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

• Present:
  Nancy Eggenberger, Michelle Farell, Jasmine Lee, Jane Pandit, Don Turner, Amy Watts
• Absent:
  None
• Also Present:
  E. Davis, K. Gladden

 

Call to Audience

None

Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.

Approval of General Meeting Minutes

The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

Communications

The board members received letters forwarded to them from Westland Mayor William Wild and State Representative Kristy Pagan of Canton.

Director’s Report

E. Davis referenced the financials (which are trending on track), pointing out that funds were transferred into the checking account from the high yield savings account temporarily at the suggestion of Doreen Lattimer (the library’s representative at J.P. Morgan/Chase) to avoid year-end bank fees. The funds will be returned to savings after the township turns over the winter tax revenue.

Davis informed the board that Information Technology department head Leo Papa will only attend two more board meetings, as he is retiring in March 2017.

In response to a query by Secretary-Treasurer D. Turner, Davis responded that she has no concerns over administering an LSTA grant (should the library receive one), as the library already receives and administers several grants. There is a procedure in place which will make dealing with the grant a straightforward matter.

Trustee Comments

Secretary-Treasurer Turner questioned whether discussions were in process or being planned to address the issue of skylights and whether to repair, replace or get rid of them in the future. Davis replied that the leaking skylight in question was one of the original skylights and appeared in the capital replacement schedule. Wolverine Moore, which effected the repair work, would be out in the spring to check on it and will make any additional necessary repairs at that time, at no cost to the library.

Turner also asked for an update on the parcel ID issue. The township’s attorney, Kristin Kolb, notified Scott Hogan, the library’s real estate attorney, that they have a backlog and that their goal is to issue the parcel ID number to the library by February 2017.

Committee Reports

None

Unfinished Business & General Orders

None

New Business

2020 Strategic Plan

Davis spoke about the library’s mission statement (The Canton Public Library Connects Your Community) and core values (Relevance, Access, Integrity, Leadership) and how they fit into this third iteration of the library’s strategic plan. Susan Kennedy of K2 Communications Plus and select members of the library’s Strategic Planning Leadership Team (L. Fawcett, M. Hathaway, N. Welz, M. Nicholson, R. Havenstein-Coughlin, L. Golden) reviewed the new plan for the board members.

Trustee J. Lee asked if there were any specific implementation goals associated with the new strategic plan. Davis explained that aspects of the current plan were contained in previous plans, and that this iteration is more about refinement and adaptation to changing conditions than ticking off boxes.

Secretary-Treasurer Turner asked what had triggered the pivot from previous, metric-based plans to the current one, where impact and outcomes are the most important considerations. According to Davis, consultant Susan Kennedy’s market-based research was most influential in changing the library’s focus to discovering which “products” library patrons themselves wanted and needed, as opposed to those the library believed would be valuable for the community. Data-driven decision-making as well as insights derived from a Research Institute for Public Libraries workshop attended by Davis and Community Relations department head Laurie Golden, and the results of a community survey commissioned jointly by the library and Canton Leisure Services also contributed information for the new strategic plan.

Board members indicated their appreciation for the rich informational presentation, and their enthusiasm for the new strategic plan.

4th Quarter Budget Amendment

M. Farell moved and D. Turner supported a motion to approve the 4th Quarter Budget Amendment as proposed.

The motion passed unanimously 16/12-15-1

Motion to Approve Fund Balance Transfer for Capital Expenditures

M. Farell moved and J. Pandit supported a motion to approve a Fund Balance transfer for capital expenditures not to exceed $269,162.

The motion passed unanimously 16/12-15-2

2017 Preliminary Agenda Planning

The board indicated its general approval of the proposed preliminary agenda plan for 2017.

Call to Audience

None

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 9:21 PM