BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES

Corrected and Approved Minutes

Date of Meeting:  Wednesday, December 14, 2022 @ 7:00 pm

*No Jan 2023 mtg, these minutes were approved at the Feb 2023 mtg.*

 

Members Present: Nancy Glynn (Chair); Catherine Paden; Emily Cooper; Lauren Avery; Tracy Mingarelli;  Betsy Anderson on Zoom (Alternate); Elizabeth Geraghty (Library Director)

Members Absent: Nancy Heckel (Alternate)

Note: This meeting was conducted on ZOOM for all present. The Board met in person at the Sutton Free Library for their Board of Trustees Meeting. The public, per the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-04, Section 8, Emergency Order #12 Section 3, had the option to Zoom in to this meeting.

Public Present: No members of the public were present 

 

CALL TO ORDER:

Roll Call, Introduction of Guests:

The Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:04 pm by Board Chair Nancy Glynn, and roll taken. There were no members of the public present. Further, no members of any households of Trustees were present within listening of this meeting. 

Public Comments: none

Review of Minutes:

Minutes from the November meeting were reviewed with corrections made. Board Member Lauren Avery made a motion to approve, with revisions, the minutes to the November meeting, seconded by Board Member Catherine Paden. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative.

Correspondence: 

Documents from Sugar River Bank were given to Board Member Paden in regards to the July fraudulent charges on the debit account.  

Email correspondence from Elly Phillips was shared regarding the date for the 2022 town report submission.

 

REPORTS:

Financial/Treasurer’s Report:

Board Member Paden noted the beginning balance on the Operating Account in November was $15,496.83, with an ending balance of $12,159.64. Interest earned on the Operating Account for the month of November was $2.90. A discussion followed regarding reconciling Operating Account records between the Library Director and Trustee Treasurer. 

The beginning balance of the Trustee Account at Sugar River Savings Bank in November was $7,407.50 with $1.44 interest earned and a debit of $1,565.44 for museum memberships and the revocation of provisional credit from fraudulent charges for an ending balance of $7,045.50. There was one new fund to accept in the amount of $27.99 for a book replacement from a patron. These funds will go into the Trustee Account-restricted funds for books. Sugar River Bank revoked the provisional credit granted for the Ticketmaster fraudulent ticket charges.  Credit was granted for fraudulent restaurant charges.  

Buildings & Grounds:

Director Elizabeth Geraghty shared an up-to-date report for Building and Grounds Large Projects in order to plan for the need for a potential capital reserve or warrant article. Quotes for needed repairs have been forwarded to the Selectboard. A discussion followed regarding ADA compliance and quotes for the interior building modifications that will use the Interior Modifications Capital Reserve already in place.  Quotes from two electric companies were shared for electrical updates to the library. Two quotes for a dehumidification system were also shared and a discussion followed about the recommendation from Wet Basement Solutions to address underlying water and moisture issues. An update about the plumbing issues was also shared. A meeting with the Selectboard will be requested prior to the public hearing for the town budget so a warrant article or capital reserve can be created if needed. There was discussion about snow plowing/ shoveling services and the billing for these services.  

Director’s Report:

Director Geraghty noted that there have been some changes and additions to the museum passes and these have been recently updated on the library website.  Director Geraghty also shared about the “Library of Things” which include “non-conventional” items that the library has to offer, such as a telescope, Reading Buddies pet carriers, outside yard games, and activity backpacks. These items are also featured on the library website.  Director Geraghty reports that the storytime attendance has taken its usual winter drop. There was a large turnout for the SFL Book Group in November. The next book discussion will be January 17th at 5:30pm for The Women of the Copper Country. Director Geraghty has been creating short videos for social media featuring new books the library has to offer and has received positive feedback from patrons.  

Friends of Sutton Free Library Liaison/ NHLTA Liaison:

Board Member Emily Cooper noted that the Friends will meet again in February.

OLD BUSINESS:

Board Chair Glynn reported on the November budget meeting with the Selectboard. The Selectboard asked that the request for 5,000 to our Interior Modifications Capital Reserve be cut in half. They explained they were requesting a reduction to every department’s already established Capital Reserve. Board Member Paden reported that the quarterly reports that have been requested by the Selectboard are due within 15 days after each quarter. The Selectboard has also requested monthly reports in the fourth quarter.  

NEW BUSINESS:

A discussion followed regarding holiday compensation and the need to correctly update this policy.  A list of holidays was created and approved by the SFL Board of Trustees in January 2022 but never added to the current policy. Board Member Paden made a motion to amend the Library Employee Guidelines and Rules policy document. Board Member Avery seconded the motion. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative.  This updated policy will be forwarded to Elly Phillips.  

The next Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees Meeting is Thursday, January 12  at 7pm.

Board Member Paden made a motion to adjourn. Board Member Avery seconded the motion. The motion was carried unanimously in the affirmative and the meeting was adjourned at 8:52 pm.