Clyde Public Library Board Meeting

Date & Time: April 15, 2025 @ 7:00 pm

Present: Dirlam, Johnston, Weasner, Kaple, Rogers, Archer

Others Present: Rachel Henck Bentley, Director; Karen Gerber, Fiscal Officer

Correspondences: None

Minutes: Motion to accept minutes was made by Kaple and seconded by Johnston. Motion carried unanimously.

Gifts: $47.55 to be accepted. Motion to accept by Dirlam and seconded by Kaple. Motion carried.

Director’s Report

• Furnaces have been replaced. Parking lot repairs are scheduled for completion by April 23, with reopening on April 24. Smith and Young Roofing inspected the roof above the Hurd Room for a suspected leak and identified a one-inch crack, which has been sealed.
• Re-evaluating hotspots and Roku devices with current state budget issues. Considering applying for the Stephenson Grant this year to fund three digital signage boards to replace clocks.
• Attended multiple webinars, including Ohio Goes to the Movies on 3/18/25, and is working with the school and potentially the Heritage League for a related program. Other webinars include several state budget sessions with OLC. Attended Clyde City Council meeting on 4/8 and received a $1,000 donation from the City of Clyde. Also attended meetings with Clyde Career Women (4/14), Norweld Annual Meeting (4/17) — elected as a board trustee — Quarterly CLEVNET meeting at Mentor Library, and Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce.
• Obtaining Hayes Center passes.
• State Budget Updates – Amended Substitute House Bill 96:
  • Proposes shifting the Public Library Fund from a fixed 1.7% of the State’s General Revenue Fund to a specific line-item appropriation.
  • Libraries must place materials related to sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression in sections not primarily visible to minors.
  • Reduces trustee terms from seven to four years for school district, county, and regional library boards.
  • Prohibits libraries from placing menstrual products in men’s restrooms.
  • Increases annual funding for the Imagination Library to $8.25 million (short of the Governor’s $10 million proposal).
  • Proposes replacing county prosecutors with county commissioners on County Budget Commissions (auditor and treasurer remain).
• Policy Review: Public Records Policy. Motion to approve by Kaple and seconded by Dirlam. Motion carried unanimously. Next policy for review: Code of Conduct.
• Summer Reading Program (SRP) Updates:
  • Monetary donations totaling $3,665.00 received.
  • In-kind donations include: Adventurous Climbing coupons, Anytime Fitness gym membership, C&C Games gift card, Cedar Point tickets, Cherry City Honey vouchers, Columbus Museum passes, Discount Drug Mart gift card, East of Chicago coupons, Frisch’s Big Boy ice cream tickets, Ghostly Manor tickets, Hayes Presidential Center passes, Jungle Junction tickets, Miller Boat Line family pass, Miller’s Drive-In/Medicine Shoppe wooden coins, Fort Ball gift card, Plaza Lanes gift card, SkyZone passes, Wendy’s Frosty coupons, XO Lu-free tattoo, and YOUnique Wellness Center gift card.
• Programs at the Library: 4/7 – Grow Your Own Bouquet; April 7–12 – National Library Week; April 10–12 – Friends of the Library Book Sale.
• Staff Shout Outs:
  • Pam freed a bird trapped in the ceiling and discovered a leak in the meeting room ceiling, which has since been repaired.
  • Scott is collaborating with library media specialists at local schools to teach them how to use the library software.
  • Working with an advertising company in Sandusky on SRP mailers; the representative complimented the professionalism and quality of the newsletters.

Old Business

Bylaws reviewed. Will revise and bring back.

New Business

Smoke alarms have all been addressed.

Fiscal Officer’s Report

• As of 3/1/2025 – General Fund: $1,250,225.77
• Total Amount: $1,549,028.31

Motion: To accept this amount by Archer, seconded by Kaple. Motion carried unanimously.

Library Annual Appropriations

Grand total of annual appropriations for all funds: $971,350.00

Motion: To accept by Dirlam, seconded by Johnston. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion to adjourn: 7:45 pm, made by Archer and seconded by Dirlam.

Next Meeting: May 19, 2025 at 7:00 pm