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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-16 BPL MINUTESBozeman Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Bozeman Public Library—Board Room Wednesday, Feb 17, 2016 Minutes Attendance Board Chair Ron Farmer; Trustees Judy Mathre, Jennifer Pawlak, John Gallagher, Ron Price, Bozeman Public Library (BPL) Director Susan Gregory; BPL Foundation Director Paula Beswick, FOL President Pam Henley, City Commissioner/Library Liaison I-Ho Pomeroy, City Manager Chris Kukulski, City HR Bethany Jorgenson, BPL Department Heads Mary Jo Stanislao, Kit Stephenson, Lois Dissly and Jason Greenwald & Library Staff Lauranna Cossins Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Board Chair Ron Farmer at 4:03pm Approval of the Minutes Trustee Mathre moved to approve the minutes from the December 16th, 2015 Board meeting. Trustee Pawlak seconded. The Board voted unanimously to approve the January minutes. Public Comment: No Comment Items for Discussion/Action: Substitute employee pay increases, cost of living – Bethany Jorgenson, City HR Director Gregory introduced Bethany Jorgenson with the City of Bozeman Human Resources (HR) Department, and explained that the small group of substitute employees who work minimal hours did not receive pay increases this year. Gregory and Jorgenson negotiated a plan to make sure everyone that works for the Library receives some pay increase this year. HR Manager Jorgenson advised the Board that the City had negotiated with MPEA and settled on a contract in August that included a significant pay increase for MPEA employees, which included Library employees that worked 20 hours or more. Discussion followed regarding those staff that fall under the 20-hour minimum. Five Library staff categorized as Subs did not receive any kind of increase this year. Jorgensen advised that any employee with the Sub job title is not included in the MPEA contract for a pay increase. So, the City plan for these individuals that don’t fall in one of the contract categories is to give them pay increases based on the Consumer Price Index. The 2015 CPI urban data that came out stated that 7 tenths of 1% is how much things changed. Individuals that fall into the Substitute category will get a pay increase based on the CPI number; .7 cents of 1%, which works out to be 7 cents for every $10. Action: Trustee Ron Price moved to approve the recommended pay increase for substitutes based on the CPI of .7 cents of 1%, Trustee Judy Mathre seconded the motion. The Board voted unanimously to approve the recommended increase. Library parking lot improvement project: status Director Gregory gave a review of the Parking Lot Project plan and stated that the project which totals $80,000 has been approved in phases: Phase 1 is $50,000 and has been earmarked in the Library Depreciation Fund for FY17; Phase 2 is $30,000 and has been designated for F18 in the Library Depreciation Fund. Gregory stated there are several layers to this project. The Library plans to work with relevant City departments to accomplish the project and will need to work through newly-hired City Facilities Superintendent Mike Gray. City Manager Chris Kukulski advised Facilities is the team to get this project built for the Library. The next step will be for Director Gregory to meet with Mike Gray and Public Works Director Craig Woolard to discuss when we can get Phase 1started, hopefully July 1st. Gregory will keep the Board informed of any changes. FY17 Budget draft- review and approve The Board was provided copies of the Library FY17 Budget proposal and personnel requests that will be presented to the City Manager, Assistant City Manager and Administrative Services Director on February 26 th . Gregory advised of the effort to keep the Budget requests to a maximum increase of 3% in most categories with a few exceptions. We have a proposed increase for book pre-processing thru Ingram to save staff time. We’ve added an increase in contracted services for a website re-design, new Library logo, and communication/marketing consulting. There is a large increase in the subscription category due to additional databases like Homework BPL and Boopsie (mobile app) services, which were previously paid for by the Friends of the Library. Board discussion regarding the significant changes and moving of funds into different categories took place. Gregory advised of the three Personnel requests: two FTE positions (Bookmobile Librarian I, Supervisory, and Bookmobile Assistant) and one .5FTE Communication Coordinator. Action: Trustee John Gallagher moved to approve the recommend draft FY17 budget and personnel requests. Trustee Jennifer Pawlak seconded the motion. The Board voted unanimously to approve Correspondence: We received several thank-you notes about our 45 new task chairs on the second floor. A patron stated “I just sat in one of the new task chairs; what an improvement and my back thanks you!” Another patron requested more tables and chairs in the lobby and stated there is room for at least 4 more tables. A patron stated that our renewal & application form is sexist because it asks about gender. One gentleman stated the program last night in the community room was “fantastic” and asked if these bands get paid or if they donate their time. A patron generously sent a donation to the Foundation to recognize great customer service from staff member Kate Holloway, specifically for her help in getting the books the patron needed for research through Interlibrary Loan. Director and Staff Reports: A copy of the Library Director’s report was provided to the Board prior to the Board meeting for review. Highlights were reviewed and discussed. Director Gregory noted that our Library statistics are noteworthy; we had 35,649 people come through the Library in January. Gregory provided an update to the plans for more police presence in the Library, with the possibility of turning the janitor’s office off of the mail room into a police substation and making the lobby room into more of a community outreach location for the Bozeman Police Department. Both concepts have the approval of BPD Chief Steve Crawford. Gregory gave an update on the status of the replacement of the green wingback chairs and the meeting room chairs; these replacements are both moving forward and are going to be beautiful. Head Reference and Adult Services Department Head Kit Stephenson introduced the Library’s new online service “Freegal” which is a music streaming and song download service. She provided a flyer for the 2 nd Exploring the Arts program on February 22 nd featuring blues musician Russ Chapman and invited Board members to attend. City Reports: City Manager Chris Kukulski highlighted a report on the results of The 2015 National Citizen Survey which compared Bozeman to 500 participating communities around the United States. Kukulski stated this survey was also an opportunity for the citizens of Bozeman to provide input on how they feel about City services and initiatives. Because the City also conducted this survey in the mid-2000s, we have comparative data from earlier iterations of the survey. The National Research Center has also provided us with comparative data from similar cities around the nation. The general conclusions of the survey are as follows and are posted on the City website; Bozeman residents continue to enjoy a high quality of life. The economy is a positive and important feature of the community. Residents enjoy their natural environment and emphasize its importance. Mobility ratings have increased, but there are still opportunities for improvement. Ninety-three percent of Bozeman survey respondents think that the public library is excellent. Lack of affordable housing and the cost of living are citizen concerns. This survey was one of the many venues citizens can use to contribute to the City’s Strategic Plan. The survey outcomes and the Strategic Plan will be used to guide the City through decision-making, budgeting, and resource allocation as Bozeman continues to grow. Friends of the Library Report – Pam Henley FOL President: The February 2 nd Friends of the Library Board meeting was the first of the year. The Board is anticipating a record year and plans to be as generous as they can with Library donations. They provided an increase for each department’s discretionary fund, provided additional “Most Wanted” book collection support, and more Friends book club money. President Henley stated the Friends Book Sale is this next weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sunday’s bag sale will be a little different; there will be small, medium and large bag pricing. The Friends are impressed with how well Homework BPL is doing, and encouraged the Library staff to keep promoting the online tutoring service with the Bozeman area schools. Foundation Report – Paula Beswick BPL Foundation Director; Beswick brought a little cardboard “bookmobile”, created by Kit Stephenson, as a prop for the “Moveable Feast” fundraiser this Tuesday, February 23 rd , @ Aleworks restaurant. There will be two seatings and tickets are $35 each. We will have interactive stations: Cindy Christin, Children’s Dept. Head, will host one on possible bookmobile programs, we will have a Bozeman school district map and ask people to mark where they think the Bookmobile should stop and who the first honorary passengers should be, and Assistant City Manager Chuck Winn will show people the vehicle design and answer technical questions. We’re trying to make it a fun and interactive evening for attendees. We will also have a copy of the vehicle specifications and floor plan for individuals to look at. Beswick stated she will be meeting with Ryan Rickert with Clean Slate Group to talk about the wrap of the bookmobile. Beswick advised of another upcoming Library Foundation event, the annual “Cornerstone” fundraiser at the Library on March 5 th . The honorees for this year’s Cornerstone event are Patrick, Carol, Valerie and Edward Hemingway. Paula gave a few examples of some of the live and silent auction items available. The Foundation is working on submitting two grants in the next few months. The Foundation has a new website up and running; http://www.bozemanlibraryfoundation.org/. It is mobile friendly, fits all devices and is very simplified, with lots of pictures and room to add podcasts that Foundation staff will work on throughout the year. The Foundation has some new officers: President Bill Stoddart, Vice- President Loren Acton, Secretary Deborah Redburn and Robin Hubley, Treasurer. Adjournment There being no further business, Board Chair Ron Farmer adjourned the meeting at 5:33pm