Kankakee Times

Bourbonnais Public Library District Board of Trustees met Sept. 19.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

President David Stejkowski called to order the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Bourbonnais Public Library District at 7:00 p.m.

Trustees present: Mary Kay Blankestyn, Deborah Hendrick, Laurie Hofman, Judith Smead, Ellen Stringer, Amanda Wright, and David Stejkowski.

Also present: Library Director Kelly McCully

Presentation of FY2021-22 Audit by Zabel & Associates (via Zoom): Joe Martin from Brian Zabel and Associates P. C. reviewed the Annual Financial Report for the year ended June 30, 2022. The audit showed a clean report and excellent financial conditions for the Library. Martin highlighted several pages of the document and commended the Library for the exceptional bookkeeping records. He encouraged the continuation of internal control monitoring.

President’s Report: Stejkowski noted there was a quorum present. He welcomed Trustee Blankestyn back to the Board meeting after several months of being unable to attend.

Secretary’s Report: The Board reviewed the minutes from the 2022-2023 Budget and Appropriations Public Hearing and the regular Board Meeting both held August 15, 2022. Stejkowski made a motion to accept all the minutes as presented. Blankestyn seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes.

Correspondence & Communications and Public Comment (action items only): None.

Financial Report: Stringer reviewed the transactions and asked for any questions. Stringer made a motion to pay the monthly bills as presented. Smead seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Hendrick, Hofman, Smead, Stringer, Wright, and Stejkowski voted yes. The balance sheet is tracking at 13% and will be submitted to the auditor.

Director’s Report: Deadlines: September 20, First day for candidates for the Library Board of Trustees to circulate nominating petition sheets. Nov. 22-Nov. 29, Dates to publish notice of Truth in Taxation Hearing if levy ordinance is estimated to be more than 105% of the amount extended upon the levy the preceding year. Dec. 6, Last day for Truth in Taxation Hearing. Dec. 12-Dec. 19, Dates to file certificates of nomination and nomination papers for the Library Board of Trustees.

Marketing: The Library has 2,768 Facebook followers, 998 Instagram followers, 1,052 followers on TikTok, and had 6,441 Website visits.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month: The Library is holding a raffle for the chance to win bookBonnais merchandise for new patrons and current patrons that sign up for the library’s monthly newsletter.

New bookBonnais merchandise is coming soon: New bookBonnais colors are on order and an additional supply of bookBonnais totes have been ordered.

Banned Books Week will run 9/18-9/24: Banned Books Week is an awareness campaign that calls attention to challenged and banned books. The Library will run a series of videos with recommendations for titles that are on the list of books that have been challenged or banned in public libraries and schools.

Building & Grounds: The carpet throughout the Library was cleaned by Brite Swipe on August 28.

The library’s sprinkler system has been repaired by Pipco. There was a leak in the system over the Marketing Office. Bill Johnson, Facilities Coordinator, discovered the pressure leak early so no permanent damage was done. Pipco fabricated and installed a new section of pipe in that area. It is a large, complicated system, and these types of failures will happen as the system ages.

Circulation & New Patrons: BPL circulation and new card statistics continue to climb to levels the Library saw before the pandemic. The Library added 198 new patrons in August, up from 81 in 2021. McCully included a chart from Circulation & Technical Services Supervisor, Eric Linnell, that compares local circulation statistics for August 2022. Bourbonnais Public Library continues to have the highest total circulation numbers in Kankakee County.

Technology: McCully has started to work on the first phase of a new Technology Plan. The first phase of the plan is to get an up to date inventory of technology throughout

the Library. McCully will work with the library’s consultant, Tom Ahrendt of Tech Pro Logic, to gather this information.

Heritage Technology Solutions (HTS) performed repairs on the A/V in the White Oak Room. The cable between the projector and the HDMI/VGA port had to be repaired. While HTS was at the Library, McCully asked them to start the process to estimate an A/V set up in the Cardinal Room.

Outreach: BPL will participate in the 9th annual Scarecrow Hollow with the Bourbonnais Park District. The Scarecrow Hollow Festival will be held on Saturday, September 24th, at the Perry Farm Park from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. McCully invited everyone to visit Spot #50 to see the library’s scarecrow. Scarecrows will be on display through the end of October.

Personnel: Applications are currently being accepted and interviews scheduled for three open positions, including Assistant Director, part-time Reference Assistant, and part-time Circulation Assistant.

Book Sale: A Book Sale will be held September 22-September 24 in the White Oak Room. Hours are 4 p.m.-8 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday for the $5.00 bag sale.

Grant Information: McCully applied to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency for the Public Assistance Grant to cover cleaning expenses from February 2022-June 2022. The Library received a check for $9,880.

Committee Reports: 

Personnel: None.

Finance: None.

Policy: None.

Building and Grounds: None.

Long Range Planning: None.

Unfinished Business: None.

New Business: 

Discuss & Approve FY2022-2023 Health Insurance Renewal: McCully reviewed the current health insurance policy and led a discussion of comparison charts and premium

information. McCully noted there would be a 20% decrease with the current policy. Stringer made a motion to continue with the current health insurance provider. Hofman seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Hendrick, Hofman, Smead, Stringer, Wright, and Stejkowski voted yes.

Discuss Upcoming Trustee Election & Trustee Vacancy: The Board discussed the upcoming Consolidated Election scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Three trustee spots are up for (re)election. Trustees Smead and Wright indicated that they will not run for re-election. Candidates may pick up election packets from Library Director McCully starting September 20 during business hours Monday through Friday. The filing period for candidates seeking (re)election is December 12-19, 2022.

Discuss FY2021-22 Annual Report Statistics: McCully reviewed the annual library report for the Board. Library patrons visited the Library 54,717 times. There are 7,128 library card holders and 121,164 total items were checked out. McCully highlighted that there were 8,995 attendees at 418 different programs. An annual statistics comparison sheet for the last three years was also included for the Board.

Discuss Libraries of the Future & Library Vision Planning: Stejkowski requested that this agenda item be tabled until the October meeting.

Public Comment: None.

Adjournment: Wright made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:47 p.m. Blankestyn seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes.

https://bourbonnaislibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-09-19-22.pdf