South Central Library System Board of Trustees Minutes
2/25/2021, 12:15 p.m.
4610 S. Biltmore Lane, Suite 101, Madison, WI  53718

Meeting held remotely via BlueJeans

Action Items: 

Approved the Annual System Report
Approved the amendment to Lighthouse Commercial Agreement
Approved the use of General/Delivery contingency for building project
Approved new building budget of $5.5 million
Approved authority to make offer on building site
Approved applications to apply for $5 million in Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) loans

Present: N. Brien,  F. Cherney, B. Clendenning, P. Cox, S. Elwell, M. Furgal, J. Healy-Plotkin, J. Honl, N. Long, M. Nelson, R. Nelson, T. Peterson, G. Poulson, T. Walske, K. Williams

Absent:

Excused: N. Foth

Recorder:  H. Moe

SCLS Staff Present: M. Van Pelt, K. Goeden

Call to Order Time: 12: 15 p.m. J. Healy-Plotkin, President

a. Introduction of guests/visitors:  Devin Flanigan, Keller, Inc.

b.   Changes/additions to the agenda:  None

c.   Requests to address the Board:  

Approval of previous meeting minutes: 1/28/2021  

            a.   Motion:  P. Cox moved approval.  F. Cherney seconded.    
            b.   Changes or corrections:  None

            c.   Vote:  Motion carried.

Bills for Payments:  The bills for payment amount is $170,074.06

a.   Motion.  B. Clendenning moved approval of the bills for payment.  M. Nelson seconded.

            b.   Discussion:  None

            c.    Vote:  Motion carried.

Financial Statements:  K. Goeden provided an overview of the financial statements. 

Presentation:  Building Needs Assessment Work Group Update – K. Goeden with Building Site Assessment & Next Steps – Devin Flanigan, Keller Inc. 
K. Goeden provided a brief review and history of the Building Needs Assessment Work Group (BNAW).
Devin Flanigan provided information about where the process is at this point, the “discovery book” that was created from staff interviews and the BNAW as well as the next steps and timeline for the future.  He also provided an example of renderings of conceptual square footage of the building. 
Will the board have a say in the property that is purchased?  The board will have final approval of the purchase. 
M. Furgal requested a copy of the Power Point document from Devin Flanigan, which is included in the documents online.

Discussion:
            a. Building/land purchase including financing options – K. Goeden -   Because we are a local government entity, we qualify for the BCPL loan which is a 20 year fixed loan at 4% interest with no down payment or escalators.  There will be a set annual payment once a year for 20 years and then it will be paid off.  The process from application to approval will take 4 months. SCLS is asking the board to approve a 10% allowance from contingency in case it’s needed. 
N. Long inquired if the use of $500,000 would put a significant drain on the contingency fund and hamper any future needs. M. Van Pelt noted she understands the concern.  It has been calculated that if SCLS were to go out of business, that contingency amount would cover expenses, but that amount can be reduced since we are no longer the fiscal agent for Green and Sauk County and we no longer keep as many holding accounts for the member libraries.  There will still be enough in place for a “safety net”. 
S. Elwell inquired if there is a different process for purchasing land versus an existing building.  Devin Flanagan noted they are two different processes, but the timelines would be similar.

Committee Reports:

a. 2021 Committee Assignments – Rob Nelson volunteered to serve on Bylaws Committee. 

b. Advocacy:  Library Legislative Day experiences were shared.

Action Items:
a. Approval of the Annual System Plan

                        i. Motion:  M. Furgal moved approval of the Annual System Plan.  F. Cherney seconded.
                        ii. Discussion: R. Nelson inquired about a calculation on the annual report.   
                        iii. Vote:  Motion Carried.

            b. Approval of amendment to Lighthouse Commercial Agreement

i. Motion:  F. Cherney moved approval of the amendment to Lighthouse Commercial Agreement.  N. Long seconded.
ii. Discussion:  R. Nelson wanted clarification that this will not cost SCLS any commission fees.  SCLS will not pay the commission. A signed letter from Mataas Partners confirms it.
iii. Vote:  Motion carried.

c. Approve use of General/Delivery contingency for building project

i. Motion:  R. Nelson moved approval to use general/delivery contingency for building project.   B. Clendenning seconded.
ii. Discussion:  None
iii.  Vote:  Motion Carried.

d. Approve new building budget of $5.5 million
               i. Motion: M. Furgal moved approval of $5.5 million for the new building budget.  P. Cox seconded.
               ii. Discussion:  This budget is not site specific.
               iii. Vote: Motion carried.

   e. Approve authority to make offer on building site

               i. Motion:  B. Clendenning moved approval for authority to make offer on building site.  P. Cox seconded
ii.  Discussion: SCLS is asking for authority to let the broker know that he may make an offer,  which will give SCLS time to do an investigation and allow us to begin to negotiate.  This is more of a documentation of the board approving/acknowledging the next step in the process.  All offers will have contingencies of board approval, financing, zoning, environmental, soil boring, etc. 
R. Nelson inquired who we are granting the authority to.  It would be the BNAW and David Haug, Lighthouse Realty, on behalf of SCLS. 
iii. Vote:  Motion carried.

f. Approve applications to apply for $5 million in BCPL loans

i. Motion: M. Furgal moved approval to apply for a $5 million BCPL loan.  R. Nelson seconded.
ii. Discussion:  None
iii.  Vote: Motion carried.

SCLS Foundation Report:   The Foundation Board met 1/28/2021 and also held a special meeting on 2/12/2021 to discuss fundraising.   There will be a fall Cornerstone event held at the Buck and Honey’s restaurant in Monona mid- October with outdoor seating available.  Funeral homes and estate planning facilities are being provided with a “leave a legacy” brochure to encourage donations to the foundation and a Kwik Trip partnership is being explored.

System Director's Report:  You may view the System Director report online.  M. Van Pelt noted the Oregon library has received the full funding to start building.  SCLS Trustees have their WLA membership paid by SCLS.  Plumer Lovelace, WLA Director, is resigning and taking a position at the UW Madison School of Medicine.  The Marathon County Task Force and the Marathon County Library Board voted to approve joining SCLS.  It was not an overwhelming consensus and the board has decided to invite DPI representatives to their March board meeting to discuss the impacts of Marathon County Library leaving WVLS.  Following that, a public hearing will be held and then it will go to the Marathon County Commissioners for a vote.  Because there is public concern, a FAQ was created for the MCPL website.
R. Nelson inquired about the purging of patron charges.  There are two purges per year for LINKcat libraries, which the libraries voted to do.  One is an annual purge of old charges which removes charges over 10 years old and less than $100.  If a library does not want to purge those charges, they may keep them by creating a manual charge.  The second purge is for inactive patrons over two years with an expired library card for one year and a balance of less than $20.00 owed. 

Administrative Council (AC) Report:  Met 2/18/2021.  You may view the minutes online. 

Other Business: 

a. 2021 Board Education topics revision:  The document is available online
            b.  Dates for upcoming Personnel and Finance committees’ meetings:

             June 8:  2021 Mid-year & preliminary 2022 Budget & wages

             August 17:  2022 Annual Budget

            c. Revised 2022 Budget timeline:  The document is available online.
            d. New order by Public Health of Madison and Dane County:  Social distancing and masks are required.  The SCLS conference rooms were set up with the parameters in place and based on the size of the conference rooms, only 10 people will fit, so SCLS will continue to hold meetings virtually.  The rooms are available for use if the meeting size is under 10 people.

Information Sharing:  P. Cox expressed his appreciation for the contributions of the BNAW and J. Honl appreciated the details in the presentation by Keller, Inc.
R. Nelson noted the Baraboo Public Library is opening on Monday for full service with social distancing and masking. 

S. Elwell inquired when the next Bylaws committee will be held.  This topic will be put on the March agenda to begin conversations about setting up a meeting.

Adjournment:  2:02 p.m.

For more information about the Board of Trustees, contact Martha Van Pelt

BOT/Minutes/2-25-2021