Library Board Meeting Update (11/20/23)

Monday, November 20 The Library Board met at the Cumming Library. Highlighted agenda items include:

Public Services Report: 

Deputy Director Ann Decherd presented highlights from September and October programming and activities. Included were Fall Break programs at the branches, Outreach Trunk or Treat events, and Staff Day. Ann also pointed out that strong partnership programs like Leap Into Literacy (Forsyth County Schools and Rotary) and Diwali programming at Sharon Forks (OneForsyth) were well-received and well-attended.

Information Services presentation:

Information Services Supervisors Sarah Brubaker (Cumming Library), Brooke Richards (Post Road Library), Brooke Rose (Sharon Forks Library), and Brooke West (Hampton Park Library) presented “A Day in the Life of an Information Specialist'' to the Board, giving an overview of the tasks involved in the role of Information Services staff. They focused on Ask Us desk activities, patron interactions, program research, planning, promotion, and implementation. They gave the Board a look at what happens behind the scenes when staff are engaged in the many tasks away from the desk. Kristin Morrissey, Chair, commented that

these presentations allow the Library Board to understand better what library staff do, which equips them to convey this to county commissioners and other interested community members.

Award of bid for furniture and shelving for Denmark Library: 

Director Anna Lyle gave reasoning for why the selection committee (Holly Barfield, IT and Facilities Manager, Scot Wells, Facilities and Construction Supervisor, and Melissa Walters from McMillan Pazdan Smith) chose Office Interiors and Spacesaver Storage Solutions for the furniture and shelving, respectively. During the furniture bid, Interior Space Consultants, the lowest bidder, was disqualified as they had provided bids for substitutions despite the bid instructions stating that no substitutions were allowed. Empire Office was also disqualified as they modified the pricing form, and the committee decided to eliminate their bid due to an error in quantities. Similarly, Source Interiors' lowest bid was rejected in the shelving bid due to insufficient information for the committee to evaluate. The committee found that the Spacesaver product was superior to the product used in the bid design and recommended awarding the shelving bid to Spacesaver Storage Solutions.

Renewal of janitorial and landscape services contracts:

The current janitorial contract with Building Maintenance Services, Inc. will expire on December 31, 2023, with an option to renew through December 31, 2024, with no changes to the contract price. 

The current landscaping contract with Visionscapes, Inc. will expire on January 31, 2024. Visionscapes, Inc. has requested an overall contract increase of 6% for the two-year renewal option. HR and Finance Manager Nikki Watkins requested that the renewal option be exercised through January 31, 2025. She requested that we wait until the Denmark Library janitorial and landscape bids are brought forward before searching for bids from other vendors for our existing locations due to a high probability that overall pricing will be greater if we go out to bid now.

Denmark Library update: 

IT and Facilities Manager Holly Barfield gave the Board an update on the construction progress at the Denmark Library site. We are currently on schedule with concrete being poured for the foundation footings, parking lot curbing being added, and storm drainage being completed. Timely completion of the parking lot pavement is a priority since lower temperatures can affect the asphalt. Electrical, construction, and water and sewage teams are working together on the parking lot and building site in preparation for an anticipated early to mid-December slab pour.

State Health Benefit Plan:

During the meeting, Director Anna Lyle reminded the Board members that there will be an increase in the Library's healthcare costs over the next three years. While we will be able to make funding adjustments to cover the last half of the 2024 fiscal year, we will be seeking a long-term funding solution from the county to address this issue. As a result, the January fund balance will be larger than usual.

Proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget adjustments:

The board voted unanimously to increase Donations revenue and Operations expenses by $500.00 to reflect a donation from OneForsyth for the Diwali programs at Sharon Forks Library.

The board voted unanimously to increase Donations revenue and Operations expenses by $800.00 to reflect a donation from South Forsyth Rotary for Leap into Literacy programs.

The board voted unanimously to increase Donations revenue and Operations expenses by $3,638.00 to reflect a grant from the North Georgia Community Foundation to be used to launch the 500 Books Before Middle School initiative.

The board voted unanimously to increase Forsyth County revenue and Personnel expenses by $154,400.00 to reflect funding for a 5% pay increase for employees.