Kankakee Times

Bourbonnais Public Library District Board of Trustees met Oct. 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Vice President Mary Kay Blankestyn called to order the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Bourbonnais Public Library District at 7:00 p.m. on October 16, 2023.

Trustees present: Mary Kay Blankestyn, Kate Burgess, Deborah Hendrick, Laurie Hofman, Jessica Prentkowski, and Ellen Stringer. Trustee David Stejkowski was absent.

Also present: Library Director Kelly McCully.

President’s Report: None due to Stejkowski’s absence.

Secretary’s Report: The Board reviewed the minutes from the Decennial Committee Meeting held September 18, 2023, and the regular Board Meeting held September 18, 2023. Hofman made a motion to accept all the minutes as presented. Stringer seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes. Trustee Stejkowski was absent.

Correspondence & Communications and Public Comment (action items only): A letter was received from Leech, Tishman, Fuscaldo, and Lampl, LLC reporting the voluntary annexation of property owned by Bourbonnais Township Park District known as Perry Farm Park to the Village of Bradley.

Financial Report: Stringer reviewed the transactions and asked for any questions. Stringer made a motion to pay the monthly bills as presented. Burgess seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Burgess, Hendrick, Hofman, Prentkowski, and Stringer voted yes. Trustee Stejkowski was absent. The balance sheet is tracking at 23.6% and will be submitted to the auditor.

Director’s Report: Deadlines: November 15, Last day to estimate the amount of property tax revenue that must be raised for the next fiscal year. November 18, Last day to adopt and publish resolution to levy additional .02 percent tax. (Ordinance 23-02 Complete). November 21-28, Dates (7-14 days prior to public hearing) to publish “black border” notice of Truth in Taxation Hearing if levy ordinance is more than 105 percent of the amount extended the preceding year. December 5, Last day to adopt the Levy Ordinance.

Marketing: The Library has 3,138 Facebook followers, 1,090 Instagram followers, and 1,577 followers on TikTok.

Personnel: The Library welcomed a new Youth Services Assistant and a new Reference Assistant in October. Ariel Sturgis was welcomed to the Youth Services Department on October 10, 2023, and Kathleen Megquier was welcomed to the Reference Department on October 11, 2023.

BPL is exploring a full review of the Personnel Policies with HR Source. In response to the Paid Leave for All Works Act, McCully contacted HR Source for an estimate to review all of BPL’s personnel policies to ensure compliance with the new PLWA legislation. An estimate for the project will be shared with the board at the October meeting.

Finance: McCully applied for $7,113.60 in federal emergency grant funds for commercial cleaning relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the last opportunity to apply to have commercial cleaning costs covered as emergency protective measures related to the pandemic. McCully applied for a 90% reimbursement of cleaning costs from January to May 2023. To date, BPL has received $20,550.40 in FEMA grants to cover commercial cleaning costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Library Services: McCully included a chart that compares local circulation statistics. Bourbonnais Public Library continues to have the highest circulation numbers in Kankakee County with 7,432 items circulated (up 7% from 2022).

Teen Services Supervisor, Stacey Van Kley, gave tours to 7th and 8th grade students from the Language Arts classes at Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center. The 408 students from BUGC had the opportunity to see the building, hear about services, and explore library collections during a scavenger hunt.

Adult Services & Marketing Staff performed outreach to welcome Olivet Nazarene University students. Staff participated in Welcome Week festivities at ONU’s Benner Library with a table that offered crafts, giveaways, and library card sign-up opportunities.

Technology: True Tech Systems has started its work to provide technology support for BPL. The priority is to perform a server migration, and then install the new staff PCs on the network. A dedicated email for remote technical support was created and shared with the Supervisory Team.

Safety: An arrest warrant was issued for a suspect in connection with bomb threats at Illinois libraries. A Skokie man has been charged with several counts of disorderly conduct and making false bomb threats in multiple counties. As a precaution, BPL will continue to keep the public chat feature on our website disabled. Library safety procedures will be regularly reviewed. More detailed safety training will be offered at the next staff in service training day.

Building & Grounds: Friendly Signs installed a large vinyl logo above the Circulation Area on October 3, 2023. The Circulation Staff have already added some spooky, seasonal elements to the logo display.

The new furniture for the periodicals area was ordered from Demco on September 20, 2023. The furniture is estimated to ship on November 7, 2023. McCully is working on obtaining an estimate for new tables for the Cardinal Room and three new desks for staff members.

A Day In the Life: A Beatles’ Celebration: Join us on Saturday, November 4, 2023, for a Magical Mystery Tour filled with groovy tributes to the Fab Four, including live musical performances, a mesmerizing showcase of Beatles memorabilia, an engaging presentation about Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, snacks, games, and more.

This program will be for all ages and is a combined initiative that will be planned and presented by all departments throughout BPL.

Committee Reports:

Finance: None.

Personnel: None.

Policy: None.

Building and Grounds: None.

Long Range Planning: None.

Unfinished Business:

Discuss & Approve FY2023-2024 Health Insurance Renewal: McCully reviewed the insurance plan from HomeStar Insurance Services. She shared that she had presented Option 2 to the six full-time employees on the health insurance plan, and everyone was

in favor of this option. Blankestyn made a motion to accept the HomeStar Option 2 recommended by McCully. Stringer seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Burgess, Hendrick, Hofman, Prentkowski, and Stringer voted yes. Trustee Stejkowski was absent.

New Business:

Discuss Ordinance 23-05 Levy Ordinance FY2024-2025: McCully reviewed the FY2024- 2025 Summary of Levy Increase & Property Tax Extension Law Limit (PTELL) handout. McCully is recommending a levy increase of 4.9%. There will be a Finance Committee meeting in November.

Discuss & Approve HR Source Personnel Policy Review Project: McCully reviewed a handout from HR Source outlining the review project and the cost for this review. The review would make sure that BPL’s personnel policies are following the new Paid Leave for All Works Act (PLWA) legislation. After a brief discussion, Burgess made a motion to approve the HR Source review of BPL’s personnel policies. Hendrick seconded the motion. Blankestyn, Burgess, Hendrick, Hofman, Prentkowski, and Stringer voted yes. Trustee Stejkowski was absent.

Public Comment: None.

Adjournment: Prentkowski made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:34 p.m. Burgess seconded the motion and it passed with a vote of all ayes. Trustee Stejkowski was absent.

https://bourbonnaislibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-10-16-2023.pdf