West Chicago Public Library District Board met January 22.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
A. Call To Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Frank Fokta, President Pro Tem/Vice President.
B. Roll Call:
Trustees Present: Frank Fokta, President Pro Tem/Vice President; Richard Bloom, Treasurer; Pat Weninger, Secretary; and Diane Kelsey and David Reynolds, Members.
Staff Present: Ben Weseloh, Library Director; Joan Happel, Administrative Secretary; Dominique Mendez, Youth Services Manager; Amanda Ghobrial, Adult Services Manager; Gabe Cardenas, Circulation Services Manager.
C. Approval Of The Minutes:
1. Special Board Meeting - November 27, 2017: Ms. Weninger moved to approve the Minutes from the Special Board Meeting of November 27, 2017; seconded by Ms. Diane Kelsey. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
2. Board Meeting - November 27, 2017: Ms. Weninger moved to approve the Board Meeting Minutes of November 27, 2017, as amended; seconded by Mr. Bloom.
- Page 1-B, Staff Present, Jason Rock's title is Information Technology Librarian.
- Page 3, No. 4, second sentence should read: At the three meetings the Committee interviewed a potential insurance broker on November 6, 7 and 13. The one-sentence second paragraph was stricken.
- Page 4, Item K New Business, No. 1 Ordinance 17-06, Mr. Reynolds voted "no." Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
3. Special Board Meeting - December 2, 2017: Mr. Bloom moved to approve the Minutes of the December Special Board Meeting; seconded by Ms. Weninger.
Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
D. Recognition Of The Public: Michael Guttman, City of West Chicago; Rosemary Mackey and Anni Holm, West Chicago, Cultural Arts Commission.
E. Public Comments: Mr. Guttman, West Chicago City Administrator, spoke about how an economic development incentive tool -- tax abatements -- can encourage businesses to locate in the City of West Chicago. The Suncast Corporation is looking to create a 1-million-square-foot distribution facility at the northwest corner of Discovery Drive and Fabian Parkway.
The school districts are uncomfortable with providing tax abatement relief on an ongoing basis to additional companies who are considering moving into West Chicago; and the school superintendents are opposed to a 23-year TIF relief. The Library's attorney has not received any documents to review the prospect of providing relief on the Library District taxes to the businesses.
Mr. Guttman would like to know if the Library Board would be in favor of offering this relief to the businesses as far as the Library District taxes are concerned. The vote on this issue is on the Agenda as Section L. Old Business, Item 1.
The consensus of the Board was to move Unfinished Business Item L-1 up to the conclusion of Mr. Guttman's comments and the Board's questions.
Discussion was had about which taxing bodies would be involved. Mr. Bloom moved that the Board vote to pursue the exploration of the property tax abatement proposal as presented by Michael Guttman; seconded by Ms. Weninger.
Roll Call Vote - Yes: Richard Bloom, Pat Weninger, Frank Fokta, David Reynolds, Diane Kelsey. Motion carried.
Mr. Guttman will draft correspondence back to the two companies requesting the abatement, have the City's attorney work on the required documentation, and provide a copy of the documents to Mr. Weseloh.
Rosemary Mackey and Anni Holm from the Cultural Arts Commission were present to answer questions about the LoveEvenMore sculpture, which is on the Agenda as New Business No. 1. The women spoke to the mission of the Cultural Arts Commission and its development of a master public art plan.
The St. Charles Public Library has an outdoor sculpture on its property, and it is surrounded by plantings. The artwork proposed for the West Chicago Library property will be made out of steel; the City's ownership of the sculpture, the City's responsibility for the maintenance and repair of the sculpture, and the City's responsibility for liability with respect to the sculpture will be memorialized in writing. The sculpture can be illuminated, but the cost for doing so would be borne by the Library.
The Board consensus was to move up for a vote Action Item M-1 from the Agenda.
Ms. Weninger moved to approve the LoveEvenMore sculpture, contingent upon legal review and recommendation; seconded by Mr. Bloom. The City will bear the responsibility to draft the intergovernmental agreement for the Library District's consideration.
Roll Call Vote - Yes: Pat Weninger, Richard Bloom, Frank Fokta. No: David Reynolds, Diane Kelsey. Motion carried.
F. Agenda - Additions/Deletions: Item J, Oath of Trustees, No. 1, should indicated "Term to end May 2019."
G. Presentation:
1. Annual Financial Report Year Ended June 30, 2017: Brian LeFevre from Sikich, LLP, made a presentation to the Board, highlighting aspects of the Annual Financial Report and the Auditor's Communication to the Board of Trustees. The Auditors presented an unmodified opinion, the highest level of opinion which can be received on the Financial Statements.
Overall, the Library had a decrease in its net position for the fiscal year of $154,000.00, mainly as a result of the pension reporting and also the depreciation on assets. The Library's IMRF fund has a positive balance of $8,700.00; all the Library District's deposits were held in compliance with its investment policy; and the investment income of $170,000.00 for the year was a very good return, and the plan is well funded. The property taxes recognized in fiscal year June 30, 2017, represent a collection rate of 99.7 percent.
The Auditor's Communication, Page 5, identifies the OPEB reporting for fiscal year June 30, 2018, which will have an impact on the Library's financial statements but will not affect how the Library operates.
H. Treasurer's Report:
1. Approval of Bills for December 2017: Mr. Bloom moved that the Board approve expenditures in the amount of $150,648.84 from the November Financial Statement Chart of Accounts that were paid in December; seconded by Ms. Weninger.
Roll Call Vote - Yes: Richard Bloom, Pat Weninger, Frank Fokta, David Reynolds, Diane Kelsey. Motion carried.
Approval of Bills for January 2018: Mr. Bloom moved that the Board approve the January expenditures from the Chart of Accounts in the amount of $188,536.07; seconded by Ms. Weninger.
Discussion was had that there were three payroll periods during the month.
Roll Call Vote - Yes: Richard Bloom, Pat Weninger, Frank Fokta, David Reynolds, Diane Kelsey. Motion carried.
2. Financial statements for November/December 2017: Mr. Weseloh will discuss under his Director's Report.
I. Communications:
1. Property Tax Abatement Proposal - Michael Guttman: Item discussed under Item E, Public Comments.
2. Bruce Tomkins - RE: Winifred Thomassen: Bruce Tomkins' aunt, Winifred Thomassen, West Chicago resident, passed away on November 13, 2017, and had a Certificate of Deposit in the amount of $6,000.00, payable upon death to the West Chicago Library. The Finance Committee will meet and make a recommendation on the use of these funds.
3. ILA Legislative Meetups: The luncheon will be held at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook Hotel, February 16, 2018, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. If a trustee would like to attend, contact Mr. Weseloh, and he will submit the registration.
4. Lions Club of West Chicago: The Lions Club sent a thank you for having a collection box for the coat drive at the Library. They received 300 coats in the drive.
5. IMET Participant Update: LINC had approximately $11,000.00 in the affected IMET account. LINC has been speaking with the attorney regarding the possibility of collecting these funds.
J. Oath of Trustees: Mr. Tawney was sworn in for his position as Trustee, with the term ending May of 2019.
K. Reports:
1. President: None.
2. Library Director: A written report was provided the trustees in the board packets. Comments by the Director at the board meeting include:
Mr. Weseloh reported the fiscal year elapsed at 50 percent. The Library has received 99.9 percent of its property tax revenue, with just under $2,000.00 uncollected. Revenue is currently $70,000.00 under budget, and expenditures are at 44.5 percent, or 5.5 percent under budget. The insurance expense is front-loaded, 57.33 percent.
The 2018-19 LINC operating budget is on the agenda for approval; the funds for the budget will be expended from reserves. If LINC recoups the IMET funds, those funds will be distributed to the member libraries based on percentage of contribution.
Mr. Weseloh hired Asset Control Solutions to conduct a fixed asset evaluation for the Library following the interior renovation. The report is forthcoming. Mr. Weseloh signed a 36-month contract with Constellation for natural gas delivery at 32 cents per therm. The Library is currently at 42 cents per therm.
The SWAN board at its November meeting ratified the 19 incoming libraries for SWAN membership.
Mr. Weseloh expressed his appreciation to the trustees who have contributed and met the requirements for the Per Capita Grant. He submitted the report on January 8, 2018.
Sikich completed implementation of Mimecast for the library's email and installed the new Sonic Firewall. An error occurred on one of the library servers; HP indicated replacement the involved hardware is necessary, to be completed January 23 or 24, 2018.
Illinois Library Association is hosting a Library Trustee Forum Workshop on February 17, 2018 at the Marriott Oak Brook from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Trustees interested in attending should contact the Director, and he will handle registration.
3. Department Managers: Written reports were included in the Board Packets. Oral reports were provided by department managers for Adult Services, Youth Services, and Circulation Services departments.
The Holiday Open House was attended by 277 people. The Food for Fines program collected approximately 900 pounds of nonperishable items, which were donated to the local food pantry. 113 new patrons were added during December. The percent of district residents who are enrolled as patrons is 46.7. (Staff left.)
4. Policy Committee: The Policy Committee met January 11, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. Present were Frank Fokta, Chair; Pat Weninger, member; Ben Weseloh, Staff. The policies will be considered under New Business, Item 2, of the Agenda.
L. Unfinished Business:
1. Property Tax Abatement Proposal: Item was covered under Section E, Public Comments, above.
M. New Business:
1. LoveEvenMore Sculpture Installation: Item was covered under Section E, Public Comments, above.
2. Policy Review:
a. Purchasing Policy (Bids & Quotations): The Policy Committee recommended approval of the Purchasing Policy. Line 130 should be changed to $7,500.00. Lines 101-106 were discussed with respect to written quotations and performance bonds when they are related to renovations and are above the $7,500.00 Director's authorization, that the Director come to the Board to review the eligible contractors; or the Board could waive the bid process for a project on a case-by-case basis. The Policy Committee recommended to send the policy to the Finance Committee for review.
b. Service to Patrons with Disabilities: The Policy Committee recommended the Service to Patrons With Disabilities policy. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
c. Display or Distribution of Notices, Pamphlets, or other Printed Material: The Policy Committee recommended the policy be approved as amended. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
d. Exhibits/Display and Artwork Policy: The Policy Committee recommended approval of the Exhibits Display and Artwork Policy as amended. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
e. Sale or Disposition of Surplus Library Property: The Policy Committee recommended the approval of the Sale or Distribution of Surplus Library Property policy. Two minor changes were made on Lines 20 and 21. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
f. Policy Audit and Review Procedures: The Policy Committee recommended the Policy Audit and Review Procedures as amended. Discussion was had to state that some sections will be forwarded for review to library counsel. The Library policies are on the website, and a printed copy is available in the administration office. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
g. Disaster Plan: The Disaster Plan is in the process of being revised. The Policy Committee recommends approval of this plan at this time, and the revised plan will be considered in July. The Emergency Procedures Manual is also up for review. The Board and the staff management team would like to combine the Disaster Plan and the Emergency Procedures Manual. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
3. Approval of LINC Operating Budget FY 2018-19: Mr. Bloom moved that the board approve the LINC Operating Budget for FY18-19 in the amount of $117,550.00; seconded by Ms. Weninger. Discussion was had regarding no monthly consortium fee being due from the Library until it becomes part of the SWAN system.
Roll Call Vote - Yes: Richard Bloom, Pat Weninger, Frank Fokta, David Reynolds, Diane Kelsey, Tom Tawney. Motion carried.
4. Appointment of Committee for Semi-Annual Review of Closed Session Minutes and Executive Session Tapes of July through December 2017: Mr. Fokta appointed himself and Ms. Kelsey to perform the review. They will capture the process in writing so that the library has a written procedure.
N. Closed Session: None held.
O. Return To Open Session: None held.
P. Adjournment: Mr. Fokta adjourned the meeting at 9:06 p.m.
http://www.wcpld.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/WC-LIB-Minutes-January2018-searchable.pdf
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