Public Library Board July 21
The first order of business was the issuance of oaths of office to new board members. The oath was given to Dr. Eric Jackson, who was re-appointed to the board and continues to serve as chairman. The oath was also given to new board member Dave Rich.
Public Comment
Joe, the same individual who has attended several previous board meetings, attended to speak again about the issues he previously raised regarding the Florence branch of the Boone County Public Library (BCPL): vagrants who sleep in the library and reserve conference rooms to get out of the weather—he said he saw one individual drying his clothes on conference room chairs—and that someone continues to distribute food to the homeless at the library.
In discussing this issue, and Joe’s question as to when his issue will be addressed, a motion was made by board member Deborah Dutton-Lambert (DDL) and passed by the board to amend the agenda and add Joe’s issue as the last item of business in the current meeting rather than postponing it and adding it to next month’s meeting agenda.
In addition, a motion was made and passed by the board to adopt a policy of more flexibility in addressing public comments rather than adhering to a strict 15-minute total allotment regardless of how many individuals would like to speak. Also, rather than the board just listening, the board will actually respond to the commenter when appropriate. Executive Director Carrie Herrmann (CH) was advised to draft and recommend this policy change at the next board meeting.
Director’s Report
CH went over some of the grants applied for by the BCPL, some of which were not successful, including the website development and technical grant from the Kentucky Department of Library Archives (KDLA). The BCPL has applied for a $9,000 grant for the Archive & History Center that will provide for a history walking tour for America’s 250th birthday in 2026.
CH confirmed that the positions of the three branch managers who recently left have been filled.
The BCPL had to issue cease-and-desist letters to activist organizations including PETA. Apparently at least one person is defacing the library’s materials, posters, etc., promoting these organizations. The organizations claim they’ve not authorized this, and BCPL is still trying to find the individual.
Treasurer’s Report
DDL brought up again the issue of writing multiple checks and was told by CH that she and her staff are still reviewing options.
As of May 31, 2025, total assets are just under $17 million. Revenue to date received by BCPL is $11,515,000.
After a lengthy discussion a motion was passed to implement monthly forecasting for the BCPL annual budget.
A motion was made and passed nominating board member Patty Reisz as board treasurer for the remainder of her term.
Business
As it’s the beginning of the BCPL fiscal year, all board members must receive a copy of the Open Records and Open Meetings Act and Management of Records documents. The Disclosure/Conflict of Interest Statement Policies were distributed to the board also.
Both the accountant’s engagement letter from Bramel & Ackley and the attorney engagement letter from Ziegler & Schneider were reviewed and approved by the board for the next fiscal year.
The Chapin Ad Hoc Committee updated the board, noting that although their RFP garnered disappointing results, they did receive five responses to their bid presentations and have selected a company called SHP. The fee for consulting on community engagement will be $34,500, which the committee believes is reasonable. However, the board had budgeted only about $9,000 for this, so some funds will need to be shifted. It was recommended that CH contact SHP to try to negotiate a lower fee. Nevertheless, a lengthy discussion ensued regarding new board member Rich’s concerns on the actual viability of utilizing a consultant, whether it’s appropriate for budget purposes, and whether it would provide the results the community is seeking. Ultimately, the board moved to accept the contract.
CH went over the processes she has implemented for reviews to ensure problems are addressed early so they can be corrected and there is no surprise at annual review time. DDL suggested CH obtain the signature of the staff after each quarterly review to ensure they can’t come back and say they had no idea there were any problems. Ex-officio board member Chet Hand and members Dave Rich, Patty Reisz and DDL all expressed concerns that these are still not really merit raises. All staff get the same percentage across the board regardless of their work product. CH and the BCPL HR representative stated it’s very hard to weigh each staff member’s production. Further discussion on this issue was tabled until early next calendar year.
The board members all provided feedback to Chairman Jackson regarding CH’s annual evaluation. All board members agreed on a five-point scale to rate CH. There was some discussion and a slight adjustment was made to the evaluation form. CH will present the finalized evaluation form at the next board meeting.
The Florence branch discussion was addressed as the last item of business. CH confirmed there is an organization that delivers free food on Mondays and is given space in the branch’s parking lot. It wasn’t clear how much the BCPL was participating in this. CH stated they were just giving space to the organization, although she also indicated the library uses this as an outreach opportunity to promote the BCPL’s GED and literacy programs to those who come for the food. Hand expressed concern regarding whether the BCPL is exceeding its mission as a taxpayer entity. DDL suggested finding another place for food distribution such as a local church. CH agreed to assess alternatives. She claims they’ve not observed anyone sleeping at the library and that she has informed all staff at all branches that no sleeping is allowed. She also stated that neither she nor her staff have noticed any odor of urine outside the library entrance. She also indicated the groundskeeper will be clearing out the shrubs and erecting a structure to make it more difficult for anyone to gather at the rear of the branch after dark for drug purposes. She has Joe’s card and indicated she will be contacting him and going to the Florence branch with him to address his issues.