The monthly meeting of the Board of the St. Louis County Library District was held at the Mahlon P. Wallace Headquarters Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO on Monday, March 19, 2007, at 3:30 p.m. The agenda had been posted in all branches of the Library District at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Library Board Members
Richard J. Bagy, Jr., President
Bettie Gershman, Vice President
Jean Weinstock, Secretary
Kenneth Stricker and Chingling Tai were unable to attend.Others Attending
Charles Pace, Director; Gary Holdefer, Associate Director and Comptroller; George Durnell, Assistant Director; Barbara Brain, Assistant Director; Cindy Ormsby, Crotzer, Ford & Ormsby Counsel; Kristen Sorth, Manager, Human Resources; Jim Bogart, Development Manager; Jake Fejedelem, Manager, ITS; Carrie Robb, Adult Programming Coordinator; Lance Carlson, Arthur J. Gallagher & Company, Mary Kay Lofgren, Rubin Brown; Jeff Winter, Rubin Brown, Denise Keller, Finance Manager; Steven Rettke, patron; Mark Austin, patron; and Sandra Williams, Executive Assistant.
The Minutes, dated Monday, January 22, 2007, were approved by general consent after it was noted by Mrs. Weinstock that the Paula Deen event was dated incorrectly. The date should read as April 26.
Mr. Bagy allowed Jeff Winter and Mary Kay Lofgren to give their independent audit presentation. Mr. Winter reported that the Library has a strong balance sheet. The over funded Pension Plan was also considered a strength.
The auditors left after giving this report.
The Treasurer’s Report dated February 28, was reviewed by the Board. The report was accepted by general consent, subject to audit. Mr. Holdefer reported that to date, 97% of the tax revenue budget has been received.
Customer Service Issues - Mr. Pace reported that a patron complained about the material in the north display case. There were quotes from the Bible displayed along with the artwork. He asked the patron to remove the quotes to comply with our non sectarian policy.
Policy Issues - Mr. Pace reported that the meeting room and circulation policies were nearing completion and will be brought to the Board at a future meeting.
Branch Visits - Branch visits have been completed by the Director.
Facilities - High winds caused the loss of power at Jamestown Bluffs and Lewis and Clark in February.
New Hires - Sarah Windau has been hired as our new Teen Services Coordinator and Carrie Robb is our new Adult Programming Coordinator.
Library Visit - Mr. Pace reported that he met with Waller McGuire, Director of the St. Louis Public Library System. Mrs. Weinstock said that St. Louis Public has a great Friends Group and we should meet with them.
Paula Deen - Celebrity chef Paula Deen will be at our Library Thursday, April 26. Since we are anticipating between 500 and a thousand people for this event, we will distribute tickets at Headquarters in order to accommodate the crowd. Straub’s, Reliance Bank and WalMart are the sponsors.
Annual Reports - Mr. Pace asked the Board to review the annual report drafts distributed to them.
None.
Insurance Renewals - The Board approved the renewal premiums of Firemen’s Fund and St. Paul/Travelers at $476,641. This includes the $23,000 brokerage fee of Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services (Gershman/Weinstock).
Overhead Security Door - The Board approved Overhead Door Co. to install garage rolling grilles at a cost of $12,918 (Weinstock/Gershman).
Pension Contributions - The Board approved the requested $450,000 for funding the Pension Plan (Weinstock/Gershman).
Internet Access Management - The Board approved TracSystems, an Internet Access/print management system at a cost of $100,782 (Gershman/Weinstock.
Foundation - The Board approved the recommendation of Linda Legg, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary AT&T Yellow Pages, as a member to the Foundation Board (Gershman/Weinstock). Jim Bogart also reported that the attorney has reviewed suggested changes to the by-laws. The by-laws are to be approved at the June meeting. Changes will include staggered terms. The Friends organization has been absorbed into the Foundation. There are 390 current Friends. Sandra Williams has been appointed Friends Coordinator. David Baker, a fund raising consultant, will work with Jim Bogart. Mr. Bogart reported that the Foundation has approved a 2007 Budget.
Mr. Bagy allowed two patrons to address the Board.
Mr. Mark Austin addressed the Board on his opposition to automated computer use.
Mr. Steven Rettke addressed the Board concerning bogus holds placed on his account by an unknown individual. He said he believed that this behavior violated the code of conduct. The Board suggested giving Mr. Rettke a different account number.
Closed Session - Mrs. Gershman moved that the open meeting adjourn and the Board reconvene in closed session pursuant to Section 610.021 subsection (1), (2), (3), (9), (11), (12), (13) and (14) to discuss matters relating to legal actions, causes of action or litigation; property acquisition or sale and any personnel matters involving hiring, firing, discipline and promotion. Mrs. Weinstock seconded. All approved by individual voice vote.
The meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
____________________________________________ __________________
Jean Weinstock Date
Secretary