Kendall County Times

Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees Met April 12.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Darren Crawford, roll was called and a quorum was established.

Roll Call:

Jason Hedman-yes, Wamecca Rodriguez-yes, Russ Walter-yes, Julie Brendich-yes, Susan Chacon-yes, Darren Crawford-yes, Ryan Forristall-yes, Theron Garcia-yes

Others Present:

Interim Co-Directors: Dixie DeBord-Technical Services Director and Shelley Augustine-Director Adult Services; City Council Liaison Dan Transier, Mayor John Purcell, City Administrator Bart Olson, Director of Parks and Recreation Tim Evans, Superintendent of Recreation Shay Remus, Judy Somerlot and Susan Smithmeyer both from Friends of the Library, Jeff Norris of TCG Solutions

Recognition of Visitors: President Crawford recognized the library staff and guests.

Amendments to the Agenda:

Mr. Walter moved TCG Solutions following staff comments and added a “14a” for the Director position after Executive Session. Mr. Hedman asked to move the Library/City Partnership item after the review of the minutes.

Minutes: March 8, 2021 Board of Trustees; March 15, 2021 Personnel Committee; March 15, 2021 Finance Committee; March 29, 2021 Personnel Committee; March 31, 2021 Personnel Committee; April 5, 2021 Personnel Committee

Ms. Garcia moved and Ms. Rodriguez seconded the motion to approve all the above sets of minutes. Roll call: Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes, Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes, Crawford-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia yes, Hedman-yes. Carried 8-0.

Unfinished Business: (out of sequence)

Library/City Partnership

Mr. Olson presented a summary of the input from Parks and Recreation staff, Library Board members and other city officials regarding the proposal to move the Parks and Recreation pre-school into the library. A memo was included from Mr. Olson and Mayor Purcell which outlined obligations and benefits for both the Library and Parks & Recreation and to help facilitate a draft of an Inter Governmental Agreement for the use of the library space. The memo included the following highlights: remodeling costs for the space, library safety inspections, facilities maintenance and cleaning for library, placement of Parks employee in lobby to register persons for classes, insurance, terms and length of agreement, outdoor playground, entry/exit plans, parking, traffic, after-hours access to library, covid precautions, displaced library programs and other topics.

Mr. Olson also addressed unresolved issues, cross-use of the space and more in-depth discussion on many of the topics. Library Board members and Friends of the Library asked specific questions. Mr. Olson said the library was the preferred space when asked if the library is the only option. Mayor Purcell weighed in and said his wish is to sell some of the excess city buildings and and that the library is is need of some maintenance assistance which the city could provide. He believes that having the pre-school at the library will bring kids to the library as patrons. Concerns were raised about library staff being asked to answer questions regarding Parks and Rec programs and also that the proposal contains very little of library needs vs. Parks and Rec needs. President Crawford said the first step is to discover if a pre-school can actually be located in the library. Ms. Augustine said the library staff had looked at Mr. Evans' notes and made comments. It was noted the Circulation Manager was not comfortable with Parks and Rec staff answering library questions and Ms. DeBord said there is a policy book on agreements with other libraries and she cited privacy issues.

The group discussed 4 rooms upstairs for possible use as the pre-school and the city was asked if they would be open to building alternative Director office space. The Michelle Pfister Meeting Room was discussed and it was noted that converting it from a pre-school to a meeting/event room would be cumbersome and that upstairs would be better. Library liability was mentioned in conjunction with state inspections needed. Ms. Rodriguez said she would prefer to not have a play area since the library requires quiet space. Ms. Remus provided info on the number of kids attending and work flow, traffic flow and program times were also noted. It was asked if the 5-year term is negotiable if the situation is not working for one or both parties. Mr. Olson said quarterly meetings would be helpful to determine if the arrangement is working.

Comments were also made about possible noise upstairs and that children may be exposed to many different types of people who may use offensive language. Mayor Purcell said he prefers downstairs to minimize noise and contact with unruly patrons. Another comment made was that the pre-school will make it conducive for a small group of people, without considering that the library is for all ages. A concern was raised that if the partnership does not work out, there is no place for the pre-school to go. It was asked how patrons will react to this addition and a library staff member said a couple patrons have already indicated they will not come to the library if there is extra noise. A decision must be made in the June meeting whether or not to move forward with this idea.

Correspondence: None

Public Comment: None

Staff Comment: None

New Business: (out of sequence)

Phone System Proposal – TCG Solutions

Jeff Norris of TCG Solutions was present at the Board meeting to explain the system he is proposing. Mr. Walter briefly explained what is included and said it would be a 3-year commitment on a lease basis. Mr. Norris said the cost would be dependent on the number of phones. The current costs with Sound Inc. and Comcast were also reviewed. Mr. Norris said if there were problems with the system, he would come to the library within 24 hours. The proposed system offers more features than the present system which has 14-year old phones. Mr. Norris said he has installed phone systems in medical offices and other locations and will provide references to Mr. Walter along with a written SLA.

Report of the Treasurer:

Financial Statement

Treasurer Hedman highlighted some of the expenses and noted the development fees crossed the 200% mark of the budget. There is one more month for the budget year and he expects an $80,000 gain for the year rather than the loss that was expected. He said the costs of the janitorial supplies are still trending up which he will monitor in the coming year.

Payment of Bills

Mr. Crawford moved and Ms. Garcia seconded to pay the bills as follows:

$28,842.12 Accounts Payable

$33,443.53 Payroll

$62,285.65 TOTAL

Roll call: Walter-yes, Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes, Crawford-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Hedman yes, Rodriguez-yes. Carried 8-0.

Report of the Interim Co-Library Directors:

Ms. DeBord reported on building repairs made and said the Facilities Manager is working with staff on aligning annual inspections with other city buildings. Other items she mentioned included gutter damage and snow bars are falling off. Ms. Iwanski-Goist has made some connections with senior living centers and gave some of them a tour of the library. Ms. Weiss and Ms. Iwanski-Goist have placed a free bookshelf at an area laundromat.

Ms. Augustine also reported..... Training has begun on the Library Aware marketing tool, National Library Week was observed last week and a staff member collected library cards from every state and they were displayed on Facebook. Ms. Augustine placed a Letter to the Editor in the Record. Many programs have been held and one was placed on YouTube. Four new monitors were purchased which replaced original monitors. Money savings (borrowing from library vs. purchasing the book) are now listed on receipts when books are checked out. She has several meetings and conferences scheduled including a Chamber of Commerce luncheon and an ILA mini-marketing conference. She also checked with Weblinx on the new website progress and a demo site should be available in 7-8 weeks.

Standing Committees:

The Personnel and Finance Committees have both met in the last month.

Unfinished Business:

Keyless Entry-Umbrella Technologies

Ms. DeBord explained the difficulties encountered with the keyless entry installation. It was discovered that the readers are proprietary and the FOB's are not able to be programmed separately. New readers need to be installed on the doors. A motion was made by Ms. Chacon and seconded by Ms. Brendich to approve an additional $3,200 to purchase new readers. Roll call: Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Hedman-yes, Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes, Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes, Crawford-yes. Carried 8-0.

New Business:

Internet Provider Contract – Metronet

Mr. Walter said the e-rate consultant obtained quotes for Internet service and Metronet offered last year's price of $250/month which is now e-rateable resulting in a payment of only $125/month. The present Comcast internet contract expires July 1 and Comcast should be notified by May 1 to cancel.

Mr. Walter said he would like to see the wireless service upgraded to extend into the parking lot and near the library building to allow use by students outside. If approved, the Metronet contract would be effective July 1. Mr. Walter made a motion to approve the Metronet proposal at the rate of $249.95/month which is e-rateable for a 50% discount. Ms. Garcia seconded the motion. Roll call: Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Hedman-yes, Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes, Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes, Crawford-yes. Carried 8-0.

Camera Proposal–Griffon Systems

Griffon Systems is offering a similar system to Umbrella Technologies and would replace cameras and other equipment. Their quote was over $19,000. A quote may also be coming from TCG Solutions. FY 22 Budget Approval

The Finance Committee recently met to review the budget, following revisions made by the Finance Director. Mr. Hedman said it includes the BAS (Building Automation System), 3% minimum wage increase mandated by the State, a wage assessment that was done, part-time position added at 20 hours per week, group insurance rate decrease and new salary range for the Director. A $45,300 loss for FY 22 is projected, however, Mr. Hedman noted losses were projected for past years and the library ended the year with a positive figure. He noted the debt service would be finished in 2026. He thanked staff for careful spending and Mr. Walter thanked the Friends of the Library for their continued support. Mr. Hedman moved to recommend approval of the budget as presented and Mr. Crawford seconded. Roll call: Garcia-yes, Hedman-yes, Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes, Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes, Crawford yes, Forristall-yes. Carried 8-0.

Resolution to Adopt Non-Resident Card Payment by Tax Bill Method for FY22 Ms. Augustine said this Resolution must be approved each year for non-resident cards. In the past, the net value of property taxes multiplied by a library tax rate, determines the cost to the patron. Mr. Walter moved and Ms. Garcia seconded the motion to approve the Resolution 01-21 and non-resident library card authorization. Roll call: Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes, Crawford-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia yes, Hedman-yes, Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes. Carried 8-0.

Reminder: File Statement of Economic Interest with the Kendall County Clerk's Office Information was sent from City Clerk Lisa Pickering along with other reminders and the document must be signed by Board members.

Executive Session:

At 8:49pm President Crawford made a motion to move into Executive Session and he read the reason as follows: For the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity. Vice-President Garcia seconded the motion. Roll call: Chacon-yes, Crawford-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Hedman-yes, Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes, Brendich-yes. Carried 8-0.

The Session concluded at 9:05pm on a motion by Ms. Garcia and second by Mr. Walter. Only Board members were present when the regular meeting resumed. Mr. Crawford stated that the Executive Session discussion was regarding the new Library Director. He made a motion that Shelley Augustine be appointed as the new Library Director with an effective start date of May 1 and a salary of $70,000 per year. Ms. Garcia seconded. Roll call: Crawford-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Hedman-yes, Rodriguez-yes, Walter-yes, Brendich-yes, Chacon-yes. Carried 8-0.

Additional Business: None

Adjournment:

There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 9:08pm.

https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4003