3.17.2021 March Board Meeting Minutes

OZARK DALE COUNTY LIBRARY, INC.
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Board Meeting held on March 17, 2021
Members Present: Marie Black

Liz Delaney
Dr. Imogene Mixson
Christina Faulkner
Absent: Mike Cairns
Also Present: Karen Speck, Director

Joni Wood, Administrative Assistant
Marie Black called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m.
Chairman Remarks: Yesterday we received a $25,000 check from the Ozark Housing
Authority for the New Building Fund. This donation was all thanks to Mark. We submitted our
Wiregrass United Way grant application; however, we have not heard back yet.
Is there an update on Selina’s grant applications she’s working on? She’s working on a capital
gains grant from the Wiregrass Foundation for $350,000. She should be calling or coming by
after this meeting to meet with me (Karen).
Imogene reminded us to not forget about The Daniel Foundation and Karen responded she’s
getting Amber and Liz on it.
Liz’s sister, Anna, is reviewing the new batch of grants that was recently released and is working
on a HUD grant for us.
February 17th, 2021 Meeting Minutes: Christina motioned to have the February 17th minutes
approved and Liz seconded. All were in favor and the motion passed.
Circulation and Library Statistics: Karen reported our statistics are gradually going up.
Amber is consistently bringing in more kids. The 2nd Saturday in February alone had five
different groups spread out around the Library – two study groups, Popcorn & Movie program,
Pokémon League, and Magic the Gathering Club. It was amazing the amount of people we had
here and we were glad we could accommodate them all.
Financial Reports: Karen reported we are having to be thrifty with our finances due to the loss
of fines. The payroll account balance should never be below $1,000 to avoid fees; however,
Cynthia left the balance at $237 after our recent payday.
Imogene requested clarification of whether or not the balance sheet reflects the recent $25,000
donation. Karen responded that it does not, since it was deposited in early March.
Christina questioned why code 613: Financial Banking was budgeted for only $50, but we have
spent $150, or 300% of the budget. We will find out from Debbie what transactions were coded
as 613. Similarly, she questioned why we were over budget on the United Way book expenses?
Karen replied we had to start using United Way funds to pay for more of our books due to
Rosetta Stone using a big chunk of State Aid funds. Christina suggested reallocating budget
items with less expenses to cover the larger expenses; however, Imogene and Karen both replied
we cannot do that until the new budget is created.
Regarding Rosetta Stone, Karen further commented her belief it was no longer worth it.
Although we got a great deal of $4,500 for 3 years, an average use of an hour per month is not
worth the expense. All members agreed it should be dropped.
Old Business:
Governor Ivey’s Mandate Extension: Governor Ivey’s current mask mandate expires April 9th
and she has no plans in renewing the mask order.
Community Work Day: It was a wonderful and successful work day with a total of 43
volunteers, staff, and board members who all worked hard cleaning, busting up flooring, and
serving lunch.
Building Committee Update: Liz reported she mailed out letters inviting potential members to
the Financial Advisory Board recently and has received a yes and no response so far. All agreed
to have monthly meetings on the 4th Wednesday at 11:30am with FOL Board Members, Board of
Trustees, and Financial Advisory Board members.
New Business:
Meeting with FOL Board and Library Board: A joint meeting of the FOL Board and Library
Board is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24th at 11:30am. Potential Financial Advisory Board
members are invited to attend as well. These meetings, as previously agreed, will be held on the
4th Wednesday at 11:30am until further notice.
Marie and Liz will work together to get an agenda ready.
Protocol Reminder: As a reminder, complaints about staff members are to be directed to the
Library Director. If necessary, the Director will then get the Library Board involved in the
situation.
Roberts’ Rules of Order: Everyone received a copy of this essential book. Imogene commented
it is a good update for us all and a very helpful resource.
Karen asked if everyone has completed their trustees training and said it needs to be completed
ASAP, if not. Joni will send another reminder to everyone with the links to complete the
training.
Imogene circled back to discussing potential donors and Financial Advisory Board members.
She suggested to create targeted groups to send letters specifically written for them, such as
previous donors and board members. The letters would show our appreciation for their previous
support and service to the Library.
Marie commented that she had been soliciting for donations and recently confirmed a donation
from Oliver Kingsley. She further discussed we need to create a form and letter to have a unified
spiel when calling people requesting donations. It needs to include recent donation amounts,
such as $25,000 from Ozark Housing Authority, and tell them we are looking for $400,000 and
that we are currently at an estimated $150,000.
They all agreed that they did not want to name any rooms in dedication to anyone; however, they
will recognize donors with a plaque system as outlined in the tri-fold.
In reference to letters, Christina commented how exceptionally written the below portion of Liz’s
letter to potential Financial Advisory Board members was and suggested everyone to memorize
it.
“Libraries are so important to their communities, offering a safe and trusted place
for free access to information. Their roles have shifted from providing recreational
reading to acting as inclusive educational, economic, and social agents in their area.
They provide meeting spaces, internet access, job assistance, children’s programs,
literacy education, and more. They are beacons of lifelong learning in our rapidly
advancing technological society.”
The meeting was interrupted by an audience member – Marianela Gonzalez – with the Ozark
Dale County Democratic Party who commented she wanted to quickly stop by and say she was
interested in helping any way she can with our projects.
Checks Turnaround: The turnaround for checks is approximately a week. Christina offered to
sign checks if Marie was not readily available.
Rosa Parks’ Traveling Exhibits: Joni shared that we are hosting two Rosa Parks’ Traveling
Exhibits from August 3rd through August 27th and planning various programs and activities to
coincide with the exhibit.
Christina motioned to adjourn and Imogene seconded. The meeting adjourned at 9:53 a.m. and
the next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.
Respectfully submitted by ____________________________
Approved by Secretary _______________________________

3.17.2021 March Board Meeting Minutes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

3.17.2021 March Board Meeting Minutes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

3.17.2021 March Board Meeting Minutes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

OZARK DALE COUNTY LIBRARY, INC.

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Members Present: Marie Black

Absent: Mike Cairns

Also Present: Karen Speck, Director

Marie Black called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m.

Marie and Liz will work together to get an agenda ready.

Respectfully submitted by ____________________________

Approved by Secretary _______________________________

You might also like