Sangamon Sun

Chatham Area Public Library Board of Trustees met April 16. 

Here is the minutes as provided by the board:

I. Board Meeting Called to Order

     A call to order was made at 7:00 p.m. by C. Westerlund. A roll call was conducted by L.

     Ross. Board members in attendance: M. Roubitchek, C. Westerlund, L. Ross, S. Fairfield,

      D. Holden, and C. Moore.

     Absentees: C. Jeffries

     Please note that Director Byers and Administrative Assistant, Dara Lewis were also

     present.

II. Recognition of Visitors / Public Comments

     No visitors or members of the public were present.

III. Approval of Minutes

     A motion to approve the March 19, 2018 minutes was made by D. Holden and

     seconded by M. Roubitchek. The motion passed.

IV. Treasurer’s Reports / Review of Payments

     In the treasurer’s absence, Director Byers reported that budget expenditures were in line

     with where they need to be. The Library was also notified that it was awarded another Per

     Capita Grant from the Illinois State Library. The award amount will be $19,456 and will be

     awarded hopefully sometime in FY19.

     A motion to approve the treasurer’s report and review of payments was made S.

     Fairfield and seconded by C. Moore. The motion passed.

V. Reports

     A. Friends of the Library

          Director Byers reported that Murder Mystery went well and made a profit.

          Membership is now close to 100. Last year the membership total was in the 80’s.

         The board has long another member and is currently seeking more board members.

     B. Library Foundation - Meeting April 19th @ 6:30

         At the meeting, they will discuss their portion of the strategic plan. Director Byers plans

         to provide some preliminary findings from the survey.

        Chris Galanos, a potential community-member-at large will be at the meeting, with

        intention to join the Foundation board, filling the position vacated by Vic Lary.

     C. Library Director’s Report

          Director Byers reported that the new projector screens have been installed. She also

          mentioned that the new couches have some issues with wrinkling that will be addressed.

          The 2018 Library survey is going on now and will be available until the end of the

         month. The survey count is now at 135 which surpasses last year’s number of 105.

         A motion was made to approve the Library Director’s report by D. Holden, and it was

         seconded by S. Fairfield. The motion passed.

     D. Lighting Savings Update

          It was noted that the Library continued realizing savings in the month of March. The

          savings have been higher than expected.

     E. Newspaper Articles

          No comments were made.

     F. Art Committee Report

        A postcard of upcoming shows was distributed to the board. Our next art show will

        feature the RATS (Retired Art Teachers).

     G. FY19 Preliminary Budget Update

         Director Byers mentioned that the extension for FY19 will be less than FY18, due to the

         disconnections from the lake leased properties that the library district lost last fall.

         However, the first payment from the City of Springfield in July will bring our extension

         over last year’s numbers.

     H. Other

          There was no other business to discuss.

VI. Unfinished Business

     A. Other

     There was no other unfinished business to discuss.

VII. New Business

     A. FY19 Audit Proposal

         Director Byers stated that the auditing services had been put out for bid to 3 firms. One

         auditing firm declined to submit a proposal because they said they could not beat the fees

         that have been previously charged. Another did not respond. Last year’s proposal from

         Estes, Bridgewater, and Ogden was $5,200 and submitted a proposal for $5,400.

         A motion to accept the FY19 Audit Proposal from Estes, Bridgewater, and Ogden

         for $5,400 by S. Fairfield and seconded by D. Holden. The motion passed.

     B. FY19 Attorney Proposal

         The proposal for legal service from John Ellis was discussed. Billing would be at the rate

          of $125/hr.

          A motion to accept the FY19 Attorney Proposal from John Ellis was made S.

         Fairfield and seconded by C. Moore. The motion passed.

     C. PLA Expense Report

          A reimbursement request for expenditures (meals, lodging, and postage) related to

         attending the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia made by Director

         Byers was presented, as it was over the $500 threshold based on policy 3-90.

          A motion to approve the PLA Expense Report made by D. Holden and seconded by

         R. Roubitchek. L. Ross conducted a roll-call vote, with all members present voting

         in the affirmative. The motion passed.

     D. Chatham Area Public Library District Constitution and By-Laws / REVIEW

          The by-law committee (M. Roubitchek and S. Fairfield) gave a summary of the changes

          made between the 2010 and updated By-Laws. Mention was made of new sections:

          conflict of interest, video conferencing, and quorum guidelines. The new by-laws expand

          trustee duties, flesh out committees, and provide closed meeting guidelines. The new bylaws

          will be voted on at the next board meeting.

     E. Other

          There was no other business to discuss

VIII. Announcements

     A. Next Board Meeting: May 21st at 7 p.m.

IX. Adjournment

     A motion to adjourn was made by D. Holden and seconded by S. Fairfield. The

     motion passed.

     The board meeting adjourned at 7:37 p.m

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