Board members and staff to attend the LiveWell Expo at the Renaud Spirit Center (RSC) in O’fallon on June 5, 2010. The expo runs from 11 amuntil 3 pm. There will be booths with educational workshops, local restaurants and culinary experts, an obstacle course, and the RSC will be featured as a recreational facility and fitness center. The event will also be featured on Show Me St. Louis on June 4. Check it out!

Statistics

Betty Murr, Deputy Director

The monthly report was sent in the Board packet to each Board Member’s home. Ms. Murr provided highlights from the report:

Circulation is up 7.43% over last year and gate count is up 7.26%.
Internet renewals are up 12%.
eMedia is up 54%.

Mr. Sandstedt indicated that, in his opinion, there are 3 key reasons as to why the increase in circulation has leveled off from previous years. Those reasons are:

We used to include checking out computers in the circulation statistics. This was not a good decision to begin with, but we did it. Now, we do not include that number in the circulation statistics.
St. CharlesCountyis not experiencing the growth that it has in the past.
The economy overall is improving; therefore, people are not spending as much time in the library as they have been in the recent past.

Activities Report

Maggie Preiss, Children’s Resources and Marketing

Publications included in the Handout Packets tonight are Book Fair information and May Adult programs. Ms. Preiss shared upcoming events, outreach, and programs.

Community Outreach:

April 21is Picasso Penguins Storytime at Meadows ParkwayEarly ChildhoodCenter.
On May 10, FairmountSchoolvisits Spencer Road Branch.
Early Literacy Kits will be delivered to Heritage Elementary.
Jesse Isley will promote Summer Reading at Green Tree Elementary on May 11.
Patsy Molina will promote Summer Reading at Lincoln Elementary on May 17.
Maggie Preiss will attend Kindergarten registration at Independence Elementary on May 18.
Middendorf-Kredell staff will promote Summer Reading Program at Immaculate Conception-Dardenne on May 20.

Programs:

Meet the Author: Laura Bradford, Southern Sewing Circle Mystery series Book 2: Death Threads is on Saturday, May 15 at McClay.

The Friends of the Library Book Fair is May 21-23 at the St. CharlesConvention Center. Lastly, our Summer Reading Program for children, Make a Splash—Read, and our teen program, Make Waves at Your Library, run from June 7 to August 7, 2010.

OLD BUSINESS

Formal Agenda

10-02 Spencer RoadBranch Replacement

There is nothing new to report. Mr. Sandstedt took this opportunity to clarify that Kevin Harms, Cornerstone Architecture, did not quote the figure $5,500,000 for the Spencer Roadexpansion project. The $5,500,000 figure was simply Mr. Sandstedt being “cheap”; Mr. Harms’ originally thought maybe $5,700,000 for the project. The project’s base contract is $5,995,000.

10-03 Director Search Committee

The committee met with the Bradburys, and is recommending allowing up to $1500 to publish the job announcement for the Director search. Mr. Schultz indicated that advertising costs are advertising costs, regardless of what they are utilized for, they are all “lumped” together. Therefore, a motion is not needed to release the funds; the motion was withdrawn. The consensus of the Board is to proceed with the publication and the release of funds, when necessary. Ms. Crook inquired as to the consensus of the Board members on whether or not they would like to be involved in the semi-finalists interviews. Ms. Reese and Ms. Haupt declined participation; Mr. Thoelke affirmed that he would appreciate being given the opportunity, for a decision to be made later. There were no indications one way or the other from any of the other members. Lastly, the dates for the finalist interviews are currently October 7-8, 2010. MLA (Missouri Library Association) meets from October 6^th-8^th at their annual conference in Columbia, Missouri. Assuming any of the finalist candidates are from Missouriand want to attend the conference, the dates selected will not work for interviews. After much discussion of various dates, it was decided that Ms. Crook would email Board members and the Bradburys asking for their open availability in late September and October.

10-05 Policy #C232 Library Cards

The adjustment to Policy C232 is the addition of a fifth point to the Temporary Card: Boarding Student portion of the policy. This point states:

“If the District has an agreement with the educational institution, the card may be issued for the academic year and the materials increased to 20 items or a value of $500, whichever is less”.

10-10 Agency Agreement—LindenwoodUniversity

A copy of the agreement between the District and LindenwoodUniversityregarding Policy #C232 was included in the Board packet.

MOTION: Ms. Reese moved to approve Policy #C232 with the additional point to the policy as well as approving the agency agreement with LindenwoodUniversity. Mr. Thoelke seconded. Motion passed seven affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.

Preliminary Agenda

10-20 2010 Salary Survey

The final salary survey was presented to the Board members and staff. Mr. Sandstedt indicated that there are comparisons at the bottom of the survey between our District and the Class 5 library average. The director’s salary in our District is currently approximately 7.8% less than the average director’s salary in a Class 5 library ($121,416 vs. $131,668). Mr. Sandstedt cautioned consideration of director candidates with salaries between $135,000-$140,000. With reference to the survey, Mr. Sandstedt recommends targeting directors from the Class 3 libraries, or assistant directors from the Class 4 and 5 libraries.

10-26 FY11 Budget Markup—Materials Budget

The materials budget has been adjusted to reflect inclusion of video games; no additional money was added to the budget. Therefore, budget totals are the same as FY10. The transfer of funds, $26,000, to support video games is on the line items. They include:

Transferring $1000 each from 7 branches for a total of $7000.
$9000 transferred from IT budget. This amount is an overage for book cover software.
$5000 transferred from Children’s Audio.
$5000 transferred from Reference (Electronic Databases).

10-27 FY11 Budget Markup—Personnel

The personnel budget reflects discussions last month on the proposed staffing changes throughout the district. Also, the budget reflects a proposed 2% increase for all positions. The overall budget proposal is a decrease of 4% from FY10. The Board Members expressed concern over the fact that a 2% salary increase is proposed. Mr. Dohrman and Mr. Thoelke inquired as to whether or not there are any other public/government entities in St. Charles County that have passed a salary increase during these tough economic times? No one in attendance at the meeting was aware of any other agencies proposing increases at this time. Mr. Heggs expressed the fact that the other public/government entities that Mr. Dohrman and Mr. Thoelke refer to, have budget issues. Our Library District does not have budget issues. Several other differences pointed out in support of a salary increase. Firstly, it is important to compare entities that share the same revenue base—personal property taxes versus sales tax, etc. Secondly, as mentioned, there are no budget issues within the District. Thirdly, the library district is the only government agency in St. CharlesCountywith a 5-step pay increase system; an employee receives a pay increase annually for their first 5 years of employment only. There was no action on the personnel budget. The Board members asked Ms. Mandle to gather information from other government entities as to whether or not pay increases are proposed this year.

NEW BUSINESS

Preliminary Agenda

10-28 FY11 Budget Markup—Telecommunications and Technology

The preliminary telecommunication and technology budget was included in the Board packet. The final budget is $548,044, a $6000 increase from FY10. Key requests (more than $10,000) are:

A request for 17 outdoor cameras for a total of $16,650.
Receipt printers for each PC in the branches that will generate a receipt for each transaction. These printers will easily pay for themselves within the first year. The total for 37 printers is $11,100.
A download station set up at Deer Run branch to test the technical and practical feasibility of actually installing the software and hardware. The cost, per Download Station, is $9000. If this is successful at Deer Run, it could be expanded to other branches.
The Spencer Roadexpansion needs—hardware, computers, printers, and equipment—total $107,300.
The installation of a Storage Area Network (SAN). The SAN simplifies storage administration and allows flexibility because cables and storage devices do not have to be moved from one server to another. This also centralizes memory. There is a one time cost of $40,000 for this project.

Mr. Thoelke inquired about MOrenet funding and its projected budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year. Mr. Noto indicated that MOrenet funding is for the Materials Budget. Mr. Thoelke also asked whether or not Mr. Noto or Mr. Schultz felt the Spencer Roadproject’s expenses would be incurred this upcoming fiscal year? Mr. Schultz felt that yes, most likely, the expenses would be incurred this year.

10-29 FY11 Budget Markup—Travel, Training, and Dues

The budget presented is simply carried over from the prior fiscal year. Mr. Sandstedt added a one-time $10,000 for recruiting a new director.

10-30 FY11 Budget Markup—Equipment

Karen Golab, Purchasing and Building Project Manager, presented furnishing and equipment requests for FY11. The budget for FY11 reflects a 41% increase over FY10, an $86,465 increase. Some of the more expensive requests are:

There is a need for 1-3 replacement vans for deliveries--$60,000.
The offsite collections need shelving for storage--$40,000.
Some interior design changes have been carried over from FY10, simply due to the fact that Ms. Golab was unable to accomplish the changes during that fiscal year. The carryover amount is $28,500.
The copiers that the district currently owns are “pre-owned” and replacement parts are difficult to find. Therefore, in order for the District to be in a position to replace any copier that fails this fiscal year, the District needs $14,000 for new copiers.

Formal Agenda

10-31 Policy #C184 Inappropriate Customer Behavior

This policy was created by a committee consisting of Ann King (Kathryn Linnemann Branch Manager), Diana Tucker (Corporate Parkway Branch Manager), and Andrea Miller (Circulation Supervisor, Deer Run Branch). The policy is primarily an adoption from the policy in place at St. Louis Public Library. It is needed in order for District staff to have a policy to support their efforts in maintaining peace and order within the branches. Mr. Dohrman suggested referring to the District’s appeal process (policy) in the “Consequences of Behavior Policy rule violations” portion of the recommended policy. Mr. Dohrman also suggested presenting the policy to the District’s legal counsel and then return to the Board for approval.

10-32 Policy #E512 Salary Schedule

The salary schedule distributed to Board members and staff represents a 2.00% salary increase.

Preliminary Agenda

10-33 Policy #E352.1 Sick Leave Recognition Program for Non-use of Sick Leave—Terminal payout and deletion of policy

Mr. Sandstedt is recommending deleting the policy upon terminal payout to existing employees who are eligible for the payment. Basically, the current policy makes “annual payments for people who don’t use sick leave”. Mr. Sandstedt is conflicted as to whether or not this will actually end up saving the district money. However, the FY11 personnel budget reflects a prorated payoff for those eligible (at the end of May), and then deleting the policy for the FY11 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Mr. Sandstedt provided several relevant points as well as background information in Agenda Memo 10-33 Policy #E352.1 Recognition Program for Non Use of Sick Leave. The idea of deleting the policy sparked various opinions from both staff and Board members. Some opinions include:

Ms. Murr suggesting a “sick leave bank”, whereby individuals could put hours into and take hours out of at their own discretion.
Ms. Cascio (Kisker Branch Manager) indicated some staff “double-dip” because of the policy. That is, staff is allowed the flexibility in their schedule AND they get paid for it.
Mr. Dohrman suggested possibly creating a new incentive program.

The consensus of the Board, per Mr. Thoelke, is to keep the sick leave policy in place until November, 2010. Then at the end of the calendar year, review the possibility of deleting the policy or revising the policy, with changes effective for the upcoming fiscal year (FY2012).

10-34 Cell Phones for Key Library Staff

Currently, the District provides cell phones for key IT staff and puts cell phones in all of the delivery vehicles. Mr. Sandstedt is recommending a small cell phone allowance for key staff. The allowance amount recommended is $10-$15 a month. Key staff would include department heads, top administration, and branch managers. One drawback to the allowance is that that becomes a taxable benefit. Therefore, staff will also pay any taxes incurred on the allowance. Staff and Board members also questioned exactly who would be eligible for the allowance and when would they be eligible (every month regardless?). There were several undecided details missing from the proposal to act on this recommendation. Therefore, the consensus of the Board was to provide the members with a list of who is eligible for the allowance and the exact amount of the allowance being proposed, at next month’s meeting. That being said, there is no action at this time.

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

The meeting adjourned at 9:42 p.m.

Respectfully submitted

April C. Wootten

Recording Secretary