Library Board Approved Minutes - September 8, 2022

DeForest Area Public Library Regular Library Board Minutes
Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.

  1. Call to Order and Roll Call
    • The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m.by President Kathy Van Iten
    • Present: Englesby, Gorres, Landgraf, Lawrence, Toetz, Van Iten, Zeimet
    • Absent: None.
    • Also present: Jan Berg, Library Director and Emily Henneman, Children’s Librarian
  2. Approval of Agenda
    • Motion to approve as presented: Zeimet
    • Second: Toetz
    • Discussion: None.
    • Action: All approved.
  3. Approval of Minutes of the August 4th, 2022 Meeting
    • Motion to approve the minutes: Zeimet
    • Second: Gorres
    • Discussion: None
    • Action: Approved
  4. Public Presentations / Communications
    • None.
  5. Approval of Bills – Berg had emailed out the bill run prior to the meeting
    • Motion to approve the bill run: Zeimet
    • Second: Landgraf
    • Discussion: Berg explained that this bill run includes that last part of the Amazon Prime Day purchases some of which were used for the Madison Community Foundation grant. Books are still coming in but the Baker and Taylor (the library’s book jobber) website was attacked by ransomware and is just coming back online after having been down for almost three weeks. Landgraf asked about the Madison Community Foundation grant. Berg explained we have had it for a while and haven’t had staff available to plan and order what was promised in the grant until now.
    • Action: All Approved
  6. Reports
    1. Director's - Planning with Parks & Rec and Jan Williams at the high school continues. It should be a big event and will be the only haunted house in town so we want to do it right. The Harvest Festival is coming up a week from Saturday and will included pumpkin painting, games, old-fashioned games like tug of wars and three-legged races. A couple of balloon sculptures will be on hand as well. Once we get through Halloween, November is Dinovember month and that ends the year of programming except for the traditional yuletide festivities. Berg noted it was a long vacation and everything work well while she was gone. The bill run tied down perfectly between the work she had done prior and upon return and that Tollefson did in between. The police were talking about setting up a trail camera to discourage and possibly catch those who are misbehaving on the library patio.
    2. President's - None.
    3. Village Update - Landgraf said that nothing too controversial was happening at the village board right now. Three TIFs were increased. The police chief did a presentation about what he would like in the 2023 budget. Public works wants more tools. The village clerk wants more poll workers and at a wage to attract workers. HR wants to offer wellness leave to incentivize people to continue – or begin—working in the village. There was talk about the CPI increase of up to 9% and that the costs on health insurances was double digit but other options were being explored. Landgraf mentioned that assessed value went up 16%
  7. Old Business
    1. Staff Showcase – Emily Henneman, Children’s Librarian
      • Ms Emily introduced herself with a puppet and detailed all the many programs she does. She talked about the birth to 4th grade children she works with and how she tries to use moving, singing, and dancing in her story hours. She talked about the pop-up story times she is currently doing in parks around the area. She is currently working on getting the story walk going. She is working with the high school drama club.
  8. New Business
    1. 2023 Preliminary Budget Discussion and Draft
      • Berg had received an email from Carol Herwig at the village asking for a budget draft which Berg sent off noting she had used a 10% increase for health/dental and made up some other numbers so that this is very much a draft.
  9. Future Agenda Items
    1. 2023 Budget
  10. Adjournment
    • Motion to Adjourn: Englesby
    • Second: Zeimet
    • Action: All approved.

Meeting was adjourned at 6:48 p.m. Next meeting October 6th, 2022.

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