M-F: 10am – 5pm | Sat: 11am – 4pm | Sun: Closed

 June 14, 2021

Library Board Meeting

 

A regular meeting of the Lone Cone Library District Board was held on June 14, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., located at 1455 Pinion Street and also via Zoom. Said meeting was posted and included the link and password in accordance with the Sunshine Law. 

PRESENT: Rheanna Xavier, Kristen Parrino, Emily Haight, Laurel Henderson, Sara Lopez, Carrie Andrew, Kim Schooley

GUESTS: none

CALL TO ORDER

Library Director Carrie Andrew called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

A motion was made by Emily, seconded by Laurel, to approve the agenda as proposed. All voted yes. Motion passed.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The Library Board considered the minutes of the May 10, 2021, regular Library Board meeting for approval. 

A motion was made by Rheanna, seconded by Sara, to approve the minutes from the May 10th, 2021, regular Library Board meeting as presented. All voted yes. Motion passed.

CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

No public comment was made at this time. 

MONTHLY BUDGET REVIEWS

Carrie noted that she and her staff are working to get grants classified correctly in Quickbooks. The JFK grant was deposited in December of 2020 and is not showing up in the 2021 budget. The library received a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation earlier in the year for its Lunch Program. The Lunch Program will be Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer to coordinate with the Summer Reading Program. The budget has specific lines for each grant but still needs correction. Carrie also noted that as of the end of April we have received 59% of our revenue collected from property taxes through the County Treasurer. 

Carrie noted that payroll is always the library’s largest expense but that only 41% of the budget for payroll has been spent and the year is almost half over. Equipment and computer expenses are over budget at 122%, however some of the grants received cover the expense of the equipment and computers. Two new laptops were purchased recently, one for the new VISTA that will be starting July 6th and one for Beverly, which are not shown on the May 2021 budget.

We have a VISTA starting July 6th and the cost will be shared with the Norwood Dark Sky Program. Housing has been secured with rent being $1000-$1200 per month. The Norwood Dark Sky Program will pay $150 per month towards rent. The library is hoping to find a roommate (preferably another VISTA) to offset the rental expense. The library does not pay the rental funds directly to the VISTA(s) rather directly to the homeowner.

MONTHLY REPORTS Q&A

In regards to program attendance, the numbers are continuing to increase. The library hosted another vaccination clinic in May as well as library sponsored programs. The asterisk (*) next to the numbers for Wifi usage denotes an estimate. The routers that count usage had an update and the library has been unable to reach tech support as they are located in Europe and the time difference makes it difficult to be in contact. Carrie is looking at grants to upgrade our router equipment, although the library is under contract with the current service provider for approximately one more year.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Carrie shared that the library received seven totes of missing items from the courier last Friday. It was estimated that the library had $3200 worth of items lost through the courier earlier this year. 

After waiving the fines for late DVD returns the library lost about $1000 in revenue but having the patrons return was more important. 

The room rental fee waiver form is almost ready and Carrie is revisiting the list of organizations that fees can be waived for without going to the board for approval. 

In light of the drought conditions in our area, Carrie is applying for the library to be a backup Red Cross Shelter should the need arise. Norwood Schools would remain the primary shelter location. 

The library hired a third Teen Helper who starts Thursday, June 17th. She will help with bi-lingual translation during Story Time. 

Carrie received, just today, a survey from Chris Andreason and his team to complete with regards to the library’s outdoor site design. This is a community survey and some questions are similar to the post occupancy survey that was just pushed out to the community so the outdoor site design survey may need to be updated. 

Finally, the library received 207 survey responses from the post occupancy survey. One of the number one takeaways from the survey was that the community’s favorite thing about the library is its staff. Other comments that were seen a lot had to do with the size of the building, that it doesn’t meet the community’s needs and that the utility costs must be very expensive. The data will be analyzed in more detail over the weekend.

2022 Budget Discussion: There are new changes in the Colorado State Legislature and SB21-293 was passed last week, which reduces property taxes for residential and non-residential agricultural properties temporarily for two years. The purpose of this bill is to offset proposed Initiative 27, which is a permanent reduction. Unless the library takes action, it may see a decline in revenues for 2022 and 2023. Carrie contacted the attorneys representing the library and was given two separate ballot resolutions to discuss with the board. A formal decision is not required until July 23, 2021. There is a cost associated with placing a resolution on a ballot but the cost can be shared with other taxing districts proposing resolutions. If the board decides to pursue a ballot resolution, the library can campaign with an “if/then” scenario but only until sometime in August. Carrie will send more information to the board as it becomes available. The 2021 Coordinated Election is Tuesday, November 2nd.

BOARD MEMBER REPORTS

No reports were presented at this time. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

No unfinished business was presented at this time. 

NEW BUSINESS

New Colorado Libraries Collaborate (CLC) Policy. A motion was made by Emily, seconded by Rheanna, to approve the new Colorado Libraries Collaborate (CLC) Policy. All voted yes. Motion passed.

Internet and Wifi Policy. A motion was made by Emily, seconded by Laurel, to approve the new Internet and Wifi Policy. All voted yes. Motion passed.

ADDITIONAL BOARD ITEMS

No additional board items were presented at this time.

MOTION TO ADJOURN

At 8:08 p.m., a motion was made by Rheanna, seconded by Kristen, to adjourn the meeting with no further action taken. All voted yes. Motion passed.