Board Meeting Minutes 5/27/2025 (html)
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
SILVER FALLS LIBRARY DISTRICTSilver Falls Library Program Room
410 S. Water St., Silverton, Oregon
Board Members Present: Staff Present:
Megan Smith Christy Davis, Director
Dmitry White Stacy Higby
Nancy Miller
Michelle Sanguinetti Public Present:
None
Board Members Absent:
Ingrid Donnerstag
BUDGET HEARING
Call to Order 5:38pm
Acceptance of Budget Committee Report and Budget Resolution 2025-2026
Motion: To approve the April 22, 2025 Budget Committee Report and Budget Resolution 2025-2026 as printed/circulated.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
Adjournment of Budget Hearing 5:42
Motion: To adjourn the Budget Hearing.
(Motion by: Nancy Miller. Second by Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
CALL TO ORDER
Chair White called the meeting to order at 5:43 p.m.
REVIEW OF AGENDA
No changes
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
On Page 4, “weeding can tell provide” should be “weeding can provide”.
On Page 5, “will be out of the library” should be “will be on vacation”.
Motion: To approve the April 22, 2025 Board Meeting minutes as amended.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
FINANCIAL REPORT, APRIL 2025
The Board received and reviewed the following reports:
Statement of Cash Receipts:
Check Register
Motion: To approve the APRIL 2025 Financial Report as presented, including checks #18039 through and including #18055, and all EFTs, for a total of $82,481.45.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Nancy Miller).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Parking Lot and City of Silverton Updates
There are no updates since the last Board Meeting, but Christy will attend a quarterly lunch tomorrow with department heads of local elected boards. The lights were installed on the north side of the building, and partially grant-funded through an SDAO Safety and Security grant. Christy will emphasize to City Manager Cory Misley that we hope to move quickly to have the paving work done this summer. We will call to schedule the paving right away. Christy will also talk to him about signage contractors.
2. C-REP planning grant process
After we submitted the project plan and then the final report, C-REP responded that they would be sending the remainder of the grant funds. Christy will email the site visit report from Oregon Energy Trust to the Board. There may be a grant opportunity for battery storage from PGE with a deadline approaching, so Christy will look into that very soon. Randall from Sunbreak Energy might know what the de-prioritization of federal energy efficiency projects will do to Oregon’s efforts.
Motion: To approve Budget Resolution 2025-02 (read aloud).
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second: by Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Proposed cost of living adjustment
The Budget Committee approved the Personnel budget last month, which included a 2% Wage Step Increase and a 1.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The Board reviewed a spreadsheet showing the increases across salary bands.
Motion: To approve a 1.5% COLA increase for fiscal year 2025-2026.
(Motion by: Nancy Miller. Second by: Dmitry White).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
2. Health Insurance – Christy shared that a staff member who has coverage through the Library for themselves and their spouse can no longer get care for a serious health issue through Salem Health after they failed to come to an agreement with Regence. CIS (City-County Insurance Services) opened a brief window to allow members to switch to Kaiser Permanente mid-year after negotiations failed, but no one on staff made the switch. Board members empathize with the employee whose treatment plan was upended. Shopping for a new insurance carrier for a pool of only 19 employees may limit choices and increase costs. CIS is going to start offering Surest, a plan from United Health Care, which is app-based and offers lower co-pays for physicians and clinics with higher ratings. Surest is a highly rated division of UHC. Stacy will forward the email she sent to staff with more information about Surest. We can look into Pacific Source and Moda, but our Request For Coverage (RFC) is due to CIS by July 22, so time is limited. We can talk to CIS about Silverton being underserved in both physicians taking new patients and pharmacy services. The Board would approve offering more plans through CIS so that employees have more choices. Self-insuring may limit staff to only one plan and add administrative time and effort for the Library.
3. 2025-2026 Holiday Closure Schedule
Motion: To approve the Library Holiday Closure Schedule as presented.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
Though no decision was reached, the Board will consider a paid holiday for Labor Day and Memorial Day for staff members who work Mondays year-round.
4. Oregon Library Association’s Public Library Standards, 2021 edition, pages 24-26 Services and Programs Standards
Do we provide notary services? No, because the local banks provide for their members.
Do we provide resources for local economic development? The Library has not been called on to do that, but we provide books and other information about entrepreneurship and small business development. Christy will provide a list of resources and books to Stacy Palmer at the Chamber.
Is there anything on the list that we can do better or that uses excessive time? Program Room rentals take a lot of time, but it’s an important service. The Local History Collection takes a lot of time but will be worth it. For a library our size, we are doing a good job. There is a struggle to connect with the school library system, but that’s somewhat beyond our control.
Is there any place we are lacking in effective ADA communication? We have large print books, audiobooks, access to the Talking Books Project, ADA website compliance software.
Do we offer adult literacy classes? They can be hard to get started. There was a very robust program in Indiana in the 70’s and 80’s called VITAL (Volunteers In Teaching Adult Literacy), with ESL and remedial one-on-one tutoring. Volunteers received hours of training. Their books, which included an early English learner book collection with complex adult themes written at a 3rd-4th grade lever, are no longer printed. These books allowed literacy students to read at their level without being infantilized by the materials. ESL classes are offered through the YMCA. We would like to host literacy classes to serve a population we are missing. Christy will ask the State Library about literacy resources that we can offer to our patrons.
Do we have video games to check out? No, they are proprietary, but patrons play games on our public computers. A game exchange could possibly be coordinated with help from Jason Freilinger and some of the Library’s gaming group leaders. Baker City Library has Memory Care Kits for families with a member in cognitive decline, with interview prompts, binders, tubs of objects that can be checked out. We offer appointments with a member of reference staff to help patrons with learning how to use their devices. We have a new seed library started, and a canning/food preservation project coming soon with OSU Extension Service. We use our website, newsletter, and Facebook pages to get information about new offerings out to the community.
LIBRARY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Director Davis reported on the following:
Good things:
Motion: To adjourn the meeting at 8:14 p.m.
(Motion by: Nancy Miller. Second by: Dmitry White).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
__________________________________________
The next Library Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. in the library program room.
Approved: _________________________(date)
_______________________________________
Dmitry White
Chair, Library Board of Directors
Silver Falls Library District
LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
SILVER FALLS LIBRARY DISTRICTSilver Falls Library Program Room
410 S. Water St., Silverton, Oregon
Board Members Present: Staff Present:
Megan Smith Christy Davis, Director
Dmitry White Stacy Higby
Nancy Miller
Michelle Sanguinetti Public Present:
None
Board Members Absent:
Ingrid Donnerstag
BUDGET HEARING
Call to Order 5:38pm
Acceptance of Budget Committee Report and Budget Resolution 2025-2026
Motion: To approve the April 22, 2025 Budget Committee Report and Budget Resolution 2025-2026 as printed/circulated.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
Adjournment of Budget Hearing 5:42
Motion: To adjourn the Budget Hearing.
(Motion by: Nancy Miller. Second by Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
CALL TO ORDER
Chair White called the meeting to order at 5:43 p.m.
REVIEW OF AGENDA
No changes
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
On Page 4, “weeding can tell provide” should be “weeding can provide”.
On Page 5, “will be out of the library” should be “will be on vacation”.
Motion: To approve the April 22, 2025 Board Meeting minutes as amended.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
FINANCIAL REPORT, APRIL 2025
The Board received and reviewed the following reports:
- Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Fund Balances (as of April 30, 2025)
- General Fund Statement of Cash Receipts (as of April 30, 2025)
- General Fund Statement of Cash Disbursements (as of April 30, 2025)
- Check Register – Citizen’s Bank (April 1-30, 2025)
- LGIP Account Statement (as of April 30, 2025)
- Purchase Order – Visa (closing date March 20, 2025)
- Journal Entries (as of April 30, 2025)
Statement of Cash Receipts:
- Is the $600 in Donations one lump sum? This is a quarterly donation from Friends of the Library. Would they be willing to fundraise to pay for services lost due to funding cuts at IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Sciences)? We will definitely ask them.
- Why is there a negative amount in Group Health? Employee contributions were deducted from paychecks but the payment to CIS was made after May 1.
- What is Vispero? It is the ADA software for public computers.
- Why is spending so low for Advertising/Publishing? Only one budget publication has been billed so far.
- Why is spending so low for Conference/Training and Travel? Payments for staff to attend and travel to the OLA Conference were made after May 1.
- Why is spending so low for Minor Equip/Furnishings? The new phone system, parking lot lighting, and the Circulation Office desk have yet to be completed and billed.
- Do we plan to enclose the other study carrell? Maybe, but the one that is completed isn’t getting enough use to justify another one yet. Replacing the carpet in the Program Room might take priority.
Check Register
- Is the payment to Nationwide Retirement Services for Deferred Compensation? Yes, that amount is pulled from the participating employee’s monthly payroll and sent to Nationwide. They do not charge us administrative fees.
- What is Midwest Tape? They sell audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs only to libraries.
Motion: To approve the APRIL 2025 Financial Report as presented, including checks #18039 through and including #18055, and all EFTs, for a total of $82,481.45.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Nancy Miller).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Parking Lot and City of Silverton Updates
There are no updates since the last Board Meeting, but Christy will attend a quarterly lunch tomorrow with department heads of local elected boards. The lights were installed on the north side of the building, and partially grant-funded through an SDAO Safety and Security grant. Christy will emphasize to City Manager Cory Misley that we hope to move quickly to have the paving work done this summer. We will call to schedule the paving right away. Christy will also talk to him about signage contractors.
2. C-REP planning grant process
After we submitted the project plan and then the final report, C-REP responded that they would be sending the remainder of the grant funds. Christy will email the site visit report from Oregon Energy Trust to the Board. There may be a grant opportunity for battery storage from PGE with a deadline approaching, so Christy will look into that very soon. Randall from Sunbreak Energy might know what the de-prioritization of federal energy efficiency projects will do to Oregon’s efforts.
Motion: To approve Budget Resolution 2025-02 (read aloud).
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second: by Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Proposed cost of living adjustment
The Budget Committee approved the Personnel budget last month, which included a 2% Wage Step Increase and a 1.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The Board reviewed a spreadsheet showing the increases across salary bands.
Motion: To approve a 1.5% COLA increase for fiscal year 2025-2026.
(Motion by: Nancy Miller. Second by: Dmitry White).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
2. Health Insurance – Christy shared that a staff member who has coverage through the Library for themselves and their spouse can no longer get care for a serious health issue through Salem Health after they failed to come to an agreement with Regence. CIS (City-County Insurance Services) opened a brief window to allow members to switch to Kaiser Permanente mid-year after negotiations failed, but no one on staff made the switch. Board members empathize with the employee whose treatment plan was upended. Shopping for a new insurance carrier for a pool of only 19 employees may limit choices and increase costs. CIS is going to start offering Surest, a plan from United Health Care, which is app-based and offers lower co-pays for physicians and clinics with higher ratings. Surest is a highly rated division of UHC. Stacy will forward the email she sent to staff with more information about Surest. We can look into Pacific Source and Moda, but our Request For Coverage (RFC) is due to CIS by July 22, so time is limited. We can talk to CIS about Silverton being underserved in both physicians taking new patients and pharmacy services. The Board would approve offering more plans through CIS so that employees have more choices. Self-insuring may limit staff to only one plan and add administrative time and effort for the Library.
3. 2025-2026 Holiday Closure Schedule
Motion: To approve the Library Holiday Closure Schedule as presented.
(Motion by: Dmitry White. Second by: Megan Smith).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
Though no decision was reached, the Board will consider a paid holiday for Labor Day and Memorial Day for staff members who work Mondays year-round.
4. Oregon Library Association’s Public Library Standards, 2021 edition, pages 24-26 Services and Programs Standards
Do we provide notary services? No, because the local banks provide for their members.
Do we provide resources for local economic development? The Library has not been called on to do that, but we provide books and other information about entrepreneurship and small business development. Christy will provide a list of resources and books to Stacy Palmer at the Chamber.
Is there anything on the list that we can do better or that uses excessive time? Program Room rentals take a lot of time, but it’s an important service. The Local History Collection takes a lot of time but will be worth it. For a library our size, we are doing a good job. There is a struggle to connect with the school library system, but that’s somewhat beyond our control.
Is there any place we are lacking in effective ADA communication? We have large print books, audiobooks, access to the Talking Books Project, ADA website compliance software.
Do we offer adult literacy classes? They can be hard to get started. There was a very robust program in Indiana in the 70’s and 80’s called VITAL (Volunteers In Teaching Adult Literacy), with ESL and remedial one-on-one tutoring. Volunteers received hours of training. Their books, which included an early English learner book collection with complex adult themes written at a 3rd-4th grade lever, are no longer printed. These books allowed literacy students to read at their level without being infantilized by the materials. ESL classes are offered through the YMCA. We would like to host literacy classes to serve a population we are missing. Christy will ask the State Library about literacy resources that we can offer to our patrons.
Do we have video games to check out? No, they are proprietary, but patrons play games on our public computers. A game exchange could possibly be coordinated with help from Jason Freilinger and some of the Library’s gaming group leaders. Baker City Library has Memory Care Kits for families with a member in cognitive decline, with interview prompts, binders, tubs of objects that can be checked out. We offer appointments with a member of reference staff to help patrons with learning how to use their devices. We have a new seed library started, and a canning/food preservation project coming soon with OSU Extension Service. We use our website, newsletter, and Facebook pages to get information about new offerings out to the community.
LIBRARY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Director Davis reported on the following:
Good things:
- The two best pieces of news are that City of Salem passed the measure to levy taxes for the Library, 50+ Center, and City Parks. We don’t know what budgetary adjustments the Salem library might still have to make but whatever they are they will be less dire and impactful on their patrons and CCRLS patrons. The impact of Salem losing functionality was going to create chaos and potentially collapse of CCRLS. The other piece of good-ish news is that State Librarian Wendy Cornelisen published her priorities for a future that is likely without funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Her priority, which is supported by the majority of Oregon’s library workers, is to focus on staff retention.
- The panel discussion and presentation at the Oregon Library Association conference, which was coordinated by me and featured solar spectrum artist Peter Erskine and his team, went very well and the artist recruited several more libraries for solar art installations.
- We hired Junk Bees to wash our windows inside and out, and to wash our building and pressure wash our sidewalks. It’s nice to have spring cleaning. Our carpets will be cleaned on Monday, June 2nd.
- We will continue to have storytime at the Oregon Garden first Wednesdays of the month for as long as the weather is good.
- The summer reading program officially kicks off on June 10 and goes through the end of August. The national theme this year is “Level Up” and we’ll be interpreting that with a game-themed program.
- We are noticing a few more vocal complaints about our materials – particularly anything that is LGBTQIA+. The complaints are comments that haven’t developed into formal challenges.
- The library rented the program room to Silverton PFLAG for a program on May 23rd. The “this is who we are and what we do” informational meeting (not a regular chapter meeting) started at 6pm and I stuck around the library’s entryway for a ½ hour just to monitor. The event’s organizer had received a threat via social media that the event was going to be protested loudly. No one came to protest or disrupt the event. It was well attended, and with at least 25 program guests.
- Our file library migration is still incomplete. CCRLS IT replaced Becky’s computer so that it is a version that can work with the new file software. Woodburn IT will be back on June 17th and possibly 18th to complete the work. We have to wait to get Shelly’s very old computer replaced but she can easily access files on the main Youth Services desk.
- Concerns about insurance coverage for hospital/healthcare systems, prescriptions, etc., which were mentioned in earlier discussion.
- The next time we meet, we should have a new phone system, the study room doors should be stained and varnished, and Tina’s desk in the circulation office should have new drawer faces and work surfaces.
- The new study room on the library’s South side is now vented for heating and cooling.
- Question: OK to put up a table and send staff to Silverton Pride?
- The director used 25 hours of vacation leave in April and 2 hours of sick leave.
Motion: To adjourn the meeting at 8:14 p.m.
(Motion by: Nancy Miller. Second by: Dmitry White).
Vote: Unanimously in favor.
__________________________________________
The next Library Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. in the library program room.
Approved: _________________________(date)
_______________________________________
Dmitry White
Chair, Library Board of Directors
Silver Falls Library District
