TRUSTEE BOARD MEETING

Minutes

March 21, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm by Chairman Blaine Robertson. Board members present were Pam Beard, Blaine Robertson, Roger Jackson, Gordon Timothy, and Judy Dewey, secretary. Tricia Galer was excused.

The corrected minutes of the last meeting were approved by acclamation. The bills were approved by acclamation, and the checks paying the bills were signed.

Several guests from Plano, Salem, and Sugar City attended the meeting. They are interested in the Sugar-Salem School Community Library becoming part of the Madison Library District. Roger and Blaine recounted the history of negotiations approximately eight years ago. The subject of that meeting was to talk about it. No effort was ever taken to move in the direction of consolidation. Those present were going to go back to their boards and talk about it. There was no official response from Sugar-Salem. Unofficially, it was reported the school superintendent, who has no legal say in the matter, said no to consolidation.

The guests presented several problems they see with the Sugar-Salem library: you feel like you’re interrupting a classroom; the library is inadequate as a high school library, let alone being inadequate as a public library; the hours are limited; tax monies levied for the library have most probably been co-mingled with the school tax monies. The perception is that the school needs the funds from the library taxes. One of the primary problems with the Sugar-Salem library is that residents of Plano and Salem do not go to Sugar City. The shopping center for the entire county is Rexburg. Judy pointed out that 193 families from the Sugar-Salem library purchase library cards at the Madison Library: 120 from Sugar-City, 33 from Salem, and 40 from Plano. This means that approximately 20% of those whose taxes go to the Sugar-Salem library pay an extra $60 per year to use the Madison Library.

Questions raised included the possibility of having a branch library in Sugar City but moving it out of the high school; the possibility of leasing space from the high school; doing a one-time donation of equipment and such to the high school and having the public use the Madison Library. Responses to the idea of a branch of the Madison Library District in Sugar City included the fact that there are like population centers in Hibbard and the Archer-Lyman-Burton area, so there might be resistance to having a Sugar City branch. It was felt there would be resistance to consolidation if a public library were not maintained in some form in Sugar City.

One of the guests has presented the Madison County Planning Commission with a proposal to have everyone in the county served by the Madison Library. Another guest is considering running for the Sugar-Salem library board.

Judy pointed out that consolidation is accomplished by the library boards involved voting to consolidate. One guest was amazed that no public election was required. Section 33-2711 is the relevant Idaho Code section.

Blaine said the first step probably is for the two boards to meet and see if anyone on the boards is thinking about consolidation. It was pointed out that we need to consider what is best for the long term for the residents of the Madison Library District and those of the Sugar-Salem School Community Library.

Upon conclusion of the above discussion, which took a majority of the two-hour meeting, the guests left.

The board decided that our board needs to decide where it stands on consolidation, a decision left for a future meeting.

Roger conceded the library needs to purchase the latest version of QuickBooks.

The board decided not to erect a wall to enclose the children’s area; that it would not solve the problem of noisy children in the library; to wait and see what effect the “noise signal” that has been ordered has; and to look into some noise attenuation devices/procedures.

Judy expressed concern about a patron who is brought in by “Options,” an organization serving the disabled. This patron makes continual, involuntary noise while in the library. This adds to the already unacceptable noise level. After discussion and consideration, Judy was asked to contact the organization and express the board’s concern.

As to auditors, Larry Rigby will get back to us after tax season ends. The question came up about time limits for the audit. Judy will check into that.

The board will not consider dropping fines on children’s materials returned after the due date.

The board decided to sent Stacee and Brian Magee’s account to collection.

Blaine will try to go with Judy to the meeting on April 13^th of the Fremont County Library District and the Sugar-Salem library regarding the boundary adjustment.

As to children using the library’s internet computers now that they are filtered, the board said parents should decide and will need to approve a child’s access.

Judy was asked to call the county to determine how many households are in our library district not paying taxes. A patron came in with a Sugar City address but claimed they were in our district. A call to the Madison County treasurer’s office determined they were not paying any library taxes even though they are in the district. It was learned at that time there is some amount of property within the library district not being taxed.

The meeting having been longer than usual, Roger moved that the remaining items on the agenda be tabled. Gordon seconded the motion. The items on the agenda for the next meeting are the policy manual and direction for the building committee. All other items will be deferred until May.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 pm upon Roger’s motion.

Blaine Robertson, Chair of the Board                 Judith M. Dewey, Secretary