River Forest Public Library Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Regular Meeting May 11, 2005 Call to Order President Molly Ryan called the regular meeting of the Board to order at 7:15 p.m. She welcomed everyone to the meeting, the first of FY 2005-2006. Induction / Welcome to Newly Elected Board Members Ms. Ryan welcomed new Trustee Joan Cusack and welcomed back Trustees Mark Coe and Margaret Horstman to the River Forest Library Board. She also shared her hope that former Trustee Dean Sher will be able to attend a future meeting so that the Board can thank him publicly for his many years of dedicated service. Filling of Vacancy Ms. Ryan nominated Leonard Soffer to fill the vacancy left by Dean Sher’s resignation. Mr. Coe seconded. Roll call was taken. Voting aye were Ms. Horstman, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Coe, Ms. Ryan and Mrs. Daly. Voting present was Mrs. Cusack. The motion carried. Roll Call Roll call was taken. Present at the meeting were Director Mrs. Bussey, and Trustees Ryan, Coe, Daly, Soffer, Horstman, Fischer and Cusack. Election of Officers Mrs. Daly nominated Ms. Ryan for President. Mrs. Fischer seconded. A vote was taken: all ayes, no nays, the motion carried unanimously. Ms. Ryan nominated Mr. Coe for Vice President. Mr. Soffer seconded. A vote was taken: all ayes and no nays: the motion carried unanimously. Ms. Ryan nominated Mrs. Daly for Secretary. Mr. Coe seconded. A vote was taken: all ayes and no nays, the motion carried unanimously. Ms. Ryan nominated Mr. Soffer for Treasurer. Ms. Horstman seconded. A vote was taken: there were all ayes, no nays, the motion carried unanimously. Audience to Visitors and Trustee Comments There were no visitor comments. Trustee comments were as follows: Mrs. Cusack asked that Board members speak louder during the meeting in order for all present to hear. Mrs. Daly commented on the new edition of the library’s publication, The Bookplate. She noted that Mrs. Fischer’s name was omitted from the list of Board members. She stated that she thinks “Spotlight on Volunteers”, requesting new volunteers, will achieve positive results. Mrs. Bussey said that she has gotten one call already. Consent Agenda The Board reviewed the minutes of the April 13, 2005 regular meeting and the minutes of the April 30, 2005 Ad Hoc Capital Improvement Committee meeting. Amendments were made to the Ad Hoc Committee minutes. Members reviewed the Warrant List of Bills Payable for April 14, 2005 through May 11, 2005 covering checks # 5122 to #5200 and the payroll and benefits list for a grand total of $69,826.23. Board members reviewed the April, 2005 Treasurer’s Report. Mrs. Daly moved that the Board adopt the Consent Agenda including the Ad Hoc Committee Meeting minutes as amended. Mr. Soffer seconded. Roll call vote was taken. Voting aye were Ms. Ryan, Mr. Coe, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Cusack, Mr. Soffer, Ms. Horstman and Mrs. Daly. There were no nays: the motion carried unanimously. Communications A. Donations- Mrs. Bussey reported that the Peterson Family donated $25 in memory of Mary Sjostrom, the Horwick Family donated $50 in Mary Sjostrom’s memory, the West Suburban Hospital Auxiliary donated $25 in Katherine Hampson’s name, and the Oak Park and River Forest Garden Club donated $50. A rocking chair decorated with butterflies was donated to the Children’s Room. Mr. Coe moved that the Board accept the donations. Ms. Horstman seconded. The motion carried unanimously. B. NorthStarNet Recognition- Mrs. Bussey showed Board members the recognition award that the library received from NorthStarNet. C. Patron Suggestions- Mrs. Bussey shared the April patron suggestions and her answers. She told the Board that she had received thank you notes from Catholic Charities, to whom books were donated, and from Mrs. Lauretta Froelich. Director’s Report A. Statistical Report- Mrs. Bussey reported that some statistics were not available at the time of the meeting. She will continue monitor the statistics with NorthStarNet. Statistics showed that computer usage is growing. B. Written Report- The Board reviewed Mrs. Bussey’s written report. C. Departmental Reports- Board members reviewed the reports from the department heads. Old Business A. War Memorial Update – Mrs. Bussey suggested that the smaller of the two donated War Memorial plaques be hung above the elevator on the 2nd floor where it can be read easily. The larger plaque still needs to be measured. An exact location for this plaque has not yet been determined. B. Limited Tax Bonds Update – The Bond Issue Notification Act hearing was held on May 9, 2005. Ms. Ryan was pleased to report that the Village Board moved to go to the next step, which is the purchase of the bonds. This will occur within the next 60 to 90 days. Mr. Biondo, the Village manager, will be in touch with Mrs.Bussey. New Business A. Filling Board Vacancy- This was done at the beginning of the meeting. B. Merit Increment Policy- Ms. Ryan moved that the Board approve a change in the Merit Increment Policy to read, “Employees who have completed their probationary period shall be eligible for merit increases of their compensation based upon the following:…” She additionally moved that the Board strike the requirement of “employment of at least six consecutive months”. Mr. Soffer seconded. The motion carried unanimously. C. Meeting Dates- Due to scheduling conflicts, changes to the regular meeting dates needed to be made. The following will be the new dates: Tuesday, June 14 (instead of Wednesday, June 8), Tuesday, July 12 (instead of Wednesday, July 13), Tuesday, August 23 (instead of Wednesday, August 10, and Tuesday, October 18 (instead of Wednesday, October 12). D. Amend By-laws re: Meeting Dates- Discussion will be held at the June meeting. E. Standing Committees- President Molly Ryan designated the following committees with their chairs and members: 1. Finance Committee – Lenny Soffer (Chair) Mark Coe Molly Ryan Dawn Bussey 2. Facilities and Equipment Committee – Mark Coe (Chair) Lenny Soffer Diane Daly Joan Cusack Dawn Bussey Molly Ryan 3. Personnel Committee- Margaret Horstman (Chair) Liz Fischer Dawn Bussey Molly Ryan 4. Policy Committee- Diane Daly (Chair) Joan Cusack Dawn Bussey Molly Ryan 5. Ad Hoc Capital Improvements Committee – Liz Fischer (Chair) Margaret Horstman Lenny Soffer Dawn Bussey Additionally, where appropriate, the staff department heads will serve on the standing committees. F. Trustee Facts File- Board members were asked to read and be prepared to discuss Chapters 1-5 of the Trustees Facts File for the June meeting, Chapters 6-9 for the July meeting, and Chapters 10-14 for the August meeting. Executive Session At 8:25 p.m., Mr. Soffer moved that the Board go to executive session. Mr. Coe seconded. Adjournment At 9:46 p.m. Mr. Coe moved that the regular meeting be adjourned. Mrs. Daly seconded. Respectfully submitted, Diane Daly, Secretary