Library Board Meeting Update

Submitted by Stephen Kight

At its regular meeting, held last evening at the Cumming Library, the Library Board engaged in the following activities:

·         Heard a report on recent Public Services activities, including Forsyth Reads Together and Leap Into Literacy.

·         Heard a brief staff report on the progress of the Denmark Library.  Representatives from McMillan Pazdan Smith will give a presentation at the next Board meeting, either in May or a called meeting in April.

·         Approved the Denmark Library capital project budget, with total sources (revenues and fund balance) and expenditures of $13,151,965.

·         Accepted the Library’s Fiscal Year 2021 audit and the FY2021 AUP Report for State Grants.

·         Approved writing off $34,374.45 in patron debt remaining from 2018.

·         Reviewed information about library projects using FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023 Major Repair and Renovation (MRR) grants from the State of Georgia, coordinated by Georgia Public Library Service.

·         Approved a revision to the Fund Balance Policy, effective March 21, 2022, which includes considering “unrestricted” fund balance rather than “unassigned” fund balance in determining the target level of fund balance.  The policy has been updated on the library website.

·         Approved three motions associated with the use of fund balance:

o   Approval to use $259,719.09 in committed fund balance to purchase the FLX AMH (automated materials handling) system for the Post Road Library; approval to increase Operations expenses by $259,719.09.

o   Approval to uncommit remaining funds in the IT Maintenance, IT Equipment, and Forsyth County News Digitization categories.

o   Approval to transfer $300,000 in fund balance (General Fund) to the Capital Projects Fund for use for the Denmark Library project.

·         Approved the increase of Donations revenue by $4,080, Materials expenses by $3,330, and Operations expenses by $750 to reflect a grant received from the United Way of Forsyth County.  Funds from this grant will allow the library to expand our Remember When Caregiver Kits, which are designed for those who care for someone with memory loss or Alzheimer’s.  They will also allow the library to create a new collection of resource kits for seniors, called Savvy Senior Kits, to help them navigate challenges unique to their age and circumstances.  The themes will cover Financial Security, Avoiding Scams, Travel, Making Connections, Caregiving, and Memory Retention.

·         Approved staff to implement FY2022 state funding increases as needed to facilitate timely compliance with GPLS instructions; any budget adjustments shall be ratified by the Library Board at its next meeting.