The Chairperson, Nancy Eggenberger, called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM

• Present:N. Eggenberger, M. Farell, J. Fausone, S. Foster, T. Hartnett, D. Turner
• Also Present: E. Davis, K. Gladden

Call to Audience

(M. Crowther, L. Golden, R. Havenstein-Coughlin, D. McHugh, K. Nagalingam, M. Nicholson, L. Papa, K. Saravanan, S. Saravanan, M. Swartz, N. Szczepanski, S. Venkatachalam) – None

Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved as amended by unanimous consent.

Approval of General Meeting Minutes

The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

Communications

Davis shared a “thank you” card from State Representative Kristy Pagan for the library tour and orientation. Rep. Pagan will be hosting a community education “think tank” meeting at the library on April 19, which she invited Davis to attend. Davis hopes Pagan will be able to involve the state library in Gov. Snyder’s Third Grade Reading Proficiency Inititative.

Director’s Report

The kick-off reception for the Canton Book Project was held April 16th.

Davis briefly went over the financial statements, explaining why some funds appear to have more spent than warranted for this point in the budget year (owing to construction and insurance fees that must be paid at the beginning of the year); the numbers will even out as the year progresses.

Trustee Comments

Trustee D. Turner proposed that, rather than being represented at every meeting of the Friends of the Library Board, the Library Board members each attend one meeting during the calendar year.

Finance Committee Report

The proposed agreement with the Canton Community Foundation is with the library’s lawyers, who had proposed changes to the original contract. Foster, Swift had suggested that the library pursue an agency endowment fund, rather than a donor-advised fund.

Trustee Turner raised questions regarding the Canton Community Foundation. Trustee J. Fausone proposed that a study session be arranged to address Turner’s concerns; Turner will forward a list of his questions to E. Davis.

The municipal bond attorney at Foster, Swift has now been provided with all necessary documentation re: the 2005 refinancing of the building bond and will review them. The library’s options will appear on the May board agenda.

The auditors’ recommendations re: budgeting changes will be discussed with the finance committee as more budgetary information (the actuarial report for the pension, etc.) becomes available. The first draft of the 2016 budget and 2017-2018 projections will be presented to the full board in July.

Unfinished Business & General Orders

None

New Business

Presentation of President’s Volunteer Service Award - Chair Eggenberger presented a Bronze Award to volunteer Kailash Saravanan. Saravanan, who has been a Canton Public Library service volunteer since 2012, volunteered for the library and other local organizations for a total of 108 hours in 2014.

Plante Moran 2014 Audit Presentation -  Jim Swartz and Melanie Crowther of Plante Moran briefly presented highlights of the 2014 Financial Report and the Report to the Canton Public Library Board. Swartz stated that this was the smoothest audit they had experienced in years, thanks in great part to ongoing communications throughout the year between the Business Services Department (chiefly accountant Debbie McHugh and department head Marian Nicholson) and M. Crowther. The auditors once again rendered an Unqualified opinion; their only official exception was the library’s procedure for accounting for grant money from the Friends of the Library (athough Swartz added that he understood the library’s reasoning and actually had no problem with handling it in that fashion.)

Swartz said that the assessment numbers forecast by the Canton Township Assessor’s office appeared to be on target. In response to Trustee Fausone’s request for his opinion regarding the possibility of paying off the building bond or lowering the millage rate, Swartz responded that he would not be at all opposed to retiring the debt service. He added that the library should prepare a five-year outlook that shows how the unassigned fund balance would be grown after the bond redemption and reviewed the presentation slide with budget advice moving forward.

Looking to the future, Swartz and Crowther informed the board that new pension standards will come into effect with GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) 68 in 2016.

S. Foster moved and T. Hartnett supported a motion to accepted the 2014 audit as presented.

The motion passed unanimously 15/4-16-1.

1st Quarter Budget Amendment - M. Nicholson and D. McHugh have been streamlining the budget amendment to make it easier to understand.

J. Fausone moved and M. Farell supported a motion to approve the 1st Quarter Budget Amendment as presented.

The motion passed unanimously 15/4-16-2.

Call to Audience

None

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 8:56 pm.