The Gwinnett County Public Library Board of Trustees held its regularly scheduled meeting on June 25, 2012 at the Suwanee Branch. Present were Board members Phillip Saxton-Chair, Betty Atkinson-Vice Chair, Babs Wagoner-Secretary, and Dick Goodman. Suzanne Skeen was absent. Administrative staff members present were Nancy Stanbery-Kellam-Executive Director, Liz Forster-Deputy Director, Jane Walters-Business Services Director, Kim Rodriguez-Human Resources Director, Deb George-Materials Management Director, Michael Casey-Information Technology Director and Shannon Sheffield-Administrative Assistant. Other administrative staff was also in attendance. The meeting was called to order at 6:37 pm.
Report from Nancy Stanbery-Kellam, Executive Director
Facilities
Gwinnett County Department of Operations and Maintenance will be administering a series a capital maintenance projects at various locations between now and January.
· Lawrenceville Branch - roof replacement
· Buford - carpet installation
· Four branches - replacement and installation HVAC systems to increase efficiencies
· Multiple locations - replacement auto doors
· Multiple locations - parking lot restriping, lighting and plumbing efficiencies upgrades
The combined costs of these projects total more than $840,000. Library staff’s successful application for $319,000 of MRR grant money from the state will be included in this project.
IT
· The library has completed migration from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps Email
· The library will be switching the library intranet data provider from AT&T to Charter; brief interruption of services are anticipated; the switch will take place when branches are closed
Events
Altered Books & Pulp Fashion
Library staff, customers, school art teachers, local artists, and Friends of the Library all contributed creations.
· Altered books and paper fashions were featured at annual Barefoot in the Park event
· 43 altered book entries and 12 paper fashions
· Reception was held at the Hudgens Center for the Arts where the pieces are still on display.
Jeffrey Deavers
· A meet the Author event was held at Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center
· The event was well attended and included a unique musical component.
John Smoltz
· Held at Coolray Field
· 1200 people in book signing line; the largest in his career per the author
Summer Reading Program and Teen Summer Reading Program
· As of June 19 attendance has increased as reflected in the 26,921 registrations which includes more than 4,000 teens
· Volunteers including members of the Dacula Lion’s Club and the Buford-North Gwinnett Rotary Club are volunteering time to help with registration.
Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
Motion by Atkinson to approve the March 12, 2012 Meeting Minutes as distributed, seconded by Wagoner, unanimous.
FY2013 Board of Trustees Meeting Schedule
Saxton added an additional meeting to be held on Monday, August 13, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Suwanee Branch to review the Six Pillars Program. Staff is asked to prepare a status report of the Six Pillar Program that will include an assessment of each initiative, and action items on how to proceed with each over the next twelve months. Motion by Atkinson to approve the FY2013 Board of Trustees Meeting Schedule including the additional date of August 13, 2012, seconded by Wagoner, unanimous.
FY2013 Budget Workshop Items
FY2013 Budget-
Motion by Goodman to adopt the Gwinnett County Public Library FY2013 Budget which includes Expenditures totaling $19,959,119, funded by estimated Revenues of $18,604,529 and Fund Balance Requirement of $1,354,590, seconded by Atkinson, unanimous.
Calendar Year 2013 Gwinnett County Funding Budget Request-
Motion by Goodman to approve the Library Budget Request of $16,118,068 for submission to Gwinnett County for the calendar year 2013 budget process, seconded by Wagoner, unanimous.
Library Capital Projects Plan-
Motion by Goodman to approve the Library Capital Projects Plan for submission to Gwinnett County for the calendar year 2013 budget process, seconded by Atkinson, unanimous.
Financial Items
Jane discussed the Financial Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance - Actual and Budget for the eleven months ended May 31, 2012. The Excess of Revenues over Expenditures of $1,199,958 mainly represents the unspent portion of the April quarterly subsidy ($3,654,517) from the County. Actual Revenues totaled $18,077,380 or 97% of the total revenue budget. Total Expenditures are $16,877,421 or 80% of the total expenditure budget. The Fund Balance at May 31, 2012 of $8,376,331, increased $1,199,959 during this period due to the unspent portion of the County quarterly subsidy. The fund balance is classified into Committed Funds, Assigned Funds, and Unassigned Funds.
Committed Classification for Replacement Fund Balance-
The Library Replacement Fund Balance provides the resources for future replacement of library technology equipment/infrastructure and library vehicles. At the end of each fiscal year, Board approval is requested to classify the year end Replacement Fund Balance as Committed Funds for the specific purpose of replacing these Library assets. At June 30, 2012 the Replacement Fund Balance is determined at $2,246,417. Motion by Atkinson to classify the FY2012 year-end Replacement Fund Balance of $2,246,417 classification as Committed to the specific purpose of replacing library assets, seconded by Goodman, unanimous.
Surplus Property-
Two outdated servers will be transferred to Gwinnett County for disposition once the Board declares these assets as surplus. Motion by Wagoner to approve surplus fixed assets totaling $45,289, seconded by Goodman, unanimous.
Gwinnett County Public Library Endowment
Betty presented an update on the Library Endowment. An eight-member endowment planning committee is preparing a kick-off event to increase community awareness of the endowment fund. The committee would like to secure a renowned author or personality as a speaker for the kick-off event. The committee also discussed other ways to raise funds. This event will be the kick-off of a ten-year endowment program to attain pledges totaling up to $25 million. There will be a series of events for the next ten years.
Signature Authority for Major Repair and Renovation
The Library is slated to receive $319,070 from the State for major repairs at several branches. Gwinnett County will contract to have this work done over the next six months. Once the work is complete the Library will reimburse the County with the state funds. Repairs include roofing, lighting retrofits and HVAC equipment replacement. In order to facilitate the timeliness of the reimbursement process, Board approval is requested to authorize the Executive Director to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the Board of Regents (BOR) and the Board of Trustees of the Gwinnett County Public Library, and to review, approve and submit Library reimbursements to BOR. Motion by Goodman that states the Executive Director is hereby delegated authority, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the Board of Trustees of the Gwinnett County Public Library and to review, approve and submit reimbursements requests for the Board of Regents, seconded by Atkinson, unanimous.
Revision to Commercial Advertising Policy
Motion by Wagoner to adopt the amended Commercial Advertising Policy with a start date of July 1, 2012, seconded by Goodman, unanimous.
FY13-15 Strategic Plan
The library contracted will Bill McCargo of BMac & Associates and embarked on a three month planning process that included stakeholder input, research and plan development. Bill McCargo shared comments on the process. Information for the project was gathered by interviewing community leaders, meeting with focus groups including community stakeholders and area students. 4,100 citizens responded to a public survey, staff was also surveyed and input was sought from the library board members. Board members also participated in the team process. The library board provided input and a staff survey was conducted. There was research done to compare other library systems that are regarded as top of the class. McCargo took a 360-degree look at what the library does, how it is done, and how the library is doing. Mr. McCargo added that all of their information could be repurposed by the staff when they create the 2030 Plan requested by the county. He also mentioned the Strategic Plan could be the foundation for this work.
Liz presented the three goals of the FY13-15 Strategic Plan: 1) Maximize funding efforts that most efficiently leverage library and community resources. 2) Be a leader in creating an engaging customer experience through exceptional staff and innovative expanded access to facilities, programs and services. 3) Have the library perceived as the central building block in establishing lifelong learning as an enriching feature of community life in Gwinnett County. Goodman commented that the FY13-15 Strategic Plan is a great roadmap for the library system to follow to get us where we need to be. Lastly, Bill McCargo commended the library staff for all their hard work. He and top community leaders feel that having the library as the center point for lifelong learning is a great selling point to keep employers here in Gwinnett County as well as bring in new ones. Board members will provide and review a copy of the approved plan to their county commissioner. Motion by Goodman to approve the FY13-15 Strategic Plan, seconded by Atkinson, unanimous.
Other Business
A letter from the United Ebony Society thanking the Lawrenceville branch for the Juneteenth Educational display was shared.
Motion by Goodman to suspend the activities, including marketing and sales, of the library advertising bookmark initiatives, until a business plan demonstrating that the program will generate a positive return on investment is submitted and approved the board, seconded by Atkinson, unanimous.
Phillip called for a meeting on Monday, July 23, 2012 at the Suwanee Branch to discuss the advertising bookmark initiative business plan.
Motion by Wagoner to adjourn the meeting at 8:52 PM, seconded by Atkinson, unanimous.
Minutes submitted by Shannon Sheffield.