MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
NORTHLAKE PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
JUNE 20, 2013
The regular meeting of the Northlake Public Library District Board of Trustees was called to order at 6:35 p.m. by Vice President Orlando Rivera. Present were Board members: Mukite, Salo, Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera. Absent Board member: Garcia. Also present were Sharon L. Highler, Library Director; and Mary Jane Garrett, Head of Technical Services.
6:36 p.m., State Representative Kathleen Willis arrived, and was welcomed and introduced to Board members.
The Board voted to move the New Business items “Swearing in of Trustees”, “Trustee Resignation” and “Board Reorganization–Election of Board Officers” to the beginning of Unfinished Business in the agenda. There will not be a need for an Executive Session for this meeting. The changes to the agenda were approved on a motion by Salo with a second by Gutierrez.
AYES: All
Minutes of the Board Meeting of May 16, 2013, were read and approved on a motion by Salo with a second by Blaskey.
AYES: All.
The Board read and accepted the following: the Treasurer’s Report of May 31, 2013; the Bills Payable/Paid Report for June 20, 2013; and the Revenue and Expense Report for May 2013. Acceptance of the above reports was on a motion by Salo with a second by Mukite. Roll call vote:
AYES: Mukite, Salo, Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Garcia.
Total bills payable: $42,250.89.
Total bills paid: $170,596.45.
The Statistical Circulation and Acquisitions Reports for May 2013 and the librarians’ reports for May-June 2013 were read and accepted with the appreciation of the Board. Highler confirmed that circulation statistics include any self-checkout statistics.
Highler reported on the succesful Summer Reading Program kickoff, held on June 8. The Indiegogo Hulk campaign has concluded; Mukite will report further on the campaign. As we have added or changed technology in the library, previous computer configurations have slowed down installations but they have been successful. The crack in the foundation in the staff lounge has been repaired and we are waiting to make sure the repair is sucessful before working on the walls and flooring. Someone reported the library district to OSHA anonymously. An OSHA representative came to do an interview and inspection. The air quality was found to be well above standards. We were already taking action to fix the crack in the foundation, so no citation was issued. ILA has reported that the amount of funding for the Per Capita Grant has been increased by the Illinois legislature.
Vice President Rivera had nothing additional to report.
Mukite reported on the Hulk campaign. The Indiegogo fundraising has officially ended, and he is organizing the final tasks. The bar fundraiser was very successful. Although we did not raise the amount needed to to purchase our Hulk, because of the publicity we were able to receive a donated Hulk from L.A. Boxing in Orange, California. The funding we did receive will probably be used to purchase the Cintiq interactive pen display, the iMac, and additional graphic novels for both the Adult and Youth collections, as was mentioned on our fundraising page. The Friends will continue to accept any donations received past the official due date. We received a lot of good publicity from the campaign, and it was also a good plug for resource-sharing among libraries. Highler will be looking into doing some sort of presentation on the campaign at an ILA or ALA conference.
Thomas Mukite II was sworn in for his new term as Trustee.
The Board received Gerry Blaskey’s letter of resignation as Trustee. She will remain as Trustee until a replacement is found or until the November Board meeting, whichever comes first. The Board reluctantly accepted Blaskey’s resignation on a motion by Salo with a second by Gutierrez.
AYES: All.
The Board discussed reorganization and election of new officers. Blaskey agreed to remain Treasurer until she officially resigns. Blaskey was elected Treasurer on a motion by Salo with a second by Gutierrez.
AYES: All.
Rivera was elected President on a motion by Blaskey with a second by Salo.
AYES: All.
Salo was elected Secretary on a motion by Blaskey with a second by Gutierrez.
AYES: All.
Mukite was elected Vice President, and Gutierrez was elected to be Treasurer-in-training, to take the Treasurer’s office when Blaskey officially resigns, on a motion by Salo with a second by Blaskey.
AYES: All.
Highler reminded the Board that it was even more important to attend Board meetings while we are searching for people for two Trustee positions. We need to have at least a quorum (four Board members) present to make any decisions.
Garrett reported on the Stone Park Memorial Day Parade, held on May 27. Mukite was unable to participate due to illness, but Garrett, Judi Ferrari of Youth Services and Marianne Ryczek of Youth Services were able to go. Judi’s son allowed the library district to borrow his convertible for the parade. We will need to purchase car decorations to replace some that are worn or damaged.
Mukite and the Friends of the Library are planning to do the booth and the parade for Northlake Days. There are plans to contact McAdow Sign Company if signs are needed. We will see if any library staff are willing to help for Northlake Days.
The Board’s SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis for the 2014 Per Capita Grant application was discussed. Strengths were discussed at this meeting, with the other aspects to be discussed at the August meeting. The Board’s analysis was to concentrate on the library’s relationship with the community, but strengths of the library itself were also discussed. For the three remaining aspects–Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats–Board members are to send their listings to Highler by July 15 and the discussion will be finished at the regular meeting on August 15.
The schedule of regular Board meetings for fiscal year 2013-2014 was accepted on a motion by Gutierrez with a second by Blaskey.
AYES: All.
The process for filling the Board vacancies was discussed. Board members will receive copies of the Trustee job description and interview questions. The announcement of the vacancies will be posted in-house, on the library’s website and in the Franklin Park Herald-Journal. Blaskey suggested also posting it on Comcast’s community briefs, on local television. There could also be postings at Stone Park Village Hall and at Northlake City Hall. It was agreed that the due date for applications would be July 30. A subcommittee will narrow down the applications and the fiscal decisions will be made at the regular Board meeting on August 15. Salo, Rivera and Mukite volunteered to be on the subcommittee. The subcommittee will meet on August 1. Highler will have example(s) of a Trustee application from another library. Board members are to give her feedback by email so the application will be ready to hand out.
The Board approved the process for selecting applicants to fill two Board vacancies: publicize the vacancies within the communities served; set the application deadline for July 30, 2013; create a subcommittee to narrow down applications, which will be composed of Salo, Rivera and Mukite; subcommittee will meet August 1; final decisions will be made at the regular Board meeting of August 15, 2013. Approval was on a motion by Salo with a second by Gutierrez.
AYES: All.
The Board discussed the review of the first half year of closed session minutes. There were no closed session minutes during this time, so no review is necessary.
Ordinance #13-548, 2013 Annual Ordinance Authorizing Public Library Non-Resident Cards, the standard formula for calculation giving the non-resident fee as $301.00, was adopted on a motion by Salo with a second by Gutierrez. Roll call vote:
AYES: Mukite, Salo, Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Garcia.
Ordinance #13-549, To Levy an Additional .02% Tax for Equipping the Library and for the Maintenance and Repair of the Library Building and Equipment of the Library District, was adopted on a motion by Blaskey with a second by Gutierrez. Roll call vote:
AYES: Mukite, Salo, Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Garcia.
Ordinance #13-550, Ascertaining the Prevailing Rate of Wages for Laborers, Workers, and Mechanics Employed on Public Works of Said District, was adopted on a motion by Blaskey with a second by Gutierrez. Roll call vote:
AYES: Mukite, Salo, Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Garcia.
Board members received copies of the June 12, 2013, issue of Library Law e-News from Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd. The subjects were that library employees are not entitled to prevailing wages, plus the Illinois Department of Labor’s recently revised “Prevailing Wage Landscaping FAQ” on the IDOL website.
Since economic conditions continue to be bad, Highler has reluctantly recommended a maximum of a 2%, merit-only salary increase for fiscal year 2013-14. There will be no cost-of-living salary increase for the upcoming fiscal year. She is recommending that the merit-only salary increase be given in two 1% increments. The first 1% will be given as usual in July of 2013. If fiscally possible, the second 1% raise will be given to each deserving person in January of 2014. Highler is also recommending that all staff members who have received the merit increase be granted one additional Personal Day, to be used before June 30, 2014. This additional Personal Day is not being proposed as a permanent addition. After discussion, the above proposal about staff salaries for fiscal year 2013-14 was approved by the Board on a motion by Gutierrez with a second by Blaskey. Roll call vote:
AYES: Mukite, Salo, Blaskey, Gutierrez, Rivera. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Garcia
After discussion, the Board approved the agreement with CTC for onsite IT support for fiscal year 2013-14, on a motion by Blaskey with a second by Salo.
AYES: All.
After discussion, the Board approved changing the library district’s HVAC service provider. The new service provider will have fees at or lower than the fees of the library district’s former HVAC service provider. Approval was on a motion by Gutierrez with a second by Salo.
AYES: All.
Two signers are needed for final checks from June 30, 2013. Highler will be one signer, and Blaskey volunteered to be the other.
State Representative Kathleen Willis commended the Trustees for their contributions to the community, and pledged support for the library district.
No other members of the public were present.
The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for August 15, 2013.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. on a motion by Salo with a second by Blaskey.
AYES: All.
Barbara Salo, Secretary