Public Library Board May 15

The staff presentation this month was conducted by the library’s facilities manager. 

The Board went over 4 policy reviews: (1) tuition reimbursement under the staff development policy.  Tuition assistance will be provided up to the IRS maximum allowable amount. If the employee leaves prior to completing the program, the employee is responsible to repay the tuition; however, the library cannot deduct anything from their final pay. (2) Paid leave to part-timers. This was tabled for June discussion as the Board requested monetization regarding an initial deposit of paid leave to be placed in a “bank” as a “start-up” for part-timers with longevity. (3) On May 19, 2023, transfer begins of historical documents from the county clerk’s office to BCPL and they need a policy as to how the public accesses these records. The Board approved this policy. (4) A purchasing policy was approved by the Board for implementation, as none had ever been adopted before. This is based on the Kentucky procurement laws increasing the amount for RFPs (request for proposal) to match the state’s new threshold, which has increased from $30,0000 to $40,000.

FY 2024 marketing plan was discussed, as BCPL’s 50^th anniversary is approaching. The Board had some reservations as to how effective the marketing plan is to reach other communities. The Board requested the director to expand on the marketing plan to make it more effective in reaching unreached communities. Also discussed were potential and existing partnerships with community centers, etc., in providing marketing info from the library system that they can then disseminate to their clientele.

There was a salary schedule update the library uses to stay competitive in attracting and retaining employees. They hired a consultant who sent recommendations. $16.40/hour is the maximum right now for circulation assistance. Once maxed out, the employee gets nothing more; there is no COLA. 16 employees have maxed out. The salary schedule has been stagnant for 3-4 years. The director proposed a 5% increase over the current salary schedule, which aligns with both Kenton and Campbell library systems. If the board doesn’t approve the 5% and maintains the salary schedule, they could put the additional $206,000 in savings towards other projects. 

Extensive discussion ensued regarding the budget. The director is still dealing with budget items such as salaries, FICA and retirement. So far the director has included in the budget a large increase for professional development and internal training. The director is budgeting only a 5.8% increase in collection materials, as the staff’s focus is currently on better accessibility rather than an increase in volume of materials. There was also extensive discussion regarding over-budgeting versus budgeting and making mid-year adjustments. The budget discussion was tabled until June; however, the deadline for the budget to be approved is May 30, 2023, so it will have to be approved at the next meeting. 

Per the accountant Board member, there is $9.3 million in revenue to date. Distribution expenses totaled just over $6 million whereas they budgeted over $8 million, so currently there is $1.5 million in excess revenue. The library is currently waiting on approval for $1.2 million in grants.

The attorney Board member has contacted the interested buyer for the Hebron property and that is progressing through the attorneys for both parties.

A pilot project is being implemented at the Florence branch regarding Spanish signage.