MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
NORTHLAKE PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OCTOBER 15, 2009
The regular meeting of the Northlake Public Library District Board of Trustees was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Vice-President Sonya Teets. Present were Board members: Blaskey, Teets, Rivera, Salo, and Gutierrez. Also present were Karen Salutric, newly-appointed by the Board as trustee; Jan Schmudde, library director; and Mary Jane Garrett, assistant library director. Absent Board member: O’Cull.
The Board agreed to rearrange the agenda in order to swear in Karen Salutric as trustee. Salutric was sworn in and welcomed to the Board.
The minutes of the regular Board meeting of September 17, 2009; minutes of the Public Hearing for Ordinance #09-517; and the appropriations of FY 2009-10 as of September 17, 2009 were read and approved on a motion by Gutierrez with a second by Rivera. Ayes: All.
The Executive (i.e., Closed) Session minutes were approved on a motion by Salo and a second by Rivera. Ayes: All.
The Board read and accepted the following: the Treasurer’s Report of September 30, 2009; the Bills Payable Report for October 15, 2009; the Revenue and Expense Report for September 2009; and the Statistical Circulation and Acquisitions Report for September 2009. Acceptance of the above reports was on a motion by Rivera with a second by Salo. Roll call vote:
AYES: Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera, Salutric, Salo, Teets.
NAYS: None
ABSENT: O’Cull.
Grand total of all payables listed: $44,898.32
The librarians’ reports were read and accepted with the appreciation of the Board.
Schmudde gave Board members copies of the page of the PSA-Dewberry document which covers the special warranty for carpet installed during the library expansion.
6:44 p.m., Barbara Branston, citizen, arrived.
The Board voted to install replacement carpeting in the Youth Services Department. If the original carpeting is still covered by warranty, the district is to use the warranty settlement to pay for the replacement. If the warranty is not valid, the Board agreed to authorize payment for the replacement carpeting. Estimated cost without warranty is $6,580.00. Roll call vote:
AYES: Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera, Salutric, Salo, Teets
NAYS: None
ABSENT: O’Cull
The Board agreed to interrupt the agenda so that Ms. Branston could make her presentation. Ms. Branston is concerned that a number of migrating birds are colliding with the library’s large front windows. She brought with her a dead bird she said she found in front of the library that day. Her proposal consisted of the main reasons why birds collide with windows, preventive measures, the Cook County bird-safe ordinance, and data on bird collisions before and after preventive measures were instituted. She has already spoken to Schmudde and other staff members about these issues. The Board will discuss the problem, but cannot act on it at this meeting, as Ms. Branston was not on the agenda. She will be notified about this either in October or November.
7:05 p.m., Ms. Branston was thanked for her time and she left.
7:06 p.m., three students from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University arrived to observe the Board meeting.
Schmudde presented the Board with explanations of their questions about the untaxed property proposal sent by Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins and discussed at the September meeting. During further discussion, Schmudde was asked if she thought intergovernmental participation in such a proposal would be useful. Schmudde said she thought having several governmental bodies, each with different boundaries, would just confuse things. This was just a proposal from Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, and the Board does not have to decide anything immediately. Rivera asked whether, in Schmudde’s opinion, this was a good risk. She said she thought it was. Blaskey asked if the Board members thought there were really that many nonpaying properties. Teets mentioned that she has experienced differences in opinion about where specific properties belonged in relation to boundaries between Melrose Park and Stone Park. The Board did not make a decision about whether to research nonpaying properties at this time.
The Board and Schmudde discussed the new director’s financial responsibility and authority. At present, Schmudde decides on transfers from investment accounts to the district’s bank account to pay bills between tax receipts. She also decides how to roll over CD’s. For the beginning of the new director’s employment, the director, business manager and treasurer must meet to discuss transfers, and two of the three must approve a transfer. The director would also report any transfers to the rest of the Board. A policy will be written about what reporting will be done by the director. For major purchases over $3,000.00, the director would discuss them with the Board. For checks for daily expenses, they should not require a dollar limit as they all require two signers. No name stamp exists anymore. Schmudde also initials invoices. For certificates of deposit through Illinois Institute Investors Trust, two people are needed to approve CD moves/rollovers.
Changes in policy for the circulation of DVD’s were discussed. The Board agreed that, for items without a grace period, the definition of returning items “on-time” will be changed to returning an item before opening on the day following the due date. No changes were made to fines charged for DVD’s. The change was approved on a motion by Salo with a second by Salutric. Ayes: All.
Russ Woods’ hiring was approved by the Board, effective October 12, 2009, as part time Youth Services Associate to replace Violet Lach, who has retired. Approval was on a motion by Salo with a second by Salutric. Ayes: All.
Board members received copies of a letter from Northlake mayor Jeffrey T. Sherwin, concerning end dates for several TIF districts and an update on Wolf Road construction.
Ordinance #09-518, Approving the Proposed Amendments to the LIMRiCC By-laws and Intergovernmental Agreements, was adopted on a motion by Rivera with a second by Salo.
Ayes: All.
Ordinance #09-519, Providing for the Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Library Insurance Management and Risk Control Combination (LIMRiCC), was adopted on a motion by Rivera with a second by Salo. Ayes: All.
The Board discussed Rivera’s proposal to get a bus to run between Stone Park and the library for the summer, to transport children during the summer reading program. Teets mentioned that she has tried to do this before, but has not been able to get cooperation from the bus companies and government bodies and has had problems with no organization wanting to be responsible for the liability involved. Rivera then asked about the library going out into the Stone Park area to do a program. Discussion continued about the options.
Gutierrez and Rivera need to schedule a Board orientation session for late October or early November.
Board members received copies of the completed application for the Illinois Per Capita Grant for FY2010.
Mary Jane Kepner and Sarah Hampson of Kepner + Associates discussed the Library Director search process with the Board.
At 7:45 p.m., the Board went into Executive (i.e. Closed) Session, as per Statutory Section 5ILCS 120/2(c)(1), for “the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee or against legal counsel to determine its validity.” Approval was on a motion by Rivera with a second by Gutierrez. Ayes: All.
The regular Board meeting resumed at 8:30 p.m.
No action was taken related to the Executive Session.
There was no further public discussion.
The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for November 19, 2009.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
Barbara Salo, Secretary