Library Board of Trustees

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY Held in the Mary Riley Styles Public Library 120 N. Virginia Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046 January 21, 2015 1. CALL TO ORDER Board Chair Brad Gemand called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. The following Board members attended the meeting: Brad Gemand ChetDeLong Ed Rose Stephanie Oppenheimer Jeff Peterson Terry Zawacki Excused Absence: Don Camp, Jacob Bruner Also present were: Councilmember Karen Oliver who was only able to stay briefly due to another conflicting meeting, Library Director Mary McMahon, and her assistant, Claudia Gutierrez. 2. RECEIPT OF PETITIONS The Director reported that a thank you email from Elisa Velasco, Center Director for the Willston Multicultural Center was received. The library donated books to the Center for use in their programs. There were no other petitions. 3. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 17, 2014 MEETING MINUTES. Upon a motion made and duly seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the December 17, 2014 Meeting Minutes. 4. ARTS AND CULTURAL DISTRICT TASK FORCE (CATCH) REPORT The Board Chair mentioned that to honor the last Civil War celebration marking the 1501h anniversary of the war, the Falls Church Sesquicentennial Committee may publish his book about Falls Church Civil War history, which would need to be converted from a Word document. Brad asked if Marshall Webster, the Reference Supervisor at the library, might be able to give the committee or the author some ideas how it can be converted to the Amazon Kindle eformat. 5. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT The Foundation had a meeting and decided to allocate some of the recent donations to the Foundation's endowment fund so they could meet their goal of$100,000 in that fund. This would allow the Foundation to donate the interest from that fund each year to the library. It was suggested by a Board member that the Foundation should send a letter to City Council supporting the library renovation/expansion proposal in the CIP. 1 6. DRAFT FY16 LIBRARY BUDGET REVIEW AND ADOPTION The Library Director presented to the Board the Draft FY16 budget. The City Manager and the Finance Director told each City department that they must use the FY14 actual operating expenditures as their basis for developing the FY16 budget. For the library this amount is $468,904. In the detailed budget document that the Director gave each Board member it shows the amount for each line item that was budgeted in FY15 and also the actual operating amount that was spent in FY14. She also noted that temporary salaries and FICA were being charged against the operating budget, not compensation and benefits lines, which were exempt from the FY14 actuals. The temporary salaries line had a sizable increase due to the addition of two Library Assistant Is ( 15 hrs/wk in Reference and Youth Services) who were funded out of the difference from the retirement salaries of two employees and the new salaries for the people hired in their places. That difference was enough to fund both positions, but instead of being able to carry that amount forward each year, it was for only one year. Because those salaries and the FICA for them were now considered part of the operating budget it created a shortfall of almost $30,000 that had to be made up somewhere else in the operating budget. The amount spent on eBooks (OverDrive) was cut in half in order to accommodate the salaries. Upon a motion made and duly seconded, the Library Board strongly recommended that the $28,468 in salaries and benefits for the two Library Assistant Is that was placed in the FY16 operating budget be restored to the personnel and benefits portion of the budget as it was in the FY15 budget due to the high impact it will have on all the activities of both departments if these positions were removed. The motion carried unanimously. The Director reviewed the library budget stating that some items increased and others decreased. She explained that Information Technology (IT) Services line is in a special account exclusively for technology expenses for the library, but spending is managed partly by the library and partly by IT. The Telecommunications line increased because long distance calls are now charged back to each department. The telephone bill is prorated by Finance based on the number of telephone lines that each department has. Another large increase was in the Travel Conferences/Education line because of the cost of Virginia Library Association and American Library Association conferences. The Director also informed the Board about programs the library conducts, such as the Summer Reading Program and book discussion groups. All prize books for the summer reading program are purchased using monies from the book sale and Foundation donations. Discussion group books are paid from book sale monies and once read, the multiple copies of books are used to make up book club kits which patrons can check out. The library also provides food and drinks for the book discussion groups, and that is also paid for out of book sale monies. The Other Operating Supplies line was reduced because the existing supplies on hand are enough to carry the library through a good part of next year allowing for a reduction in that line. The Books line stayed the same amount as in FY15. The Finance Director asked the Director to take the $28,468 for the Library Assistant 1 positions from eBooks, and they would try to restore it if possible. Book sale and Memorial monies need to be estimated and after the FY16 budget is adopted by Council, the library's budget will be amended to reflect those amounts as it has been done in past years. Upon a motion made and duly seconded, the Library Board unanimously approved the Library's FY16 Budget and in the event that funding is restored for the two positions in the salaries and compensation lines, the money ($28,468) is to be restored to eBooks. They also approved the prioritization of the unmet needs for the FY16 budget. In addition they would like a cover memo to accompany the budget that lists and explains the unmet needs of the library in the priority order they have given each request. 2  The Board prioritized the FY16 unmet needs as follows: 1. Increase eBooks by $28,468 2. Reinstitute sub funds for one temporary substitute Library Assistant I in Circulation (only FICA benefits) for about 271 hrs/yr for $5,000 3. Purchase a Toshiba eStudio 307 Digital Copier System for the Administrative Offices for $7,000 4. Increase the number of DVDs purchased by approximately 100 movie titles for $2,500 5. Increase the number of eMagazines by approximately 25 more titles for $1,500 6. Increase the number of eAudiobooks purchased by approximately 100 more titles for $10,000 7. Reopen 4 hours a week to the public on Wednesday mornings (4 PT positions) for $96,593, which includes FICA and benefits for each position The Director also noted that another part of the budget instructions was to provide information on expenses that should be anticipated for FY17 which were (not in priority order): 1. Purchase Sierra platform for the Innovative Interfaces Library System, $59,000 2. Upgrade to a commercial grade wireless system, $14,400/yr (recurring cost) 3. Replace InMagic software, the database that holds all the online information for the Local History Room. An estimate of approximately $20,000 was cited. The Director presented to the Board the letter to Council that goes together with the FY16 draft. She will reorder the FY16 unrnet needs so they reflect the priority order passed by the Board and submit it with the budget. 7. FY16 CIP PROCESS AND TIMELINE The Director asked that the Board attend the CIP presentation Planning Commission's work session when the library must make its FY16 CIP request. The library will present its request at the first session, which is on February 2 at around 8:15p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. There will also be an informational presentation of the library' s expansion/renovation plans for the public on Thursday, February 5 at 7 p.m. in the Community Center and then an Open House/Town Hall meeting for public input on the City's CIP on Sunday, February 8, from 1:30 to 3:30p.m. in the Community Center. 8. REVIEW OF THE DRAFT LIBRARY BOARD PUBLIC PRESENTATION • Copy of Draft Presentation The Chair did not feel comfortable with how the consultant's presentation about the proposed library expansion and renovation went with Council and the Planning Commission in January. There was no commitment either from Council or the Planning Commission regarding any plan even though the project, as presented, met all the guidelines put forth by the Planning Commission when they put $8M into FY16's CIP for the library. Brad then explained why the Board' s January 28th public presentation meeting was canceled. He 3 said that Councilman Phil Duncan approached him to say that he was concerned that even though it was and not a City meeting, the meeting would be held on a night that Cindy Mester, the Assistant City Manager, could not attend especially since she was in charge of developing the City CIP and this meeting was about a CIP project. Councilman Duncan asked to meet and talk with the Chair and another Library Board member, but both declined that meeting. A Board member commented that he was feeling caught in the middle, and that the library had been maneuvered into a comer and was unsure how the Board could/should move forward. Brad then told the Board that he had met with Wyatt Shields. Brad explained the Board's frustrations, and Wyatt suggested that the Board approach Council and ask what steps Council would like the Board to take to move forward. Wyatt also said he had a verbal quote for space from the developer of Mason Row, and that it was a significant cost per square foot to put the library at Mason Row. Brad noted that he thought that cost per square foot might be a confidential number, and so he did not feel comfortable relaying that figure to the Library Board members at this time. A Board member said that the parking deck should not be linked to the library project as the library has no control and influence over it. Another Board member suggested talking to the Mason Row developer to get some figures on the cost per square foot, and then go to Council if the costs per square foot are not feasible. The Board agreed with this approach and authorized Chet DeLong to approach the developer and ask, on behalf of the Board, for specifics as to the cost per square foot for a library in Mason Row, whether there is space to locate a library there (it must have at least 26,400 sq. ft.), and any other details the developer would be willing to share. Another Board member said the Board has to focus its pitch on the presentation that the Board has prepared that explains the current CIP submission of an expansion/renovation project. A special meeting was set by the Board for January 28, 2015 to work on the presentation to the public. 9. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS There was no time for a library report or announcements. 10. BUSINESS NOT IN AGENDA A Board member, who takes donations from the library to different institutions, commented that James Lee Community Center, which is located just over the City line in Fairfax County, wants to put up a sign publicizing that books are being donated by Mary Riley Styles Public Library. 11. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. and passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Mary v ~ ~~~ 1A/~ . lcNfahon 'J2t JV{_tlVvt9J/L Library Director 4 Approved: Bradley E. Gemand, Chair Copies: Board of Trustees, City Manager, Library Reference Desk, Staff Bulletin Board, City Clerk, City Council, Historical Commission, Library Web Page 5