River Forest Public Library March 25, 2008 Regular Board Meeting Minutes Call to Order & Roll Call Trustee Fischer called the regular meeting to order at 7:55 PM. Trustee Beck called the roll. Present were Trustees Fischer, Halloran, O’Connor, and Beck. Trustees Coe, Cusack and Horstman were excused. Trustees were joined by Director Sophia Anastos. Staff members Samantha Cresswell, Ellen Cutter and Blaire Ranucci attended the meeting. Three visitors were present in the audience. Audience to Visitors, Trustee and Staff Comments none Consent Agenda Trustee Fischer requested a motion to approve the March Consent Agenda which included the Minutes from the Board Meeting on 2/19/08, the February Treasurer’s Report and Warrant & Benefits List for the period of 2/12 to 3/12/08 including checks numbered from 7664-7720. Total expenditures for the period were $67221.12. During discussion, trustees requested an itemized summary of consulting services used during 2007-8. Trustee O’Connor moved to approve the March Agenda. Trustee Beck seconded. A roll call vote was taken and passed unanimously. Communications A. Announcements Director Anastos announced that she will attend the Public Library Assoc. Conference. B. Patron Suggestions Trustee O’Connor noted the patron comment about leaky windows. Director Anastos indicated that there appeared to be staining and heat loss, but no active leaks. Director’s Report Director Anastos informed the Board that the library will receive over $14,000 for the Per Capita Grant from the Illinois Secretary of State. The next staff in-service is on April 11 and will include a Customer Service presentation. Ms. Anastos introduced audience member, Mr. Heiferman, a River Forest resident who attended the meeting on behalf of his son, whose Eagle Scout project was familiar to some of the trustees, but not to others. Mr. Heiferman wished to confirm an installation plan for benches outside the library. Trustee Fischer indicated that the library trustees could not take action on an issue that was not on the agenda. She noted that the Library does not own the grounds around the Library so would not be in a position to grant permission in any case without consulting the RF Park District. Discussion followed to bring trustees and Ms. Anastos up to date on the project. During discussion of the statistical report, Trustee Fischer encouraged Ms. Anastos to review the statistics with an eye toward simplifying the information currently presented and emphasizing the most significant statistics. Further discussion highlighted the current average of 27,000 visitors to the facility each month. The statistical report also showed that 12,000 visitors routinely visit the Children’s Room each month. And, during 2008, the Library has received an average of 7000 website visits each month. Director Anastos noted that River Forest is now using a database tool so that there is archival history of computer issues. Old Business A. Intergovernmental Agreement Ms. Anastos informed the Trustees that the draft of the Intergovernmental Agreement was before Oak Park Library’s Board. The Library will be billed as it has been until the new agreement is signed. B. LIMRiCC JSIP Plan Director Anastos researched the Library’s insurance coverage and learned that the Library pays the Village $20,000 annually for coverage. She confirmed that liability insurance and “errors and omissions” are included in that sum. Maximum insurance value is $10,000,000. Ms. Anastos gave these reasons before recommending that the trustees take a pass on MLS’s LIMRiCC JSIP plan. (see Feb Minutes for further explanation). C. Additional Information on Employee Health Insurance Director Anastos investigated health insurance options and recommended that the library stay with the Village health plan. But she shared contrasting levels of coverage at the Village and the Library. The Village’s coverage is significantly greater as a percentage than the Library’s. The Library’s health coverage does not include an option for coverage of spouses or dependents at this time. The Trustees indicated that this conversation should inform a budget discussion about a complete compensation package that would attract the best possible employees from the available pool. Ms. Anastos intends to contact the Management Association of Illinois to find out what like-libraries contribute toward employee health insurance. New Business A. Discussion of Library Budget Director Anastos indicated that she wanted to get information about the budget process. She spoke with Bookkeeper Denise Hudec about the budget lines. Director Anastos will check whether the library is lined up with the Village fiscal year. Trustee Fischer gave background on budget process and indicated that big picture budget discussions had taken place well ahead of final budget preparation and presentation to the Village. Trustees and the Director discussed seeking outside help with multi-year historical analysis of the budget as well as multi-year projections. B. Welcome Party After some discussion, Trustee Fischer requested a motion to approve spending on the April 13 Welcome Reception for Director Anastos. Trustee Beck moved to approve expenses of up to $1000 from the budget line set aside for community events sponsored by the Library. Trustee Halloran seconded the motion. The motion passesd unanimously. Adjournment At 9:28 PM, Trustee Halloran moved to adjourn the regular meeting. Trustee Beck seconded. The meeting was adjourned. Executive Session None Respectfully submitted, Harley Beck