Board Meeting Minutes 1-20-20

LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
Monday, January 20, 2020
Central Library Conference Room
7:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Anita Forte-Scott, President; Jillian Bernas, Vice-President/Secretary; Theresa Seyring, Treasurer; Erin Flannigan-Davies; Hannah Hyman; David Jonen; Julie Wroblewski Bosshart

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT

None

STUDENT TRUSTEES PRESENT

Alisa Gandhi, Araha Uday

OTHERS PRESENT

Bob Frankel, Emily Gilbert, Justine Gilbert, Peter Hegel, Sandra Kurth, Annie Miskewitch, Kate Niehoff, Bobbi Sloan, Hollis Sienkiewicz, Lori Teipel, Annie Tillmann, Beth Valenziano

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Former board member Bob Frankel congratulated Executive Director Miskewitch on her new position on behalf of himself and Bob Lyons. He also spoke of how the Library board should always strive to stay non-partisan and keep politics out of meetings, which he believes this board has succeeded at doing.

Bobbi Sloan thanked President Forte-Scott for her quick responses to her emails. She reminded the Library to be sure the parking lot is properly salted this winter. She also asked how she can be informed about any special Library board meetings. President Forte-Scott informed her about meeting information being posted to the Library website and the renovations page specific to the 2020 Central Library renovation.

BOARD COMMENTS

Trustee Jonen thanked President Forte-Scott for responding to emails and concerns from patrons. He also reminded Executive Director Miskewitch about the importance of filling the open staff vacancies.

Trustee Flannigan-Davies attended the Schaumburg State of the Village address and the Hoffman Estates Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast. She complimented the Library’s booth at the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast.

Vice-President Bernas also attended the Schaumburg State of the Village address and complimented Patti Smolin’s ongoing work with the Schaumburg Business Association. She is close to finishing Pachinko for the Library’s One Book, One Community.

Treasurer Seyring also attended the Schaumburg State of the Village address, which she always finds interesting. She really enjoyed the dancers who performed at the One Book, One Community Carnival.

Trustee Hyman had no comments.

Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart has been reading Pachinko with her book club and is happy to share it with them.

President Forte-Scott shared an article about the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast. She also attended the Hoffman Estates Coffee with the Board. The Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce Celebration of Excellence award night is coming up and reminded her fellow trustees Library employee Patti Smolin is a nominee for Volunteer of the Year.

RAILS - Ms. Hyman

No RAILS updates.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Treasurer Seyring moved and Vice-President Bernas seconded that:

The December 9, 2019, Regular Board Meeting Minutes be approved.

Discussion included clarification about procedures for exiting and entering Executive session.

The motion passed unanimously. 

Trustee Hyman moved and Trustee Flannigan-Davies seconded that:

The January 6, 2020, Special Board Meeting Minutes be approved.

Discussion included typos.

The motion passed unanimously.

APPROVAL OF BILLS

Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart moved and Trustee Jonen seconded that:

The Library Board approved the December 2019 Bill List.

Discussion included questions about Synchrony Bank and Amazon, author speaking fees, and large annual 2020 payments.

Roll Call Vote:
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO AGENDA

The Mesirow Financial Presentation will be moved to occur before the President’s Report. There will be no Executive Session.

MESIROW FINANCIAL

Peter Hegel of Mesirow Financial manages the Library’s operating funds portfolio, currently managing just under $20 million. Through a period of rising and falling interest rates, the Library’s portfolio has increased. Almost all investments in 2019 made money, even with the Library’s more conservative investment strategy. The Fed decreased interest rates throughout 2019. The general expectation of 2020 is for interest rates to stay steady.

Almost 68% of the Library’s portfolio is in treasury securities, some is in agency securities, such as Fannie May, and the remainder is invested in Certificate of Deposits (CDs). Yields are fairly flat, with average maturity rates being half a year. 

Ms. Flannigan-Davies asked about the investment fee structure, with Mr. Hegel clarifying he is a fiduciary and makes no commission on purchases. Mr. Jonen asked for clarification about the types of bonds purchased and Mr. Hegel explained they are regulated based on laws set by the State of Illinois and guidelines set by the Library.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Forte-Scott noted she provided a written report in the packet to review. Vice-President Bernas asked about the option to permanently move visiting speakers higher on the agenda instead of always listing them in new business. President Forte-Scott was open to the idea of making this change to the agenda.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Executive Director Miskewitch thanked everyone for her first month at the Library as Executive Director. She drew attention to a new report at the end of the bills, which was well received by the Board. Circulation statistics in the Youth Department continue to have double-digit increases. The biggest decrease in engagement is with the Teen Department, due to changes in how that space is utilized. The drive-up window traffic has decreased thanks to the outside book drop. The book drop is emptied three times a day to stay on top of the returns. There was a small decline in computer usage, website sessions and wi-fi over last month. An increase in registered borrowers is a continued goal for Ms. Miskewitch.

Ms. Miskewitch turned in the annual Per Capita Grant report and the grant expenditures. The annual library certificates and ILA reports will be finalized and submitted soon. The many needs of the buildings are being addressed by Building Operations Manager, Blake Kindl, with an eye towards new contracts and better pricing for large scale needs. Ms. Miskewitch has started weekly update emails to the entire staff. The management team will be working with the Charmm’d Foundation, which helps facilitate new leader integration, bringing any issues forward to quicken the transition process. Charmm’d also can work with the Library on strategic planning if the Board is interested in that process. Ms. Miskewitch is planning a public meet and greet for Board members in the future, but will have to work around the renovation at Central. 

Executive Director Miskewitch talked about the renovation website, now with a photo carousel. The current construction start date is March 23, 2020, with hopes of it possibly being moved up. The café has been closed, emptied and is currently being demolished and cleaned. The Board discussed the café and when the public can bring forth their comments. President Forte-Scott mentioned there will be a Talk to a Board Member program in the near future, and an email to the public specific to the remodel was suggested. Staff have been given the opportunity to purchase branded apparel through Lands’ End. Kristin Moo, Digital Services Manager, is exiting the Library in February as she moves on to another position in New York. Due to a change in policy from USCIS, it is unlikely the Library will host another naturalization ceremony, though we certainly would love to if there are changes. 

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Community Engagement – Kate Niehoff

Programs and Outreach Manager Kate Niehoff explained all ages programs and exhibits are a collaboration between all of the Library’s public service departments and are coordinated by Creative Services Librarian Stephanie Driscoll. There were 100 all ages programs in 2019 and over 24,000 visitors to those programs. The Library offered patrons 301 days to view or interact with seven different exhibits, with an estimation of over 350,000 people experiencing an exhibit. The biggest success was the Chuck Jones Summer of Creativity partnership with The Backyard Experience. The 2020 Summer Challenge will be themed Dig Deeper. This spring many smaller, themed programs will take place under the Plant the Seeds of Kindness banner, along with a seed library partnership with Spring Valley Nature Center. The Schaumburg Library Comic Con® will return in the fall, with timing of the event shifted due to the Central renovation.

Ms. Niehoff shared that her team hosted 256 adult programs, outside of outreach and literacy, with adult attendance increasing by 50%. Day and weekend programs have increased and will continue in 2020 based on patron requests. Her department was awarded three grant proposals in 2019. Home delivery and deposit libraries are still growing, with 51 new delivery patrons joining the service in the last six months. Mail delivery has also been introduced to accommodate staff schedules and patrons wanting to receive books more quickly. Pop-up Libraries saw over 5,700 patrons in 2019, with new locations already scheduled for 2020. New to the literacy program is a citizenship class started in Hanover Park offered in both Spanish and English.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
 
Board Standing Committees

President Forte-Scott reviewed the committees that board members had previously agreed to.

STUDENT TRUSTEE REPORTS

Araha Uday has been working with staff at the local high schools to promote One Book, One Community. She got approval from the school to post Library flyers for programs and was able to hang them for the students to see. The process can be long and Araha had to go through several staff members and teachers to get the final approval.

Alisa Gandhi explained Library staff continue to visit the school to do crafts and small projects. The SATs PowerPoint presentation has been updated with more information about BrainFuse to spread the word and they have contacted the school newspaper about a story featuring BrainFuse. The school-wide news and the counselor’s office were offered as options for the SATs to promote BrainFuse, especially for upcoming Advanced Placement testing. There is hope of possible student testimonials in the future to highlight.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Seyring said the general fund balance decreased by about $1 million due to expenses exceeding net revenue. The reserve fund decreased by $30,000, due primarily to the upcoming Central Library renovation. Investments continue to show market values in excess of cost of $126,000. Market increases in December were about $6,000. Total revenues for December were approximately $56,000, including about $14,000 from property tax receipts, and there were no replacement tax receipts in December. Wages and benefits, as well as books and materials, are below budget.

Treasurer Seyring mentioned favorable variances in almost all departments due to staff vacancies. Market value of investments increased. Cash flows are projected based on investment maturities. Building and Equipment Fund expenditures are expected to accelerate due to renovation expenses.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

Review of Policy Update Schedule

Executive Director Miskewitch explained the policy review timeline. A gap in the spring was created to accommodate budget meetings, and most current public policies are available online. 

Approval of Code of Conduct Policy
 
Vice-President Bernas moved and Treasurer Seyring seconded the approval of the Code of Conduct policy. 

Roll Call Vote:
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of Drug Free Workplace Policy
 
Trustee Jonen moved and Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart seconded the approval of the Drug Free Workplace policy.

Discussion included explanation of following the law while keeping a drug-free workplace. If a need arises, accommodations can be made in accordance with a doctor’s orders.

Roll Call Vote:
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of the Waiver of Bid to Professional Service Product LLC for construction documents related to the 2020 renovation in the amount of $37,163.24
 
Trustee Flannigan-Davies moved and Trustee Hyman seconded the approval of the waiver of bid to Professional Service Product LLC for construction documents related to the 2020 renovation in the amount of $37,163.24.

Discussion included clarification this is the third of three bills. 

Roll Call Vote:
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

Approval of Professional Development Expenses of $1,390.80 for PLA Conference in February 2020
 
Trustee Hyman moved and Vice-President Bernas seconded the approval of the professional development expenses of $1,390.80 for PLA Conference in February 2020.

Roll Call Vote:
Mr. Jonen             Yes
Ms. Flannigan-Davies        Yes
Ms. Bernas             Yes 
Mrs. Seyring             Yes    
Ms. Hyman             Yes
Mrs. Wroblewski Bosshart     Yes 
Ms. Forte-Scott         Yes

The motion passed unanimously. 

ADJOURNMENT

Vice-President Bernas moved and Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart seconded that:

The Library Board adjourn at 9:03 P.M.

The motion passed unanimously.