Library Board Minutes 8/8/22

Board Meeting minutes – 8/8/2022
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:02 am.
Member Roll Call: Present were John Shewalter, Dave Ochenreider, Brian Shoemake, Dee Mounts, Kameron Mitchell, Director Vanja Anderson, Asst. Director Shanna Gibbons, and Children’s Director Alysha Wogee. Guests present were members of the public. 
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments: 
Mounts – Met with Alysha Wogee concerning the ”dogs” reading program, its liability, etc. It is planned to begin in the spring of 2023.
Shoemake – the audio/visual equipment is scheduled to be installed in the next three days so that by the next meeting the room should be ready to go.
Chairman Shewalter called for a recess to discuss an item with legal at 10:10 am. The meeting was called back to order at 10:18 am.
Approval of the Agenda: Item 7 (Emergency Items) and item 16 were stricken from the agenda. The agenda was approved as amended.
General Public Comment: 
C.J. Stevens – recommended that the responsibility of timing public speakers be given to the staff. She will be contacting the DA concerning the public notice as it was not published nor stated correctly. The library is not required to pay prevailing wages.
Bruce Schoenberger – we should spend our time on more important issues than the timing of speakers.
Muriel Areno – supports the viewpoint of Ms. Stevens. We should be able to be able to say anything we want without interruption from anyone including board members.
Steve Bacus - disappointed with the actions taken here this morning. The comments by trustee Shoemake are unacceptable.
Chairman Shewalter called for a five minute recess to address Mr. Shoemake’s comments privately at 10:22 am. The meeting was called back to order at 10:26 am.
Approval of the Minutes: Ochenreider made a motion to accept the minutes of the July 2022 Library Board of Trustees meeting. Shoemake seconded the motion. The minutes were approved by a vote of 5 - 0.
Presentation Treasurer’s Report: Director Anderson presented the treasurer’s report on expenditures for July 2022. She pointed out the AT&T bill which increased nearly $1300 due to the contract ending. She called them and renegotiated the contract and the cost will go back down and the overage will be credited. She reported on the expenditures and operating expenses as can be seen in the backup.
Approval of Payment Vouchers: Shoemake made a motion to approve the payment vouchers for the period of July 2022 to August 2022. The motion was seconded by Shewalter.
Public Comment: Bruce Schoenberger would like footnotes to the documents.
The approval was made by a 5 - 0 vote and the vouchers were signed.
Presentation Librarian’s Report: Director Anderson read her prepared report as found in the backup. She removed the last statement of paragraph one due to it being a statement on an agenda item to be discussed later. All positions for the reference staff have been filled.
After the Director’s report, a discussion about the power outages ensued, specifically as relating to the causes.
Also, Chairman Shewalter questioned why the 5-year plan was submitted to the Department of Taxation rather than the state Council on Libraries and Literacy as per the NRS 379.003. He wants to ensure that the Director follows up on that to ensure compliance. Director Anderson stated that she would ensure that would be done.
Shanna Gibbons reported on the July 2022 library activities, which included patron traffic, books checked out, books returned, internet usage, story time, STEAM, website usage, and materials added. She included the last fiscal year totals with the current report. See attached reports in the backup.
Alysha Wogee reported on the children’s usage and programs. STEAM and Story time will begin in October. The initial Library Game Day was in July and was well-received. The Summer Reading Program was only in June. The Teen Library Club was to be held at Ian Deutsch Park but the water wasn’t on so they returned to the Library. Subway provided snacks. They are ready to begin decorating the Little Libraries. July and August will have no programs.
Alan Michels gave an update on the Little Libraries. He gave kudos to Steve Bacus for all his work on them. They have finished the second box and have used all the donated materials. The teens will be decorating them. He stated anything that we do for the library that gets more library use is a good “return on investment”. Sponsors of the boxes can be accomplished through donations or he can provide plans and a bill of material for individuals or groups to build their own. The boxes will be secured to posts or trees. A concern about vandalism was stated, but little can economically be done to prevent that. A suggestion was made to place them near grocery stores and so on like the real estate boxes. Mr. Michels wants to put them where the kids are. This will be a learn-as-you-go project. We’ll find out what works and what doesn’t as we move forward.
Presentation: Don Soifer and Ashley Campbell of Nevada Action for School Options re-presented the Micro Schooling Program. These are home school co-ops using host partners such as libraries, churches, and rec centers and technical partners who are responsible for the teaching and who do not fall under the same licensing requirements as a public school. This personalized, adaptive curriculum is designed around the specific needs of the students to be taught and is scaled up or down as needed. It may, but is not required, to align with state content standard. The curriculum will include both digital and non-digital materials. Their organization can help with materials through their connections and can help you receive them at a reduced cost. The North Las Vegas Library school took place during the pandemic while the library was closed. They recommended to start with students in the lower grades. Student assessments were mastery based so that students would not lose days to testing.
A question and answer period followed the presentation.
Item 13: Shoemake moved to approve staff wages and salaries as listed in the agenda for this item to begin no earlier than August 9, 2022. Shewalter seconded the motion.
Shewalter commented that he felt the staff was undercompensated. He felt that library funds should not be rolled over to the next year at the expense of the staff or of projects needing to be done. He then explained some of the reasons he wrote this agenda item with the values stated. Director Anderson commented that three employees were not happy that the wages were listed on the agenda. Shewalter explained that they are a matter of public record.
Ochenreider thanked the Chairman for all his research and efforts.
Shoemake said that these wages, as well as upgrades to the building, have been neglected for too long.
The motion passed by a 5 - 0 vote.
Item 14: Shoemake moved to approve the increase in salary for Director Anderson from $50,000 to $70,000 to begin no sooner than August 9, 2022. Shewalter seconded the motion.
Public Comment:
C.J. Stevens – Salaries are public record but should not be listed in the agenda. That information can be obtained elsewhere. She stated that it is standard practice to list the amount of the raise, but not the salary or wage to protect the privacy and feelings of the individuals. She disagreed with the Chairman’s legal explanation for listing the salaries.
Shewalter gave reasons for his request for this increase, specifically, the comparisons of the rates of other comparable library director salaries.
Mitchell questioned the use of the phrase “no sooner than”. More simply it could be stated the increases “to begin on.”
Shoemake asked whether this complies with the budget. (Answer: Yes.)
The motion passed by a 5 - 0 vote.
Item 15: Shoemake moved to approve the transfer of 1) $80,000 from Services and Supplies to Salaries and Wages and 2) $20,000 from Services and Supplies to Employee Benefits for fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Shewalter seconded the motion.
Public Comment:
Vanja Anderson – Did we move $100,000 from the General Fund to Services and Supplies?
Shewalter stated that no, the funds will be transferred from the funds as stated in the agenda item 14.
The motion passed by a 5 - 0 vote.
Item 17: Shoemake moved to approve Trustee Ochenreider and the Library Director identifying a contractor(s) to create a Scope of Work (SOW) for the replacement of the library flooring for future Board consideration. The motion was seconded by Mounts.
The second and the motion were withdrawn.
Shewalter moved to amend and approve Trustee Ochenreider, Vice-Chair Shoemake, and the Library Director identifying a contractor(s) to create a Scope of Work (SOW) for the replacement of the library flooring for future Board consideration. The motion was seconded by Mounts.
Mounts thanked Shoemake for all the he has done to improve the library.
Shewalter stated that the flooring is 20 years old and needs replacing. He stated that a few years ago, the board at that time approved replacing the flooring. He stated he wishes that this deferred maintenance be accomplished now even though it will cost more money as inflation rises.
The motion passed by a 5 - 0 vote.
General Public Comment: 
C.J. Stevens – You should wait a couple of years before spending all this money during a high inflation period. Prices will go down significantly. Repair the flooring where needed. It is irresponsible to spend all this money now. She stated that the Board is clearly biased against her and it is the worst one she has been involved with.
Bruce Schoenberger – Thanked the board for taking on the deferred maintenance. He opined that in another year cost might increase another 9% due to inflation. Prices won’t go down anytime soon.
Muriel Areno – Since the building is 21 years old, the maintenance can’t have been deferred for 20 years. Do what you have to do but don’t blame the previous director. During public comment, you must allow the speaker to speak their mind without interruption even if you don’t like what is being said.
Alan Michels – Everyone here wants to do what is best for the library. He suggested to make a prioritized list of things that need to be done.
Lora Stewart – She has a background in wood products, Boise Cascade, Louisiana Pacific, etc. It would be wise to look at the stock market because consumer products appear to be going down. Put off large expenditures. Also, she was uncomfortable due to Mr. Shoemake’s behavior and felt intimidated to speak.
Bill Carns – There was some discussion on common core, which was a part of “no child left behind”, which resulted in lowering the standards. Most private, home, and micro schools operate at a level higher than that. Due to the electrical problems that could be anywhere from here to the generation, you might consider an electrical wall.
Dave Benzmiller – Suggested numbering the pages in the backup. Also, maybe you could put the Little Libraries near places where the real estate boxes are.
Trustee, Director, and Liaison Comments:
Mounts – Thanked the micro school presenters. Also thanked Directors Anderson, Gibbons, and Wogee for all they do to keep this library running like a well-oiled machine.
Shoemake – The library has accumulated a massive amount of funds for capital improvements but to this point, they haven’t been used. Under this board, you will have a better facility by using these funds. We will spend these funds as needed to improve this facility.
Shewalter – Deferred maintenance will cost you more in the long run.
Meeting adjourned at 12:37 pm.

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