Library Board Minutes 5/8/2023

Board Meeting Minutes – 5/8/23
The meeting started late due to microphone problems. Once those problems were resolved, the meeting started with a prayer said by Eileen Fisher. It was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance (Item 3), led by Board of Trustees member Brian Shoemake.
Item 1- Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:18 a.m.
Item 2- Member Roll Call: Present were Chairman John Shewalter, Vice Chair Brian Shoemake, Board of Trustee member Dave Ochenreider, Board of Trustee member Dee Mounts, Board of Trustee member Mathew Morris, Library Director Vanja Anderson, Assistant Director Shanna Gibbons, Children’s Director Alysha Wogee, Reference Director Andrew Karneges, and Michelle Nelson from Legal. Finally, the guests present were members of the public. 
Item 3- The Pledge of Allegiance was recited prior to the call to order. 
Item 4- Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments: 
John Shewalter- He liked the comments said in April’s Pahrump Valley Times newspaper. He hopes that the community who were involved with the comments come to the meetings. 
Brian Shoemake- He hopes more people subscribe to the Pahrump Valley Times newspaper.
Item 5- Approval of the Agenda: Item 7 (Emergency item) was stricken from the agenda. 
Item 6- General Public Comment:
Each member of the public will be given 3 minutes to speak on items concerning the library.
Jenny Okawa- Wants to thank the library staff for all their hard work. She also wants to thank Ms. Wogee (Children’s Director) for running a great youth department. Finally, she thanks Jacob Smith from the ACLU for standing up for the library.
Mary Cahkill- She feels the board put the library in the middle of the LGBTQ issues hitting nationwide. Gender rights should be an individual’s personal choice. The government wants to censor us too much and more laws are going to be implemented. She asks why fund a government service who supports indoctrination? People have the right to petition. Perhaps the library should only have volunteers and no staff to run it. She feels the only way to protect her rights is to turn in her library cards. She asks the public to join a petition to turn the library into a volunteer only institution.
John Shewalter spoke and asked Mrs. Cahkill what item on the agenda she was addressing. Mrs. Cahkill brought up the youth services collection being put under scrutiny. She brings it up because she has heard no new changes in the Pahrump Valley Times newspaper.
Item 8- Approval of the Minutes: Dave Ochenreider made a motion to accept the minutes of the April 10, 2023, Library Board of Trustee’s meeting. Brian Shoemake seconded the motion. 
No public or board comments were made for this agenda item. The board voted to approve the minutes of the April 10, 2023, Library Board of Trustee’s meeting 4-1.
Item 9- Presentation of Treasurer’s Report: Director Anderson presented the treasurer’s report on expenditures and revenues for April 2023, as found in the backup.
There were no public comments.
Board Discussion: John Shewalter asks where salaries are in the treasurer’s report, and Director Anderson let him know where they are at. Brian Shoemake would like to see the current monthly numbers under a year-to-date column. 
Item 10- Approval of Payment Vouchers: The motion had to be withdrawn due to dates being wrong on the agenda. Then with the correction of “March to April” to “April to May,” the vouchers were finally approved with Brian Shoemake making a motion to approve the payment vouchers for the period of April 2023, to May 2023. The motion was seconded by Dee Mounts. 
Board Discussion: John Shewalter asked Director Anderson why Cutting-Edge Lawn Treatment is $940.00. He asks if we even have lawn? Assistant Director Shanna Gibbons explained that Cutting-Edge comes out to trim our plants, rake our rocks, pull weeds, make sure the plants are being watered, etc. Shewalter asks if that can be done by library maintenance. Director Anderson explains that that payment happens once a year.
The board voted to approve the payment vouchers 5-0. However, Mounts wanted to point out a typo in the word “service.” Michelle Nelson mentioned that if the board wants to fix the typo, since it has already been voted on, they must reopen the item. The typo on the vouchers was on “Mark’s Service Center.” Director Anderson says she sees it and will correct it. The board asked Michelle if they must revote? She says since it is just a simple error, there is no need to revote, it has already been approved. 
There were no board or public comments. 
Nothing else on the vouchers was called into question. They were passed around and signed.
The board voted to approve the payment vouchers 5-0.
Item 11- Presentation of Librarian’s Report: 
Vanja Anderson- Read her report, that can be found in the backup.
Brian Shoemake asks Director Anderson if she can read slower. 
Shanna Gibbons- Reported on the April 2023 libraries activities, which included patron traffic, books checked out, books returned, internet usage, website usage and materials added. See report in backup for more information. 
Alysha Wogee- Reported on the children’s programs: STEAM, Baby Time, Story Time, no Train Workshop, no Game Day, no Holiday Parties, and Teen Library Club. Ms. Wogee once again reminded the board and public about the 2023 Summer Reading Program that is happening in June. 
John Shewalter asks why numbers are not consistent during times when children’s programs are happening and when the children’s programs are not happening with regular foot traffic (in other words, there are more patrons in the library when children’s programs are happening, vs. when they are not happening)? Assistant Director Gibbons explains that that could be a seasonal thing. Brian Shoemake made a comment that the library needs the Bookmobile to reach those families who do not come to the library.
Item 12- For Possible Action: Election of Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Shewalter made a motion to approve the election of Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Shoemake seconded the motion. Ms. Nelson said that the board needs to name the person they are electing for Secretary. Shewalter says that he elects Mathew Morris. 
Mathew Morris asks what the job entails? Shewalter explains that he will have to take notes for the meetings and then write the minutes that they vote on each month. Morris refused to be Secretary. Ms. Nelson says that the board needs to make a new motion since Morris refused. The previous motion is withdrawn, and Shewalter makes a motion to elect Dee Mounts as Secretary. Shoemake seconded the motion. Mounts accepted. 
There was no public comment at this time. The only board comments there were, were congratulations for Mounts getting Secretary. The motion to make Mounts Secretary passed 5-0. 
Item 13- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to approve, amend and approve or reject the 2023-2024 budget by Dan McArthur, CPA representing Daniel McArthur Ltd. The public wished to see the budget, so the board made a motion to include additional backups in the agenda. Motion made by Shewalter and seconded by Ochenreider. 
Five-minute recess so that Assistant Director Gibbons can make copies of the budget for the public.
The meeting was back in session at 11:08 a.m. 
Public and board opinions are encouraged concerning the budget. Things discussed today will be added to the budget, to be reviewed again during the special meeting on May 22nd. 
For more information on the Pahrump Community Library’s budget, please see backups.
Main points discussed were the Bookmobile. The board had authorized the funds, but nothing was moved over from the general budget to be able to start spending. The board was upset about this, for they had worked hard to clean up the mess created by this project. However, they agreed that they would like to see the $500,000 from the General Budget moved to the Bookmobile Budget; with an $80,000 limit a year to spend. Mr. McArthur will reflect these changes to the budget to be presented on May 22nd. 
Another main point discussed was the board wants to up the budget by 23%, with the cost of living increased by 20%. Ochenreider feels the library staff needs to be compensated for what they do, especially with the cost of living being so high.
A final main point discussed was Mr. McArthur was concerned about the library’s expenditures outweighing the revenues. He said that currently the library is fine. However, he wanted to make sure the board was aware of his concern just so that it does not happen.
14- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to approve, amend and approve or reject 1) an hourly rate increase for Andrew Karneges, Resource Department Head, from $25.96 to $ 31.25 per hour and 2) set the date of the hourly increase to begin no sooner than May 8, 2023. Shewalter had made a motion to approve Andrew’s pay increase, however, Ms. Nelson had him withdraw the motion for there needed to be an actual date set. The agenda said that the increase would begin May 8, 2023, the problem is that was too soon. The board amended the agenda item to say that Mr. Karneges’s wage increase “would begin no sooner than today, May 8, 2023.” Shewalter made a motion to approve it and Shoemake seconded it.
There were no public comments at this time.
Board Discussion:
John Shewalter- Legal had helped him write this agenda item. He had a discussion with the director and legal concerning management salaries. He feels Mr. Karneges is doing a good job, as his job description outlines. He feels Mr. Karneges needs to be compensated like the rest of the staff. 
Dave Ochenreider- He feels department heads need department head rates.
Mathew Morris- Was confused. He asks if Mr. Karneges has only been at the library for 8 months. Does not like that he is new and already receiving a significant bump in pay. What extra value has Mr. Karneges brought to the library in his 8 months working here?
John Shewalter- In response to Morris states that when the board adjusted the management staff’s salary, they realized their pay was the lowest when compared to other Nevada libraries. Ms. Wogee is working on her PHD and Mr. Karneges brings a lot to the table too. He feels Director Anderson did good in hiring him. When hiring staff, you look at an individual’s education and background, not personality. 
Brian Shoemake- Wants a market value staff. The only way to have that is to pay them accordingly. 
John Shewalter- Feels the board needs to compensate the staff to retain the staff. Especially with their knowledge and experience. The staff does not need to have a specific personality to get a pay raise. 
Mathew Morris- Has Mr. Karneges brought a significant amount of value to the library?
John Shewalter- In response to Morris says that the staff issues that we had before are non-existent since Mr. Karneges got here. He feels Mr. Karneges is doing a fine job as far as he understands. Director Anderson has the responsibility of managing the staff if there are any issues.
Vanja Anderson- She feels that Mr. Karneges is getting too high of a pay bump. He is basically being put on the same level as Ms. Wogee, who has been at the library for 6 years. 
Shewalter asks Director Anderson if he is performing his job? She says yes. He also asks if the library has the same struggles as before, prior to Mr. Karneges arriving? She says no. 
Andrew Karneges has nothing to add.
Dee Mounts- She did not realize that Mr. Karneges would be getting the same compensation as Ms. Wogee. She does not want to lose Ms. Wogee over this. 
Shewalter feels that if the library lost Ms. Wogee due to this pay increase, then that would be an unfortunate reaction. Shoemake added that it is about keeping good people. Shewalter says that it is about retaining the current staff and not having turnover. He also says that he feels Ms. Wogee is mature enough to not get mad over this. When she gets her PHD, Shewalter says Ms. Wogee should be expecting more. Now with her peer, who has the same credentials, then why not give them compensation? Mounts spoke up and said she is willing to approve this item, however, she just wanted her previous comment on the record. Shewalter says that this board did what should have been done before, regarding pay increases. 
The board voted 5-0, all ayes. The item passed. 
15- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to approve, amend and approve or reject 1) a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system maintenance service contract with JonAire, Inc and 2) to fund from general fund. John Shewalter made a motion to approve, and Brian Shoemake seconded it. 
Public Comment:
Jane Goodrow- She wanted to know if there was a contract for HVAC that the public could see. 
Shewalter mentioned there was a contract, but it expired.
Board Comments:
Mathew Morris- Asks why the amp checks done for the lights are not in the agenda? He says it is important to know what they are in case the contractors fail. Then, they need to know where to start when hiring another contractor.
Shewalter reread that section. Morris further states that it is not specific on the agenda. Ms. Nelson interrupts and says she does not understand what is being said. Shewalter asks Ms. Nelson for assistance, but she says since she does not understand HVAC, she cannot advise. The board will have to talk to the contractors. Shewalter asks if Morris would like to talk to the contractor about the amp requirements? Shoemake also states that perhaps Morris should be put in-charge of overseeing HVAC. Since he has experience with that field. Ms. Nelson mentions that they cannot vote on making Morris the board member to oversee HVAC, they will have to bring that up as a separate agenda item during a later meeting. Ochenreider says that there should be a sample report with information about where our amps are supposed to be and where they are, so we know what to do. Shoemake feels item 15 should be passed today and then the board should put Morris in-charge of HVAC next meeting. Morris agrees to do the job. 
The item was passed with a vote of 5-0. 
16- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to approve, amend and approve or reject 1) an agreement with JonAire, Inc to relocate exterior thermostats to interior of building at a cost of $2,135.00 and 2) to fund from general fund. Shoemake made a motion to approve, and Morris seconded it. 
No public comment currently.
Board Comments:
Dave Ochenreider- Thinks it is absurd that the thermostats were placed outside. Makes it impossible to change!
Brian Shoemake- Said that this is a no brainer, “duh!” He also made a comment about having indoor plumbing.
John Shewalter- The library is struggling with the AC. The thermostat is outside and should not be. Staff must go outside to change it. He wants to give staff the ability to change it when needed. The thermostats will be in lock boxes and the director will have the key. Only management staff will be able to change it. 
The item was voted 5-0. It passed. The contract was given to Director Anderson. 
17- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation whether to assign the Library Director the responsibility of responding to public records requests received by the library. Shoemake made a motion to approve the item and Shewalter seconded it.
Public Comment:
Jacob Smith- He is an ACLU attorney. He recommends that the board approves this item. Currently there is no public request online with the library’s website, so he must ask the director. He had talked to the board of commissioners, and it took them 4 months to respond. He mentions that even with other duties, he can respond to requests in a week. 
Jane Goodrow- She supports this item. She has made requests in the past. This should not be a policy, but a media task. Why should the district attorney have to handle it? 
Board Comments:
John Shewalter- Public records are public for a reason. However, if he did not talk to the media himself, then they should not be allowed to quote him. He does not want someone else telling the media he said something when he did not even talk to the media. He ensures that public requests will be done through legal. Director Anderson will cooperate with legal and be trained on public records requests, and how to deal with them. 
Brian Shoemake- The board will comply with freedom of information. Not even an attorney can scrutinize those requests. He understands why Mr. Smith would want this item approved. Legal also handles the entire county and they are short staffed. They are getting things done as fast as possible. He is personally not comfortable with Director Anderson scrutinizing requests. 
Dave Ochenreider- He wants Director Anderson to work with legal counsel. She has a lot on her plate.
Dee Mounts- Director Anderson has so much to do already. She is comfortable with legal handling these requests. 
Mathew Morris- Overall he feels Director Anderson does good as a director but agrees with the other board’s comments. 
John Shewalter- He says there is currently no place to submit public records requests on the library’s website. He has no problem with that. Any request for public records will be handled legally. Director Anderson needs training on how to deal with this appropriately. 
Michelle Nelson- Asks that the board have information on the library’s website on how to request public records.
The motions made above were withdrawn. 
The board decided that the director can only respond to legal requests once she has had training. Ochenreider feels that the board should strike this item and bring it up next time when it is properly written. Shewalter supports Ochenreider due to the amendment they had to make. 
There was a vote of 3-2, to assign Director Anderson to respond to media requests only after she has worked with legal and has received training on how to respond. The vote passed. 
18- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation whether to assign to the Library Director the responsibility of responding to media requests received by the library that are not public records requests. Shoemake made a motion to approve the item. Morris seconded it. 
No public comments at this time.
Board Comments:
John Shewalter- He held up the Pahrump Valley Times newspaper and mentioned that Director Anderson had spoken with the journalist in charge of writing some articles concerning the library. The journalist got a copy of the complaint given to Shewalter about the children’s books and published it. Director Anderson, as quoted in the article, also told the journalist that Shewalter was not in favor of banning books. Shewalter mentioned that he is happy his comment was correct about the books, but he is also not happy that Director Anderson spoke for the board. The board creates the library’s policies and procedures, but he is not in favor of what the journalist is circumventing, and saying it is what he said. Shewalter also mentioned he refused to comment, and yet the journalist quoted him. Shewalter wants to make it clear that the director can speak for herself, but not for the library.
Brian Shoemake- He agrees with Shewalter. His name has been slandered numerous times. Knowing the right way to comment to the media is important. He is not opposed to the director handling it, but perhaps another staff member who has had media experience should handle it? If someone wants your opinion, then they should go directly to you and quote you directly. He feels the director needs to be trained and, in the meantime, the task should go to a more qualified staff member. 
Dave Ochenreider- Feels the director’s comments should be reviewed by the board before they are sent to the newspaper.
Dee Mounts- She says it is not a good idea to give the library director this responsibility. Especially when she does not know exactly what to say and what not to say. She wants to make sure what is put in the media is fair. Director Anderson has had no media experience, but Assistant Director Gibbons puts articles in the newspaper, so maybe she should do it.
Mathew Morris- Feels the staff has a lot on their plates, he thinks the board should take care of it.
John Shewalter- Says one sentence can be twisted. When he sees a quote on what was said, he said, he is not happy, for that is not what he said. This job is not appropriate for the library staff. He wants to protect the director and staff.
Brian Shoemake- He is not in favor of Director Anderson putting herself or any of the library staff on the line. Also, no staff member is being paid for this job and no one is trained. 
John Shewalter- Reminds the public that the posts Assistant Director Gibbons makes on social media are events only. This item is solely for not allowing the director to respond to media requests; especially when it pertains to the library or what another library staff member or board member said. He wants to protect the director. 
The board voted nay. The item did not pass.
At 1:30 p.m. the meeting was in recess and resumed at 1:46 p.m.
19- For Possible Action: Discussion and deliberation to 1) conduct the annual review and evaluate the character, alleged misconduct, and professional competence of the Pahrump Community Library Director, Vanja Anderson, in relation to her duties and responsibilities as a Library Director as set forth in the Pahrump Community Library Personnel Policy Manual or as has been otherwise directed by the Board of Trustees; and 2) take administrative action against the Pahrump Community Library Director, Vanja Anderson, if the Board of Trustees determine such administrative action is warranted including but not limited to termination, dismissal, suspension, demotion, reduction in pay, reprimand, retention, or no action.
The board started to make a motion, but Ms. Nelson interrupted. She said the board needs to have a solid action for number 2 in the item. They decided to make the motion at the completion of public and board discussions.
No public comments at this time.
At this time Director Anderson was called up to the podium. She can have anyone speak for her at this time. She was given the opportunity to speak on her own behalf. She proceeded with a quote to where “one should not speak at their own trial.” 
Board Comments:
Dee Mounts- Feels Vanja is a very good addition to the library. She has not been a problem and it sounds like the staff likes her and respects her. The library seems like a happy place to work. 
Dave Ochenreider- In observing library improvements, he feels Vanja has done a good job. However, private information on patrons is getting out about the board. He wants to know how and why this is happening. Everyone has an email to address this issue. Some comments are private and should remain private. That is his main concern. 
Brian Shoemake- He is going to be fair in his observation. He likes Vanja. She is pleasant. The staff likes her, and it is a pleasant workplace. Vanja has always acted in a professional manner. However, he does feel like there is some pushback, especially on items the board wants to address. He does not feel like she agrees with what the board does most of the time. It is okay, she does not have to. However, when the fire chief came out, he had given the board input into how to make the library safer. Some of the suggestions needed immediate action. The board had delegated the responsibility to Vanja, however, she did not take it seriously. For instance, in the staff break room, there was a coffee machine in front of the fire alarm. It needed to be moved away so that people of all abilities and heights could reach it. It took Vanja a while to resolve that issue. There was also some pushback with the lighting project the board took on. He feels she is upsetting their progress. Before Vanja came, the board had issues with the Prickly Pear group. He had a hard time with comments being made about him. He did shake those off. His main objective was finding a director who is loyal to the board. He wonders if Vanja is loyal or not. Is she working with them or providing information to those who wish them gone. Her responsibility is to retain confidentiality. This does not warrant any termination; however, a discussion and counseling are definitely on the fence. He likes her and has high expectations. Again, he asks if her loyalty is with the board. If not, then maybe this is not a good place for her. The board and director do not always have to agree. He does want her to carry out the policies the board assigns to her though. He asks Vanja if she feels she can be loyal? She responds with a yes.
John Shewalter- As the library’s administrator, he feels she is doing a great job. The reports they are given are accurate. No one has come to him with complaints from the staff. She seems to have a positive relationship with the staff. How she deals with the staff seems good. He cautions Vanja about getting entangled with political organizations. In the library policy it says that political activity is prohibited. The assault on the board has turned political. She signed agreeing she would not do that. Grievances are to be brought to the director, and then it is her responsibility to bring those issues to the board. Furthermore, his concern with Vanja is with her discretion. It is not her responsibility to give information to others. There needs to be improvement with giving information to the public. Vanja has a big responsibility, she needs to avoid certain distractions, which if she does not can undermine her credibility. 
Brian Shoemake adds too in relation to what Shewalter said, Vanja’s actions can not only undermine her credibility, but also the boards perception of her. The board feels like it is under attack. He asks Vanja to keep these points in mind. 
Mathew Morris- Was unaware of these issues. These are somewhat severe. We need to respect each other. Vanja has done a good job as far as he has seen. He looks forward to working with her. 
Dee Mounts asks if Vanja is happy here? Does she have any issues with anyone? Her job description is long, and she asks if that is causing issues. Vanja responds with this is what she came into and understands her responsibilities. 
Dave Ochenreider asks Vanja to please take everything they say to heart.
Brian Shoemake continues to say that Vanja needs to look at her options before determining how to move forward. He had his doubts with her discretion and does not want to sound like a broken record.
John Shewalter says things come with experience and maturity. Discretion comes with decades of administrative experience. Vanja has patrons, books, staff, etc., to focus on. She needs to focus on her job. The board will provide her with the maturity she will need. It knows it is a lot. His advice is for her to focus on her job and let the years define her, and to not be distracted by things. 
Assistant Director Gibbons asked to speak. Ms. Nelson said Vanja can call her up as a witness.
Shanna Gibbons- Assistant director of the library. She is grateful Vanja is here. With what was going on, Vanja was very courageous to come to our library. Ms. Gibbons says she had to learn as she went and that may be true with Vanja. Vanja respects our expertise and insights, and comes to us for our opinions. 
Alysha Wogee- Children’s Librarian Department Head of the library. Says that working with Vanja has been great. Vanja does not micromanage and trusts the staff to do their jobs. She feels Vanja wants to know her staff and to get along with them. If Vanja needs help with something, then she asks. If the staff needs help, they are not afraid to approach her at any time. 
The board takes a vote of no action concerning Director Anderson. Shewalter made the motion and Mounts seconded it. All aye’s, 5-0. 
Item 20- Trustee/Director/Liaison Comments: This item is limited to announcements or topics/issues proposed for future workshops, committees, and agendas. 
No comments from the trustees/director/liaison currently, other than for everyone not to forget to turn back on their phones. 
Item 21- Adjournment at 2:25 p.m.

ARCHIVED MINUTES

AGENDA FOR MAY 8, 2023