Kendall County Times

City of Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees met May 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Theron Garcia, roll was called and a quorum was established.

Roll Call:

Jason Hedman-yes, Keri Pesola-yes, Jackie Milschewski-yes, Wendy Gatz-(arr. 7:02pm), Ryan Forristall-yes, Theron Garcia-yes, Sharon Mix-yes, Valerie Burd-yes, Tara Schumacher-yes

Staff Present:

Library Director Shelley Augustine

Others Present:

Friends of Library President Kathi Bell, Boy Scout Sean Humpage--Troop #40

Recognition of Visitors:

President Garcia recognized staff and guests.

Amendments to the Agenda: None

Presentations:

Sean Humpage, Troop #40 Boy Scout, was present at last month's Board meeting and returned this month to present further information regarding his proposed Eagle Scout project for the library. He gave a slide presentation explaining the project which is a small food pantry on wheels to be placed in the library and initially stocked by him. He will plan, organize and lead others to actually do the project and will pay for the cost of materials. It is expected to be completed by fall. Eventually he hopes the Friends of the Library would assume oversight. Some of the questions from Board members included: who will determine who is eligible to take items, how will the pantry by promoted/advertised, who will monitor it/could it be someone from the main Food Pantry and what is the size. Mr. Humpage will attend the June Friends of the Library meeting to determine if the Friends can manage it when it is finished.

President Garcia asked for a roll call vote whether or not to approve the project.

Roll call: Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes, Burd-yes, Schumacher yes, Hedman-yes. Approved 9-0. Ms. Garcia asked Mr. Humpage to determine how the food pantry will continue once it's complete and Mr. Hedman asked him to include paths for sustainability in his presentation.

Approval of Minutes: April 14, 2025

Moved by Ms. Garcia and seconded by Ms. Milschewski to approve the Library Board of Trustees minutes as presented. Roll call: Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes, Burd-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes. Carried 9-0.

Correspondence: None

Public Comment: None

Friends of the Library Report:

Kathi Bell, newly elected Friends of the Library President, was present and gave a report of the Friends annual meeting held this morning. She said reports were given by the President and Treasurer who stated the Friends have $31,473.13 unencumbered funds at year end. A budget and slate of officers was approved and she listed the newly elected officers. Then the Friends held their monthly meeting. They discussed mini-golf and decided to cancel it for next year and explore other fundraisers. They approved holding 2 book sales, one on Labor Day and one on March 7, 2026. The group also approved amendments to their by-laws which included changing the fiscal year to May 1 to April 30.

Staff Comment: None

Report of the Treasurer:

Financial Statement and Payment of Bills

Treasurer Milschewski said there was nothing outstanding to report this month and she entertained a motion to pay the bills as follows with a second by President Garcia.

Accounts Payable: $17,184.69

Payroll: $41,534.76

Total: $58,719.45

Roll call: Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes, Burd-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman yes, Pesola-yes. Carried 9-0.

Report of the Library Director:

Ms. Augustine reported the following:

1. The chiller is running with a few checklist items to be done. Some training on the BAS is still needed.

2. A spring cleanup was completed and the internet cable was accidentally cut.

3. A staff member attended the PrairieCat resource sharing summit in DeKalb.

4. Ten circulation staff members completed their County Clerk Registrar training--their terms are 2 years.

5. A staff member is on the PrairieCat User Experience committee and the committee was tasked with recommending a mobile app vendor for PrairieCat. It has been voted on and approved and Ms. Augustine has signed an IGA. A new mobile app should be available in October and PrairieCat is working on marketing materials.

6. Staff created a flier on the potential federal funding cuts and how it could affect the library. Patrons can share stories of the impact the library has had on their family.

7. The mini-golf will not be held this coming February. There are new members in Friends of the Library and they are researching new ideas on fundraising. Ms. Bell said the mini-golf setup is physically demanding and many of the Friends members are unable to take this on. She noted the raffle actually brought in a large amount of money. They are looking for a family-oriented activity type fundraiser.

8. Ms. Augustine noted other communities are doing “community nights out” in which a portion of the funds come back to the library.

9. IMLS update: Funds have been received and put into FY 26 state library budget. Illinois state library instructed regional library systems like RAILS, etc. to plan for level funding for next FY. RAILS has a substantial reserve to help them. There was a decision on May 1 which prohibits the administration from further dismantling the IMLS and Congress will need to reauthorize IMLS act for next federal financial year.

10. The Director was notified that funding has been received for Connect Kendall County Commission of which Ms. Augustine is a member. This will bring broadband to the under-served/unserved residents of the county. More meetings will be held since the funding is in place.

11. The FY has ended. She will present annual report next month and she also presented some year-end stats.

City Council Liaison: None

Standing Committees: None

Unfinished Business:

Review/Approve RFP for LED Lighting Upgrade

Ms. Augustine referred to page 3 of the RFP and said she had reached out to Mr. Forristall for technical assistance. Currently, the library has Phillips products. Mr. Forristall said light fixtures are complex and there are several components to each one. He said it's important to have the Phillips information in the RFP and anything not Phillips should be approved first. President Garcia made a motion to approve the RFP for LED lighting upgrade as presented and Ms. Milschewski seconded. Roll call: Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Mix-yes, Burd-yes, Schumacher-yes, Hedman-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Gatz-yes. Carried 9-0.

New Business:

Discussion on Proposed Intergovernmental Agreement with Kendall County for Library Meeting Room Usage Under County's Continuing Operations Plan

President Garcia received a request from a Kendall County judge regarding more meeting space and a proposed IGA as part of a continuing operations plan/disaster plan. Though it would be extremely unlikely that a library room would be needed, they would like to secure the Michelle Pfister Meeting Room as additional space for the courthouse to use. Security and all other needs except wi-fi would be provided by the county. Some questions/comments that were raised: how soon staff would be notified of the need for the room (since there could be programs scheduled), terms of use, request for a presentation at a Library meeting, why was the library chosen, parking might not be adequate, liability, term of IGA and termination, dispute resolution, amendments, reimbursement/usage fees/costs, hours of operation. The questions/comments will be furnished to them prior to a presentation. Ms. Augustine pointed out that an IGA could be considered strengthening local partnerships as part of the Strategic Plan. President Garcia will forward all questions to the requesting judge and ask for a presentation at a Library Board meeting.

Set Date for Director's Evaluation with Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee decided to meet on June 9th at 6pm, just prior to the regular Board meeting.

Other:

Ms. Augustine said the Mayor will be re-appointing Ms. Milschewski, Mr. Forristall and Ms. Pesola to the Library Board of Trustees. This will occur at the next City Council meeting.

Ms. Burd said she had handed out information about Senior Services holding a call to action on May 28th at the Beecher Center. This is in regards to potential government funding cuts to their programs.

Executive Session: None

Adjournment:

There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:51pm on a motion by Ms. Garcia and second by Ms. Milschewski. Unanimous voice vote approval.

https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/6280