Minutes

Bryan-Bennett Library Board of Trustees Meeting

January 17, 2023, 6:30 p.m. in the Board Room

Call to Order and Roll Call of Trustees

Board President Jane Gaston called the Bryan-Bennett Library Board of Trustees meeting to order at 6:38 p.m. on January 17, 2023. Board members answering roll call were: Jennifer Dice, Ed Dolbeare, Jane Gaston, Gary Hahn, Joyce Raver, and Gayla Wilkerson. Trustees Brad Crow, Lynn Larimer and Jack McGuire were not present. Library Director Kim Keller was present.

Public Comment – There was no public comment.

Secretary’s Report

The Board reviewed the minutes of the November 15, 2022, Board meeting. Motion by Trustee Hahn, with a second by Trustee Raver, to approve the minutes. All present voted “aye.” Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report

Payment of January 2023 Bills. The January bills list included Pay Application No. 1 in the amount of $147,645 to Joiner Sheet Metal and Roofing for the Roof project that is almost 90% complete. Motion by Trustee Wilkerson, with a second by Trustee Hahn, to pay the bills for January 2023, which totaled $162,204.45. Roll call vote conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

Board members discussed transferring funds from the savings account at Peoples State Bank to the operations account at Marion County Savings Bank. It was noted that the Library will have a positive balance in its operations checking account after the January bills were paid. However, after the February Board meeting money will most likely need to be moved from savings to the operations checking account to cover the regular bills. A consensus of the Board was to move money from savings to the checking account after the February Board meeting.

The Board looked over the Financial Report for November 2022, as it was held over to double check some figures tallied with the Quickbooks program. The Director presented the Board with a spreadsheet for the November report, similar to the spreadsheet that the Board formerly used. Motion by Trustee Wilkerson, with a second by Trustee Hahn, to approve the November 2022 report. A roll call vote was conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

The Board looked over the Finance Report for January 2023. A typo was corrected in the heading from January 2022 to January 2023. Motion by Trustee Hahn, with a second by Trustee Dolbeare, to approve the January Finance Report. A roll call vote was conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

The Asset, Memorial Fund, and Donations Reports for January 2023 were presented. Trustee Dolbeare noted that in the Memorial and Donations Funds some donations had been in the account for many years. Mr. Dolbeare asked Director Keller to meet with her staff and come up with appropriate uses for the money. He advised that the expenditures should be something that would be a lasting tribute to the individuals who were honored with memorial funds. Motion by Trustee Raver, with a second by Trustee Dice, to accept the Asset, Memorial and Donations Reports for January 2023. Roll call vote conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

Committee Reports

There were no reports from the Finance, Policy and Personnel Committees.

Under the Building and Grounds Committee Report, Committee Chairperson Hahn updated the board about the roof project. Chairperson Hahn had talked to project architect Kale Calvert of ADG Architecture and Design Group of Mt. Carmel. The shipment of metal for the trim around the edge of the roof had been delayed significantly. The architect advised that Booher’s Tin Shop of Salem could proceed with installation of the HVAC that would serve the Friends of the Library Room and the Director’s office. Mr. Calvert will conduct an as-built inspection of the roof before the HVAC unit is installed and immediately after the unit is installed. The Board asked Mr. Hahn to contact Booher’s Tin Shop and give them the go-ahead for the HVAC installation.

New Business

Semi Annual Vote regarding closed session minutes. This is a decision to keep past closed session minutes closed or open them to the public. Motion by Trustee Dolbeare to keep all past closed session minutes closed. Second by Trustee Raver. Roll call vote conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

Decision to destroy any closed session meeting recordings older than June 30, 2020. This decision is made in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Motion by Trustee Wilkerson to destroy all closed session recordings older than June 30, 2020. Second by Trustee Hahn. Roll call vote conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried. President Gaston said the she and Personnel Committee Chairperson Joyce Raver would meet to handle the destruction of the recordings.

Annual decision to set regular meeting dates for 2023. Board members favored keeping the dates on the 3^rd Tuesday of a month at 6:30 p.m. in the Board Room, January through November. Unless a special meeting is called, there will not be a regularly scheduled meeting in December. Motion by Trustee Dice to set the meeting dates accordingly. Second by Trustee Hahn. Roll call vote conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

Amazon closing lines of credit. The Board tabled discussion about discontinuing its Amazon line of credit. This has been used to purchase books and other additions to the collection, as well as materials needed to maintain the facility and equip programs. Director Keller reported that many libraries are finding new processes because of the corporation’s decision. A consensus favored the Library using the petty cash debit for such purposes.

Ameren Grant application to replace outdated lighting fixtures. The lights used in much of the building are more than 20 years old. TOP Electric of Salem has prepared a report regarding Bryan-Bennett’s lighting profile. It encompasses all lights in the building, both those updated when the Library moved in in 2008 and those in existence since 2000. The report shows the local match, if Bryan-Bennett would apply for an Ameren Energy Efficiency Program, would be $8,115.80. The grant would provide $8,431.30 toward the project. Board members stated that if the Bryan-Bennett portion of the project changes at all, the matter should be brought back to the Board for further discussion. Motion by Trustee Hahn to proceed with the grant application to the Ameren Energy Efficiency Program. A second was by Trustee Wilkerson. Roll call vote conducted. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

E-Rate Category 2 application. The Library’s Communications gear was last updated in 2017. Bryan-Bennett could apply for Category 2 funding under the E-Rate Grant program to update the equipment, which would result in faster operating speeds for patrons and staff. The more modern equipment would also be more secure. Roughly, the project would cost a little less than $5,000. The grant program should reimburse Bryan-Bennett for 80 percent of the expense. Board members agreed to proceed with the initial form of the application, with a final decision to proceed happening when more information is available about the exact cost.

Unfinished Business

Solar Panels Director Keller reported on her recent meeting with AGE Affordable Gas and Electric representative Ross Rubenacker. AGE will return to the Library at a later date to look over the site. He advised the Library would be included with AGE’s proposal to the City, because it would be the most cost-effective manner for Bryan-Bennett.

Director’s Report

Director Keller presented the Board with a summary of programming and building use statistics.

She reported that a patron, who had made sever messes in the rest room and had a past altercation with Library staff, was escorted out of the Library by police. Board members discussed banning the individual from the Library for a longer period of time than he was previously banned. The Board held off on this action, preferring to see if the instruction provided by the police made the Library’s position clear.

The Director reported that the Salem City Council decided to close City buildings for Martin Luther King Day. The Board said that the Library will follow the City’s lead.

Board Members’ Reports

Trustee Dolbeare said that there needed to be some clarification regarding 2 insurance questions. Regarding the question to require all individals renting a room at the Library to provide liability insurance: there are other City facilities with activities of greater risk, such as the pavilion in the park, how are the renters of these facilities handled with regard to liability insurance?

Mr. Dolbeare also said that the fire which destroyed an HVAC unit in October could have created a greater amount of property damage. He was concerned about the nesting clause that allowed the insurance company to deny any claim for reimbursement of repairs or equipment replacement caused by the fire.

Board members agreed that these were good questions and asked Director Keller to follow up with City Manager Rex Barbee regarding these questions.

The Board discussed the appointment of Jodi Trinkle to the Assistant Director’s position. Director Keller was given the green light to proceed with the appointment.

The Board discussed an incentive program that would recognize milestone anniversaries in employee’s service. Director Keller will include the initiation of the recognition in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn by Trustee Dice. Second by Trustee Dolbeare. All present voted “aye.” Meeting adjourned at 8:24 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by,

Kim Keller, Library Director