Library Board of Trustees

TENAFLY PUBLIC LIBRARY MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING April 8, 2019 The Board of Trustees of the Tenafly Public Library met on April 8, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. at the Library for its regular Board meeting. Board Members Present: Mayor Peter Rustin, President Kathleen Cook, Vice President Patrick Rouse, Secretary/Treasurer Martin Gilbert, Teresa Austin, Soon Juhng, and Elizabeth Warms. Absent: Mabel Allen and David DiGregorio. Staff present: Library Director Julie Marallo and Administrative Assistant Ann Marie Connolly The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Julie Marallo reported that notices of the meeting had been posted and sent to the media. Minutes Board members approved the Minutes of the regular Board meeting of March 11, 2019. Moved by: Soon Juhng. Seconded by: Teresa Austin. Unanimously approved. Board members approved the Minutes of the Executive Board meeting of February 11, 2019. Moved by: Soon Juhng. Seconded by: Elizabeth Warms. Unanimously approved. Board members approved the Minutes of the Executive Board meeting of March 11, 2019. Moved by Soon Juhng. Seconded by Teresa Austin. Unanimously approved. Treasurer’s Report Martin Gilbert reviewed with the Board the Library’s financial statements of March 2019. He noted that he had examined and approved the statements and reported that they were current and accurate. A motion was made to approve the financial reports. Moved by: Elizabeth Warms. Seconded by: Kathleen Cook. Unanimously approved. Correspondence Gayle and Harvey Chertoff made a donation of $35 in memory of A. C. Burstein and $50 in memory of John Finnerty, Jr. Director’s Report The BCCLS office moved from Hackensack to Fair Lawn on April 1, 2019. A squirrel was spotted in the library on Wednesday, March 20 and the maintenance staff worked to remove it that evening. It reappeared on Friday, March 22, causing havoc by jumping across patrons sitting at the computer tables. The library closed at 4:00 p.m. and maintenance set up traps. Since it was not captured, Ms. Marallo called ProChem, a pest control company specializing in wildlife. They brought new traps, captured the squirrel and released it outside. When maintenance opened the library on the morning of Monday, March 25, they discovered a large amount of clean water had accumulated on the rug outside the men’s room and utility closet. There was no evidence of where the water had come from. It is believed it may have come up from the ground during a heavy rain. Maintenance had a plumber check the pipes in the area and no leakage was found. There has not been another flooding incident since then. Three staff members recently left the library. Library Assistant Silva Vargas moved with her family to Pennsylvania after the recent death of her father. Teen Librarian Stacey Shapiro moved to Carteret and is working closer to home at the Cranford Library. After 25 years of outstanding service to the library, Agnes Kolben retired to spend more time with her husband and grandchildren. Ms. Marallo discussed with the Board tentative plans to fill these positions. At present she is interviewing for the Library Assistant position and has two potential candidates. Filling the other positions is still under discussion. The Board reacted favorably to Ms. Marallo closing the library until 1:00 p.m. on May 10 to allow the staff to immerse themselves in training on a new program “Polaris Leap.” This is a new cloud based system that allows the library to continue checking materials out from laptops if power is lost. President’s Report None New Business Library Director Julie Marallo presented the Library’s 2018 favorable audit from Garbarini & Co., P.C. – Certified Public Accounts which had been reviewed by Library Board President Kathleen Cook, Vice President Patrick Rouse, Secretary/Treasurer Martin Gilbert and distributed to Board members. After discussion the Board approved the following resolution: BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT: The Board of Trustees of the Free Public Library of the Borough of Tenafly approves of the Financial Statements for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 by Garbarini & Co., P.C. – Certified Public Accountants as presented by the Library Director. Moved by: Elizabeth Warms Seconded by: Teresa Austin Voting as follows: Teresa Austin – Aye Patrick Rouse - Aye Kathleen Cook – Aye Peter Rustin – Aye Martin Gilbert – Aye Elizabeth Warms - Aye Soon Juhng - Aye Martin Gilbert reminded Board members that their Financial Disclosure reports are due April 30th. Ms. Marallo will send each board member a link to the system. Mayor Rustin asked that Shama Haider be notified. Old Business None Report from the Mayor. None Report from the Superintendent’s Alternate None Citizen’s Portion of the Meeting None Any Other Business None Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:26 p.m. to closed session to discuss personnel negotiations. Moved by: Patrick Rouse. Seconded by: Teresa Austin. Unanimously accepted. The Board adjourned the closed session at 7:45 p.m. to go into open session. Moved by Teresa Austin. Seconded by: Elizabeth Warms. Unanimously accepted. The Board returned from closed session at 7:45 p.m. and after discussion approved the following resolutions: BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT: The Board of Trustees of the Free Public Library of the Borough of Tenafly in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey approves of a 5% base salary increase for the Year 2019 for Library Director Julie Marallo. All benefits contained in the Tenafly Public Library Personnel Manual shall remain in effect unless altered through negotiations between the Director and the Board of Trustees. Moved by: Soon Juhng Seconded by: Kathleen Cook Voting as follows: Teresa Austin – Aye Patrick Rouse - Aye Kathleen Cook – Aye Peter Rustin – Aye Martin Gilbert – Aye Elizabeth Warms - Aye Soon Juhng - Aye BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT: The Board of Trustees of the Free Public Library of the Borough of Tenafly in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey approves of a 3% base salary increase for the Year 2019 for Administrative Assistant Ann Marie Connolly. Final salary shall be adjusted for longevity where applicable. All benefits contained in the Tenafly Public Library Personnel Manual shall remain in effect unless altered through negotiations between the Administrative Assistant and the Board of Trustees. Moved by: Patrick Rouse Seconded by: Teresa Austin Voting as follows: Teresa Austin – Aye Patrick Rouse - Aye Kathleen Cook – Aye Peter Rustin – Aye Martin Gilbert – Aye Elizabeth Warms - Aye Soon Juhng - Aye Adjournment The Board adjourned at 7:48 p.m. Moved by: Patrick Rouse. Seconded by: Teresa Austin. Unanimously accepted. Respectfully submitted, Martin Gilbert Secretary/Treasurer The next regular meeting of the Library Board of Trustees will be on Monday, May 13, 2019. APPROVED: May 13, 2019