The Chairperson, Don Turner, called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.

Present: M. Siegrist, D. Turner, G. Snow, C. Van Auken
Absent: J. Fausone, K. Schulz
Also Present: E. Davis, K. Gladden

Call To Audience

(A. Davis, R. Havenstein-Coughlin, A. Heidemann, D. McHugh, L. Papa, S. Rzetelny, M. Swartz, N. Szczepanski, C. Young, A. Young-Snow)

E. Davis requested that the agenda be altered so that the Plante Moran presentation would follow the approval of the agenda and minutes.

Approval Of Agenda

The agenda was approved as amended by unanimous consent.

Approval Of General Meeting Minutes

The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

Approval Of Closed Session Minutes

The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

Communications

None

Director's Report

The Destination Imagination team will participate in the state finals on April 21 at Central Michigan University.

The new Pedigrid flooring system in the lobby will be installed after closing on Thursday, April 19.

E. Davis will meet with Sheila Collins, the new William Faust (Westland) Library director, on April 24. Effective July 1, Westland will be laying off ten employees and opening Tuesdays-Saturdays only (the same days as the Wayne library is open.) Staff will be monitoring how these closures affect traffic here.

Davis has asked N. Szczepanski to review our circulation policy with an eye to perhaps adjusting usage issues, in view of closures and diminished service hours by other area libraries.

Committee Reports

The Finance Committee met with E. Davis (per her request at the March meeting) to begin looking at possibilities for a new retirement benefits package; there should be a presentation for Board consideration at the May meeting. Chair Turner requested that any documentation be forwarded to the Board for review separately from the meeting packet, perhaps a week or two prior to the May meeting.

Unfinished Business & General Orders

Jungle Java Lease — E. Davis met with Eric and Laurel Hess, who emphasized to her their commitment and desire to continue running the café at the library. They requested another one-year lease at the previous terms, with the option for three additional one-year renewals. They also indicated a desire to be able to alter their hours of operation at certain times of the year (school midterms and finals, teen programs, etc.); trends indicate they could increase sales at those times if they were not constrained by having to close an hour prior to the library closing. Since the cleaning crew now comes in at night (at closing time), Davis indicated that safety for the cafe staff would no longer be an issue and that she would support the request to alter the café's hours of operation.

Davis will convey the Board's concerns regarding the requested conditions to the Hesses and will present a finalized lease for Board approval at the May meeting.

New Business

2011 Audit – Alisha Davis and Mike Swartz of Plante Moran presented the Board with the 2011 audit report, stating that the library is well-positioned despite the tough economic times. The few problems noted in the audit report were due to transitioning (both to a new software program and a new accountant in the Business Services office) and had to be noted only because of accounting rules and not because the auditors had any misgivings about the library's record-keeping or procedures. Swartz anticipates one more year of decline in property tax revenue and then (based on information from the township) expects that property values will either stabilize or even increase the following year. In any event, he declared that the library is in sound financial condition.

C. Van Auken moved and M. Siegrist supported a motion to accept the audit as presented.

The motion passed unanimously, 12/4-19-1.

Call To Audience

C. Young indicated support for carrying on with the current tenants in the café space.

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 8:24 PM.