Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Call to Order: The April 2010 meeting of the Board of Trustees was held at the Payne Branch Library. President Sue Derck called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. The March meeting was cancelled.

Roll Call: The following were present: Board members: Susie Thrasher, Barb Reighter, Corey Walker, Terry Wehrkamp, Geoff Hyman and Sue Derck. Director Susan Pieper, Assistant Director Diana Coy, and Wilma Mullins, Fiscal Officer, were also present.

Others in Attendance: Sara Molitor, Payne Branch Manager, was also in attendance.

Action Plan Recorder: Geoff Hyman will be the Action Plan recorder for this evening’s meeting.

Minutes: Corey Walker moved to approve the February 16, 2010 minutes. Geoff Hyman seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Status of Levy revenue: Mrs. Mullins informed the Board that two checks have been received from the County Auditor's office as the first payments of the levy revenue. She has deposited the checks into the checking account until such time a new account can be determined.

Financial / Fiscal Officer: Motion to pay bills (Pay-X 12988-13037); (Finance 14915-14989) was made by Terry Wehrkamp and seconded by Barb Reighter. Motion passed.

Trustee Report: Terry Wehrkamp and Susie Thrasher shared results of a meeting they attended with the Oakwood Library Association (OLA), the support group for the Cooper Community Branch Library. Information regarding the organization of the library and different roles and responsibilities was provided to the group. Both Mr. Wehrkamp and Mrs. Thrasher agreed that the meeting was productive and many questions were answered. They expressed appreciation for the OLA organization and looks forward to a continued productive relationship with the goal of providing quality library service to the citizens of the Oakwood community and surrounding area.

Trustee Information: Director Pieper shared two upcoming continuing education opportunities for the Board to attend: The Ohio Library Council (OLC) Trustee Workshop on April 21st at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green; and a June 5th event in Columbus focusing on "Secrets to Success".

Director's Report: Mrs. Pieper shared upcoming vacation dates and also distributed a report of general activities since the last Board meeting.

Staff Kudos: Mrs. Pieper shared congratulations to Head of Youth Services, Anissa Williamson for successfully completing a course of study in Accounting Fundamentals via online from Northwest Community College. Mrs. Williamson took this course to expand her general knowledge. The Board also congratulated the staff on a successful Battle of the Books competition for 2010. The winner of the county battle was the Paulding Middle School six-grade team.

Director's Contract: (The Board addressed this issue after general business was conducted.) At 8:15 p.m., a motion was made by Corey Walker and seconded by Susie Thrasher to move from Open Session into Executive Session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 121.22 (G)(1) to consider personnel issues. A roll call vote was in the affirmative. At 8:24 p.m., Terry Wehrkamp moved to adjourn from Executive Session and return to Open Session. Susie Thrasher seconded the motion. A roll call vote was in the affirmative.

Corey Walker moved to approve the Director's 2010 contract as presented,. Terry Wehrkamp seconded the motion. Motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS

Personnel Manual Revisions: Mrs. Pieper ensured the Board that although the Personnel Manual revisions have been moved off the top priority "to-do" list, that the manual would be addressed soon. Mr. Wehrkamp suggested that the Board schedule a "work day" to perhaps finish some of these projects. The event could be held at his property on a lake in Indiana. The Board seemed very receptive to this idea.

Levy Fund Deposit: Mrs. Mullins will continue to investigate options for depositing levy funds in an account that is not only convenient, but also will yield the best returns.

Employee Hours: Mrs. Pieper and Mrs. Mullins brought recommendations to the Board for uniformity of hours. It was recommended that Branch Managers would move to 35 hours per week, and most part-time staff moved up to 30 hours per week.

Mr. Hyman moved to approve the increase/adjustment of certain employee hours submitted by Mrs. Mullins for the purpose of uniformity across the system effective April 19, 2010. Mr. Walker seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Master Schedule of Bill "Due Dates": Mrs. Mullins distributed an outline of when normal operating bills come due each month.

Board Orientation: Mrs. Pieper shared that she has met with new Board member, Barb Reighter, for an initial orientation session.

NEW BUSINESS

Action Plan for May 2010 meeting:

• (Pieper) Forward information from OLC regarding legislation currently being discussed in the Ohio Senate/House that could impact property tax levy funds. (Pieper)
• (Wehrkamp) Investigate laws addressing elevator inspection. This is in regards to a high fee being charged per month for inspection by a private company -- being paid whether the inspection takes place or not.
• (Pieper) Provide contact information for the Payne Friends of the Library so that Board members might arrange a visit. [The Payne "Friends" meet on the third Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the branch library in Payne. Stacy Thomas is the president of the "Friends" and may be reached at 419-553-0941.
• (Pieper) Send via e-mail to the Board the registration and other information regarding the OLC Trustee workshop on June 5th.
• (Coy) Begin negotiations for new copy machines at the main library. Be prepared to provide details to the Board at the May meeting.
• (Pieper) Bring a basic cost-analysis of remodeling the Pritchard building to be an annex of the library with both public meeting room space and storage for the library.
• (Mullins) Secure Mrs. Reighter's signature as per banking regulations, enabling her to sign checks. Update entire Board signatures if/as needed.
• (Mullins) Investigate options for depositing levy funding. Consider: interest rates/rate of earning, convenience, freedom to transfer into checking, fees, etc.
• (Pieper) Find out if a public library can charge for use of meeting room by for-profit organizations, family events, parties, etc.
• (Walker) Review Branch contracts to ascertain responsibilities for furnishings at the branches. Copies of the Branch contracts currently on hand are available via the Fiscal Officer.
• (Mullins) Will find out what other libraries call their 100.01.51900 fund, (Employee Other Benefits)? (Employee Contingency)?

New Employee: Corey Walker moved to acknowledge the hiring of Jonne Culler, part-time library clerk with a start date of 3/23/2010. Susie Thrasher seconded the motion. Motion passed. Mrs. Culler would be utilized as a "floater" with a flexible schedule, filling in for employees who call in sick, etc.

Upgrade/Replacement of Computers: Mr. Wehrkamp moved that we begin the pr ocess of replacing the 10-year-old Gates computers at a cost of approximately $740, beginning with the units at Antwerp and Main as funds become available. Barb Reighter seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Upgrade/Replacement of Director's Computer: Corey Walker moved and Terry Wehrkamp seconded the motion to replace the Director's computer at a cost of about $1,240. Motion passed. The new unit will provide functionality to participate in webinars, online conferencing, web meetings, etc. The unit will also have the capacity to produce original video on DVD that will allow the staff to produce welcoming messages, online tours, story times, etc.

Hayes Presidential Center Online Ohio Obituary Index: Mrs. Pieper shared updated statistics on the number of obituaries from Paulding County that have been entered into this index by Paulding County Genealogy Society volunteers. So far, in 2010, over 90,000 obits have been entered. Since the program began in 2007, over 348,000 obituaries have been entered. The Hayes Obituary Index has now merged with the online database, Ancestry.com. This has resulted in a tremendous increase of obituary requests being e-mailed to Diana Coy.

Corey Walker moved and Susie Thrasher seconded the motion that a fee of $2.00 per obituary be charged to mail obituary requests. Motion passed. This should help defray the cost of postage, supplies, time, etc.

Capital Expenditure Plan: Mrs. Pieper distributed a new document draft outlining a schedule for expenditures on the exterior and interior of the building. Types of expenditures include tuck pointing, roofing, and other building maintenance issues. No action needed other than a review of this initial draft.

Copy Machines at the Main Library: Corey Walker moved and Barb Reighter seconded the motion to authorize Mrs. Coy to begin the negotiation process for new copy machines at the Main library in Paulding. Motion passed.

Wage & Salary Scale Adjustment: Mr. Hyman moved and Mr. Walker seconded the motion to adjust the Wage & Salary Scale for 2010 by four percent effective April 19, 2010. The hourly wage pay scale and salaries have not been adjusted for over five years. Motion passed.

Adjustment of Fiscal Officer/Assistant Director Salary: Terry Wehrkamp moved and Susie Thrasher seconded that the salaries of the Assistant Director and Fiscal Officer be retroactive to the first pay period in 2010. Motion passed.

Pritchard Property: Mrs. Pieper informed the Board that the Fiscal Officer has received word that the renter of the library property next door, currently known as the Pritchard Building, would not be renewing their lease. Pieper asked the board to consider a number of options, from finding another renter, to remodeling the building as an annex to the library, including an up-to-date meeting room. No action taken.

Adjournment: Barb Reighter moved and Terry Wehrkamp seconded the motion to adjourn. The next board meeting is scheduled for May 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the main library in Paulding, unless otherwise announced.

________________________________ ______________________________

Geoff Hyman, Board Secretary Sue Derck, Board President

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