At a recent meeting, the Batavia Public Library District Board discussed a report on the impact that the Edge Assessment has had on the library.
Below are the minutes for this meeting, as provided by the board.
Agenda Item # 5 a (1)
w w w. B a t a v i a P u b l i c L i b r a r y. o r g
10 South Batavia Avenue • Batavia, IL 60510-2449 • (630) 879-1393 • FAX (630) 879-9118
MINUTES
Board of Library Trustees of the Batavia Public Library District
Regular Meeting
Tuesday ? 21 June 2016
1. Call to Order
Trustee Sullivan called the regular meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. in the Elizabeth L. Hall Conference
Room of the Batavia Public Library.
2. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
3. Call the Roll
Trustees Present: Diane L. Blodgett, Richard A. Henders, Cara M. Schuster, Jo Ann Smith, Douglas S.
Sullivan, and J. Thomas Von Lunen
Trustees Absent: Andrew R. Deitchman
Staff Members Present: Director George H. Scheetz, H. Joseph McKane, Kathy A. Moecher, Stacey L.
Peterson, and Joanne C. Zillman
Visitors Present: Barbara L. Mabbs, volunteer, Batavia Access Television (BATV) Inc.
4. Comments from the Audience
There were no comments from the audience.
5. Approve the Consent Agenda
Trustee Sullivan read the consent agenda.
Trustee Sullivan asked whether there were any changes to the consent agenda.
Motion by Trustee Schuster to approve the consent agenda, as presented, to include the following
items:—
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 2 OF 9
a. Minutes:
(1) Regular Meeting, Tuesday, 17 May 2016
b. Expenditures:
(1) May 2016, including General Fund checks (721679–721790) in the amount of $182,763.95,and payroll and taxes in the amount of $123,690.07, for a grand total of $306,454.02 inexpenditures.
c. Other Action Items:
(1) An Ordinance Specifying the Library Board’s Regular Meeting Schedule for 2016–2017
(Standing Committee on Services): ORDINANCE 2016–003
(2) A Ordinance Ascertaining Prevailing Wage (Standing Committee on Finance): ORDINANCE
2016–004
(3) A Ordinance Transferring Funds from the Library Fund (Fund 10) to the Special Reserve Fund
(Fund 22) (Standing Committee on Finance): ORDINANCE 2016–005
Seconded by Trustee Von Lunen. Roll Call: Blodgett, aye; Henders, aye; Schuster, aye; Smith, aye;
Sullivan, aye; Von Lunen, aye. The motion carried, 6–0, with one member absent.
6. Approve the Agenda
Trustee Sullivan asked if there were any changes to the agenda.
Motion by Trustee Schuster to approve the agenda, as presented. Seconded by Trustee Blodgett. All: Aye.
7. Board of Education (Per Capita Grant): “Technology”: The Edge Assessment
Director Scheetz reported that one of the requirements for the 2016–2017 Per Capita Grant was as
follows:—
FY2017 Requirements
Technology — Library board and staff will…
? Report on the impact The Edge Assessment has had on the library.
? Including at least one example of how the library has used or plans to use the informationgleaned from the assessment.
After introductory remarks, Director Scheetz presented a report on the two elements of the Per Capita
Grant requirement, as follows (in part):—
Report on the impact the Edge Assessment has had on the library
The Edge’s impact on the Library has been indirect, meaning that, while the Library has not focusedits attention on specific “attributes” (as described in the Edge assessment), the process of completingthe assessment from October 2014 to February 2015 made the managers aware of the “attributes”and the Library has, in fact, made progress, ….
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 3 OF 9
Identify at least one example of how the library has used or plans to use the information gleanedfrom the assessment
The Library used information gleaned from the assessment to implement the following Attributes:—
? Launched a new “Digital Pictures Class” (October 2015)
Benchmark 1; Best Practice 1.1; Attribute [1st Attribute; 7th Item]
Benchmark 2; Best Practice 2.1; Attribute [3rd Attribute]
? Launched a new “Online Job Searching Class” (September 2015)
Benchmark 3; Best Practice 3.1; Attribute [1st Attribute]
Director Scheetz identified two other examples in his written report.
A lively discussion ensued.
In response to a question from Trustee Schuster, discussion followed on whether the Library would
continue to subscribe to The Edge Initiative.
8. Financial Reports: May 2016
? 2015–2016 Working Budget
? 2015–2016 Statement of Revenue and Expenditures (Annual Budget and Appropriation)
? 2015–2016 Investment Report
H. Joseph McKane, the Library’s Finance Specialist, asked whether there were any questions regardingthe financial reports, which were included in the Board packet. There were no questions.
9. President’s Report
? Appoint two (2) trustees (other than Secretary) to perform audit of Secretary’s records onor before September 1, as required by 75ILCS 16/30–65 (c): Trustee Sullivan reported thattwo Trustees (other than the Secretary) were needed to conduct the annual Secretary’s Audit.
Trustee Smith and Trustee Von Lunen agreed to carry out this assignment.
10. Good News / Comments from the Board
Trustee Von Lunen gave kudos for the latest installment of the New Lyceum Lecture Series on Tuesday,
14 June 2016.
“The Leland Bluebird Recording Sessions” was presented by the Library, sponsored by the BataviaPublic Library Foundation, and co-sponsored by the Fox Valley Music Foundation and the Kane CountyChronicle.
There were no additional comments from the Board.
11. Correspondence and Communications
There were no additional items of correspondence and communication.
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 4 OF 9
12. Director’s and Librarians’ Reports: May 2016
? Statistical Reports
Total Circulation (Items Checked Out)
The total circulation in May reflected an increase of 14.5% over May 2015 (54,547 compared to
47,627)—for an average of 1,880.9 items checked out per day over 29 days (the Library was
closed May 29–30 for Memorial Day)—or an average of 189.4 items per hour over 288 hours.
Due to an issue with the monthly report for February 2016, the year-to-date report (July 2015–
May 2016) is not yet available.
Total Number of Unique Visitors to Web Site
The total number of unique visitors to the Web site (www.BataviaPublicLibary.org) in May
reflected an increase of 37.6% over May 2015 (10,705 compared to 7,777), for an average of345.3 visitors per day over 31 days—or an average of 14.9 visitors per hour over 720 hours (theservice is available 24/7).
Total year-to-date number of unique visitors to the Web site (July 2015– May 2016) reflected anincrease of 48.8% over the same period in the previous fiscal year (111,712 compared to 75,092).
Total Number of Page Views to Web Site (Home Page Only)
The total number of page views (home page only) in May reflected a decrease of 1.6% from May2015 (14,062 compared to 16,788), for an average of 453.6 page views per day over 31 days—oran average of 19.5 page views per hour over 720 hours (the service is available 24/7).Total year-to-date number of page views (home page only) July 2015–May 2016) reflected adecrease of 12.1% over the same period in the previous fiscal year (162,226 compared to184,627).
Total Number of Visits to Library
The total number of visits in May reflected an increase of 1.2% over May 2015 (22,089 comparedto 21,821)—for an average of 761.7 visits per day over 29 days (the Library was closed May 29–30 for Memorial Day)—or an average of 76.7 visits per hour over 288 hours.
Total year-to-date number of visits (July 2015–May 2016) reflected a decrease of 3.2% from thesame period in the previous fiscal year (255,821 compared to 264,169).
? Other Highlights
Batavia Public Library, 1866–2016: Director Scheetz reported that the origins of the Librarycan be traced to October 1866, nearly 150 years ago. In honor of this occasion, the Library’shistory is the focus of a series of messages from the Director in Neighbors of Batavia.
Part 1 appeared in the May / June 2016 issue of Neighbors of Batavia and a preview of Part 2,which will appear in the July / August 2016 issue, was included in the Director’s Report.
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 5 OF 9
? Report from Youth Services
Joanne C. Zillman presented highlights from her written report and, in particular, reported on“Read for the Win,” the 2016 Summer Reading Club for children and families and the Junior
Volunteers program.
In response to a question from Trustee Sullivan, discussion followed on the “American Red CrossBabysitting Workshops.” The Batavia Public Library Foundation has sponsored this programseries since 2013.
In response to a question from Trustee Sullivan, discussion followed on “Paws for Tales,” aprogram in which children read to trained therapy dogs.
? Report from Adult Services
Stacey L. Peterson presented highlights from her written report and, in particular, reported on“Read for the Win,” the 2016 Summer Reading Club for adults and teens, new technology classes,and a project to preserve and digitize Civil War letters and diaries written by Batavians.
The Civil War project was supported in part by an award from the Illinois State Historical
Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and RecordsCommission (NHPRC) of the National Archives and Records Administration; and supported inpart from an Illinois Public Library Per Capita Grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, adepartment of the Office of the Secretary of State.
13. Committee and Official Representative Reports
a. Standing Committee on Facilities: There was no meeting in June.
b. Standing Committee on Finance: Trustee Von Lunen presented a brief report on the work of theStanding Committee on Finance, the agenda for which was distributed to the Board.
c. Standing Committee on Outreach: Trustee Henders presented a brief report on the work of theStanding Committee on Outreach, the agenda for which was distributed to the Board.
d. Standing Committee on Services: There was no meeting in June.
e. Batavia Public Library Foundation: Trustee Schuster presented a brief report on the work of theBatavia Public Library Foundation.
f. Friends of the Batavia Public Library: Trustee Von Lunen presented a brief report on the work ofthe Friends of the Batavia Public Library.
g. Library Integrated Network Consortium (LINC): Director Scheetz presented a brief report on thework of LINC and, in particular, on the proposed merger of LINC with SWAN (System WideAutomated Network), which would culminate in the dissolution of LINC in 2018.
h. Batavia Access Television (BATV): Trustee Schuster presented a brief report on the work of BATV.
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 6 OF 9
14. Budget Issues (Standing Committee on Finance)
a. Working Budget for 2016–2017
Trustee Sullivan reported that the purpose of this report was to present the Working Budget for 2016–2017, which was recommended to the Board of Library Trustees for approval by the StandingCommittee on Finance.
Director Scheetz reported that the Working Budget was designed to provide greater detail in revenuesand expenditures than the combined Annual Budget and Appropriation, which is required by statute.
The proposed Working Budget for 2016–2017 was developed by the Library Accountant / FinanceSpecialist and Library Director.
Guidelines
At the Library Director’s request, the Standing Committee on Finance established guidelines for the
preparation of the Working Budget.
Trustee Von Lunen reported that, with this Working Budget, the Library has fulfilled one of itsfiduciary commitments to the community. The budget, as presented, is a balanced budget and meetsall guidelines, as follows:—
? Books and Other Materials: Budget at least 12% of the operating budget for books and
other materials—Note: Collection Management and Resource-Sharing Standard # 1, from
Chapter 7 in Serving Our Public 3.0: Standards for Illinois Public Libraries (2014), states:
“The library spends a minimum of 12 percent of its operating budget on materials for
patrons.”
The proposed Working Budget (at 12.4%) meets this guideline.
? Salary Issues: Budget a “salary pool” in the range of 2.0% to 3.5% of the expenditure line
for salaries (in the Working Budget for 2015–2016) for merit pay, contingent upon availablerevenue
The proposed Working Budget includes a “salary pool” of 2.0% for merit pay.
? Personnel Complement: Present options for additional staff positions and/or hours,
contingent upon available resources
The proposed Working Budget does not include funds for additional staff positions.
? Reserve Funds: Budget 2.0% of the revenues in the Library Fund for the Special ReserveFund
The proposed Working Budget includes a transfer of 2.0% from the Library Fund to the
Special Reserve Fund.
? Overall: Make a good faith effort to control expenditures and improve revenues without
diminishing the overall quality of service
The proposed Working Budget meets this guideline.
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 7 OF 9
Highlights
Highlights of the Working Budget for 2016–2017 include:—
? The proposed Working Budget reflects an overall increase in estimated property tax revenues(in the Library Fund) of $16,534 (0.6%).
The Library’s property tax revenues were significantly limited by the Property Tax ExtensionLimitation Law (PTELL).1
? The proposed Working Budget follows the Committee’s guideline for books and other
materials; to wit:—“Budget at least 12% of the operating budget for books and other
materials.”
The additional amount required to meet this guideline ($24,000) is reflected in the WorkingBudget in the line item “Materials Adjustment to Achieve 12.0%.”
The budget for books and other materials (not including Technical Services Supplies) reflectsan increase of $11,227 (2.8%).
? The budget for total personnel expenses (including benefits) reflects an increase of $97,342
(5.2%) — compared to $74,664 (4.2%) for 2015–2016.
? Expenditures for books and other materials account for 12.4% of the total Working Budget,
and expenditures for personnel expenses account for 57.0% of the total Working Budget.
The same definition of operating budget was used to calculate both the percentage of
expenditures for personnel expenses and the expenditures for books and other materials.
? No reserve funds were used to balance the Working Budget for 2016–2017. The current
target balance for the Special Reserve Fund is $1,000,000 (Ordinance 2006–001).
Discussion followed.
Trustee Sullivan noted that the new Working Budget was lower than the previous year, yet theLibrary was able to maintain a high standard of operations in difficult times. He commended McKaneand Director Scheetz for an outstanding job in preparing the Working Budget.
1The Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) is designed to limit the increases in property tax extension
(total taxes billed) for non-home rule taxing districts. Although the law is commonly referred to as “tax caps,” use of this
phrase can be misleading. The PTELL does not “cap” either individual property tax bills or individual property assessments.
Instead, the PTELL allows a taxing district to receive a limited inflationary increase in tax extensions on existing propertyplus an additional amount for new construction.
The limit slows the growth of revenues to taxing districts when property values and assessments are increasing fasterthan the rate of inflation. As a whole, property owners have some protection from tax bills that increase only because themarket value of their property is rising rapidly.
The limiting rate is calculated, for each taxing district, by the county clerk to implement PTELL. The sum of adistrict’s rates extended for those funds subject to the PTELL cannot exceed this limiting rate. After calculating preliminaryrates for the funds, the county clerk will compare the sum of these rates to the limiting rate. If this sum exceeds the limitingrate, the county clerk will reduce each rate proportionally, unless instructed by a taxing district to reduce them in a differentway.
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 8 OF 9
Motion
Motion by Trustee Sullivan to approve the Working Budget for 2016–2017, as presented. Secondedby Trustee Von Lunen. Roll Call: Blodgett, aye; Henders, aye; Schuster, aye; Smith, aye; Sullivan,aye; Von Lunen, aye. The motion carried, 6–0, with one member absent.
b. Tentative Form of “An Ordinance Approving and Adopting the Annual Budget and
Appropriation for Library Purposes for Fiscal Year 2016–2017”
Trustee Sullivan noted that a copy of the Tentative Form of “An Ordinance Approving and Adoptingthe Annual Budget and Appropriation for Library Purposes for Fiscal Year 2016–2017” was includedin the Board packet.
Director Scheetz described the Annual Budget and Appropriation process, which is followed later in
the year by the Annual Levy process.
Director Scheetz reported that a notice was scheduled to appear in the Kane County Chronicle on
Thursday, 23 June 2016, and the tentative form of the Ordinance was available for public inspectionin the Business Office and at the Reference Desk on and after Friday, 17 June 2016. A public hearingwill be held on Tuesday, 19 July 2016, after which the Board will adopt the Ordinance.
Director Scheetz commended McKane for his work on the Annual Budget and Appropriation.
15. Future Agenda Items
Director Scheetz noted that an updated list of future agenda items was included in the Board packet.
16. A closed session for “The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissalof specific employees of the public body,” as authorized by 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)
Motion by Trustee Blodgett to enter closed session for the purpose stated. Seconded by Trustee Smith.
Roll Call: Blodgett, aye; Henders, aye; Schuster, aye; Smith, aye; Sullivan, aye; Von Lunen, aye. Themotion carried, 6–0, with one member absent.
The Board entered closed session at 7:50 p.m.
The Board returned to open session at 8:56 p.m.
17. Next Meetings or Events
a. 150th Anniversary of Library Service in Batavia (1866–2016), January–December 2016 — Theme:
“A new story… 150 years in the making”
b. ALA Annual Conference (Orlando), Thursday–Tuesday, 23–28 June 2016
c. Independence Day, Monday, 4 July 2016, Library Closed
d. Board of Library Trustees (Regular Meeting), Tuesday, 19 July 2016, 7:00 p.m., Elizabeth L. Hall
Conference Room, Batavia Public Library
e. Board of Library Trustees (Regular Meeting), Tuesday, 16 August 2016, 7:00 p.m., Elizabeth L.
Hall Conference Room, Batavia Public Library
MINUTES (REGULAR MEETING) ? 21 JUNE 2016 ? PAGE 9 OF 9
f. Staff Development Day (4th Friday in August), Friday, 26 August 2016, Library Closed
g. Library Card Sign-Up Month, September 2016 — launched in 1987 as a national campaign: “everychild should obtain a library card”
h. Sunday before Labor Day, Sunday, 4 September 2016, Library Closed
i. Labor Day (1st Monday in September), Monday, 5 September 2016, Library Closed
18. Adjournment
Motion by Trustee Henders to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Trustee Blodgett. All: Aye. The motioncarried.
Trustee Sullivan declared the regular meeting of the Board of Library Trustees adjourned at 8:58 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Douglas S. Sullivan Cara M. Schuster
President Secretary
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