Board Meeting Minutes – 01/10/2022

Meeting was called to order at 10:00a.m. Pledge was said. Present were John Shewalter, Dave Ochenreider, Kameron Mitchell, Dee Mounts, Brian Shoemake, and Shanna Gibbons. Guests present were Leo Blundo, Alysha Wogee, and various members of the public.

Trustee/Director Comments: Shanna Gibbons thanked the board for the pizza party. Leo Blundo like that there was a good attendance and hoped for a good meeting.

Approval of Agenda/Consent of agenda: Item 16 (Emergency Items) was stricken from the agenda. Kameron Mitchell made a motion accept the agenda, Dee Mount seconded the motion and the motion carried. John Shewalter stated that Marla Zlotek and Michelle Nelson from the District Attorney’s office were listening in via Telephone. 

Public Comment: Bill Carns- He donated a collection of books to the Youth Dept. and would like them displayed.
CJ Stevens- Asked board if they can refrain from saying they have a minute left to speak, it disrupts their speech. After briefly speaking she was stopped, because she was speaking on an agenda item out of turn.
Caroline Logue- She referred to the trustee manual. That they all should have one. She hoped the board has reviewed it. 
Bruce Schomberger- He stated that the board is here to represent us.

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action taken by the Board on June 18, 2021 regarding the election of John Shewalter as Chair, Brian Shoemake as Vice-Chair, and Bill Newyear as Secretary of the Pahrump Library District Board of Trustees: Dave Ochenreider made a motion to accept the item and Dee Mounts seconded it. The motion carried. Public comment was enacted.

CJ Stevens- She got interrupted several times for not speaking on behave of the item. She noted that the reason why this item is on the agenda, is because they got caught not following NRS laws. 
Bill Carns- He applauded the board for correcting their mistakes from the June 18th, 2021 board meeting. 
Caroline Logue- She is a tax payer and resident of Pahrump. She tells the board they need to be aware of library bylaws and that we should have had a director by now. Was interrupted for not speaking on behave of the item.

Once public comment closed, the board decided to yield, for the item passed on the June 18th, 2021 meeting was not clear. All board members voted to rescind the item. 

For Possible Action – Discussion and deliberation to elect the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Pahrump Library District Board of Trustees: Brian Shoemake made a motion to accept the item and Dave Ochenreider seconded it. The motion carried. Brian Shoemake made a motion to appoint John Shewalter as chairman. Kameron Mitchell seconded it. Public comment was opened.

CJ Stevens- She said that the current board are not worthy to be on the board. That new members should be voted in and this item should be tabled.
Bill Carns- He stated that the boards violation during the June 18th, 2021 meeting has expired; it has been over six months. The violation is no longer enforceable. He thanked the board for their public service.
Caroline Logue- She hopes the board understands that their positions require dedication. The community has trust in them and that they have accepted this responsibility. 
Gene Fisher- He is a 12-year elected official. He told the board the ridicule from the public will not stop. He appreciates what the board is doing. 
Mark Kampf- He respects the board for what they are doing. The board requires diversity, etc., and that the current board brings all of that. 
Some members of the public commented out of turn and were asked not to speak for they interrupted other peoples time. 
Nancy Boyce- She referred to the board and some members of the public as bullies. She comes to the board wanting transparency but is not getting it. She also said the board keeps interrupting people who do not say what they want to hear.
Michelle Nelson from legal stated that if there are any further interruptions from the public that the board can take a five-minute break. 
Leo Blundo- He supports the election of John Shewalter as chairman. 
John Shewalter excluded himself from the vote and the other board members voted yes to appoint John Shewalter as chairman. 

Appointing a vice chairman was next. Dave Ochenreider recommended Brian Shoemake as vice chairman and Kameron Mitchell seconded it. Public comment was opened.
CJ Stevens- People were blocking her path to the podium and she asked for an isle to be cleared. She talked about the board not having library cards but was interrupted for not staying on topic. She shared that Brian Shoemake became a board member out of a recommendation and has no prior experience. He is also amongst the three that broke the NRS laws.
Bill Carns- He knows Brian Shoemake and that he thinks his service will be good. That he supports him.
Caroline Logue- She asks the board not to be critical of the public’s opinion on the board positions. Being elected as a vice chairman has a lot of responsibility. She asks the board not to use the library for their personal ideals. 
Bruce Schomberger- He knows Brian Shoemake. He writes in a magazine every month. He has good judgement and is qualified.
Leo Blundo- He supports Brian Shoemake. He can do the job. 
All the board members voted yes on making Brian Shoemake vice chairman. Brian Shoemake excluded himself from the vote.

Appointing the secretary was next. John Shewalter made a motion to elect Kameron Mitchell as secretary and Dee Mounts seconded it. Public comment was opened.
Leo Blundo Supports the nomination Kameron Mitchell as Secretary.
Caroline Louge- Stated that the recording of the minutes is an important job of the secretary and she is glad that the D.A.s office is keeping the board n track with the meeting procedures.
Mark Kampf- He stated that he worked on a board with Kameron Mitchell and thinks he will do well on the board.
Kameron Mitchell- he appreciates the vote and hopes he can serve the public with no issue.
Dee Mounts- Says Mitchell is smart and into the details. She is good with him being secretary.
Dave Ochenreider- No comment, for Mitchell.
Brian Shoemake- Mitchell has experience and is intelligent. He is an analytical thinker. He says yes to vote him as secretary.
John Shewalter- Supports Kameron Mitchell as secretary. 
All the board members voted yes on making Kameron Mitchell secretary. Kameron Mitchell excluded himself from the vote.

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action on agenda item # 11 on the agenda on June 18, 2021 regarding action taken by the Board to close meeting, pursuant to NRS 288.220 purposes of board deliberation on personnel matters: Brian Shoemake made a motion to accept the item, Kameron Mitchell seconded it. Public comment was opened.

CJ Stevens- She asked the board to reread the item for things were added. 
Caroline Logue- Due to a meeting held improperly, hiring of the director has been delayed. NRS 288.220 was mentioned.
Bill Newyear- When he was on the board it was in a flux. There were several new members and he applauds the current board for making corrections.
Kameron Mitchell stated he was confused on the item and was glad it was cleared up. The rest of the board members yielded since it was a corrective action. They all voted yes and the item passed.

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action taken in closed meeting on June 18, 2021 by the Board of placing Susan Wonderly on leave with pay until July 1, 2021: Brian Shoemake made a motion to accept the item and Kameron Mitchell seconded it. Public comment was opened.

Caroline Logue- She was interrupted for talking about a future director and was asked to stay on topic. She stated that we had a director who served for 20 years in a responsible way, who left for personal reasons. Susan Wonderly was a good director and not dealt with fairly. People should be concerned.
CJ Stevens- She wanted the 80% of the public who is not aware of what happened during the June 18th, 2021 meeting to know that the board striped Susan Wonderly of her rights to attend the closed meeting. Susan was unable to defend herself. It was a procedural offense.
Leo Blundo- He said that it was a closed session and that no one should know what was said. The director should have guided the board. Not staying on topic is getting old.
Several members of the public interrupted and we asked not to speak out of turn.
Diane Brooks- Asked if she can talk at item 21. The answer was yes.

The board debated on the item. Kameron Mitchell is unaware of what happened during the June 18th, 2021 meeting. He asked if he could see the minutes. Closed minutes are not published, but he can get them from Shanna Gibbons. He would like to know why she was put on leave. Dee Mounts had no comments. Dave Ochenreider said they did Susan Wonderly a favor and now it is blowing up in their face. Brian Shoemake stated that mistakes were made due to their lack of knowledge. John Shewalter had no comment. All board members voted to rescind.

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action taken on June 18, 2021 by the Board at the Pahrump Library District Board of Trustees meeting of appointing Shanna Gibbons as acting Director: Kameron Mitchell made a motion to accept the item and Brian Shoemake seconded it. Public comment was opened.

Bill Carns- He applauds the board taking corrective actions. He thanks all board members.
Caroline Logue- The board has a big responsibility. That they needed to look at their job before they accepted it to know what they were meant to do. Board needs to make sure a qualified person for director is hired. A director needs to be hired to make sure funds can continue.
Baker- He thanks the board for doing a good job. Needs the board to speak up but is asked to speak on item 21 for he goes off topic.

Kameron Mitchell thinks this item is appropriate for it was not an agenda item on the June 18th, 2021 meeting. All board members yield and they vote yes. 

For Possible Action – Discussion and deliberation to appoint Shanna Gibbons as acting Library Director: Brian Shoemake makes a motion to accept the item and Dee Mounts seconded it. Public comment is opened.

CJ Stevens- Starts saying that it has been 9 months since the director quit. Interrupted by board and asked to stay on topic. She stated that Shanna Gibbons is in an admin position, but is not required to have a degree. She asks why other employees with Masters of Library Science did not get the opportunity. That other people who are qualified in staff are doing some of the director responsibilities. She wants the item to be tabled. 
Bruce Schomberger- He says that having a Masters in Library Science does not qualify for anything. That one just needs common sense and general experience. He thinks Shanna Gibbons is qualified. 
Bill Newyear- He has worked with Shanna Gibbons. She admits she does not have the experience. She is doing what she can though and is only allowing the others who know how to do that other jobs so they get done right.
Nancy Boyce- She stated that the acting director needs to have the background of director. The board needs to be more transparent. She says that the library may lose funding if there is no director.
Bill Carns- Shanna Gibbons has been doing this job since June 18th, 2021. She is a true leader for giving jobs to other staff who know how to do those tasks. 
Caroline Logue- She says that failure to plan is planning to fail. If we do not get a director the library will lose funding. 
Leo Blundo- He said Shanna Gibbons is doing a good job. Look at the past several months, the library is still here.
Jane Goodrow- She stated that the speeches do not have anything to do with Shanna Gibbons personally. The board should have looked further for staff with qualifications to be acting director.

The board discussed their views on the matter. John Shewalter said this is not Shanna Gibbons fault. Since she was not prepared something needed to have been done when she was first appointed as assistant director to prepare her. People started interrupting and the board had to quiet everything down. No staff with a Masters in Library Science wants the position. The board did not fail, it was the situation they walked into.
Brian Shoemake said Shanna Gibbons is the only one willing to step up. She learned what she could. She was given a raise for the additional work she took on. He thanked her for her hard work.
Dave Ochenreider yielded.
Dee Mounts said she is new to this. However, Shanna Gibbons has shown great leadership. We are all human and Shanna has proven herself.
Kameron Mitchell yielded. 
All members of the board voted yes to instate Shanna Gibbons as acting director.

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action on agenda item # 12 on the agenda on June 18, 2021 regarding action taken by the Board to Interview Candidates for Director’s Position and rescind the interview of Manda Smith-Collins: Brian Shoemake made a motion to accept the item and Kameron Mitchell seconded it. Public comment was opened.

Caroline Logue- She says she spoke to Manda Smith, and she said she would not become director if the current board stays. Someone needs to be qualified.
Bill Carns- If the item is rescinded, he supports it. Cannot hire someone who does not wish to work for you.

The board all yielded and voted yes to rescind Manda Smith’s interview. 

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action taken by the Board on June 22, 2021 discussing and deliberation the hiring of candidate for the position of Library Director: Brian Shoemake made a motion to accept the item and Dee Mounts seconded it. Public comment was opened.

Bill Newyear- Items 13 and 14 were not properly on the agenda and he appreciates the board correcting the mistake.

Kameron, Dee and Dave all yielded, and Brian stated that there is a small pool of applicants to select from. Hard to find someone willing to stay. The board voted yes to rescind the item.

For Possible Corrective Action – Discussion and deliberation to rescind action taken by the Board on June 22, 2021 including 1) discussion regarding hiring Manda Smith-Collins; 2) hire Manda Smith-Collins; 3) discussion of salary for Manda Smith-Collins; 4) set salary to start at $45,000; and 5) set salary at $48,000: Brian Shoemake made a motion to accept the item and Kameron Mitchell seconded it. Public comment was opened.

CJ Stevens- John Shewalter never called Manda Smith to offer her the job. He made that decision on his own. 
Bill Carns- It is passed the six months. The board should use the violation as a learning experience.

Kameron, Dee, Brian and John had no comment. Dave said the board is still searching for a director and then he started talking about current applicants. Marla Zlotek chimed in and said he needed to stick to the agenda item. The board all voted yes and the motion passed. Marla then asked for a short recess at 12:05. John Shewalter will return to the meeting at 12:20 after a short break. 

Meeting reopened at 12:20.

For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to approve or amend and approve the meeting minutes for the December 13, 2021 Board meeting: Kameron Mitchell made a motion to accept the item and Dave Ochenreider seconded it. No public comment. No board comment. The board voted yes and the motion carried.
Presentation: Treasurer’s Report by Shanna Gibbons for discussion of monthly expenditures and revenue for December, 2021: See attached. 

For Possible Action:  Discussion and deliberation to approve or amend and approve payment vouchers for December, 2021 through January, 2022: Kameron Mitchell made a motion to accept the signing of the vouchers and Dee Mounts seconded it. The vouchers were signed.

Presentation: Librarian’s Report by Shanna Gibbons and Alysha Wogee for discussion on library activity for December, 2021. Report activities include patron traffic, books checked out, books returned, fees collected, online story time, STEAM, internet use, website usage and materials added: See attached.

Public Comment:
Diane Holguin-Brooks- She was requesting a status update on the hiring of the director.
Bruce Schomberger- He thanked the public and the board. He said to keep up the good work.
CJ Stevens- She stated Leo Blundo should have noted multiple interruptions by John Shewalter. That she got the closed meeting notes legally and that meeting laws were violated. 
Bill Carns- Thanked the board for doing well and Shanna Gibbons. 
Caroline Logue- She was glad to have public comment available so she and others can speak.
Aaron Koehler- Change is constant. Everyone is doing good and praised the board.
Marcia Peznowski- She emailed district attorney and received information that the DA reviews to make sure the agenda is compliance.

Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments: This item is limited to announcements or topics/issues proposed for future workshops, committees and agendas.
Leo Blundo- He suggested having audio for the board and maybe a change of venue. The meeting was ugly and we need to look for solutions.
Shanna Gibbons- Staff has been supportive during stressful time. She has been at the library for a while. It is not just a job, she cares about the library.
Kameron Mitchell- Using Mango Language and if you want to learn a language, he supports it. He likes the program.
Dee Mounts- Loved that the room was full.
Dave Ochenreider- Appreciated today’s attendance.
Brian Shoemake- Thanked everyone for showing up. The hunt for a director is still ongoing. He felt attacked by some members of the public. 
John Shewalter- Grateful for the DA’s support. He referred to NRS’s 379, 241 and the Trustee Manual.
Interruption by legal that the board is getting off topic, so the meeting was adjourned.

Adjournment at 1:05 p.m.

 ARCHIVED MINUTES