Library Board Meeting Update (01/21/2025)

Submitted by Joanne Garrett

Library Board Meeting Update (01/21/2025)
Tuesday evening, the Library Board met at the Cumming Library. Highlighted agenda items include:

Activities Report

Deputy Director Ann Decherd presented the November and December Public Services activities report.

Ann highlighted the end-of-year activities at the branches, including holiday programming and New Year's Eve family gatherings. On New Year's Eve, 508 people (316 children/208 adults) counted down to the new year at our family-friendly times at our four branches. Holiday programming included: Jingles the Elf, Sensitive Santa, Storytime with Mrs. Claus, A History of Christmas Traditions, and Holiday Music Around the World. In all, 1,400+ patrons joined us to celebrate the holiday season in addition to those who came on New Year's Eve.

Ann also spoke about the Comfort of Recovery Quilt exhibit at Post Road, which was displayed in December. This quilt is a visual representation of the power of healing and recovery.

The Bookmobile's visit to the Cumming City Center was also highlighted. Despite the windy, freezing temps, more than 120 people participated during six half-hour-long presentations of the beloved Polar Express by our Outreach Team, followed by rousing renditions of The 12 Days of Christmas with special movements and the Reindeer Pokey.

The Winter Reading Program, December 20–January 20, pulled in impressive stats:

• 1,273 participants
• 6,984 completed activities
• 434,418 minutes (7,240 hours) logged
• 6,731 rewards earned

Denmark Library Update

IT and Facilities Manager Holly Barfield gave a construction progress update on the Denmark Library. The Board saw recent photos of the front exterior of the building, the finished Ask Us desk, the renovated water fountain, and the story stroll. Holly said we are awaiting the Fire Marshal's visit as part of the final steps to open the branch.

Signature Authority of Library Director on behalf of the Library

The Board voted unanimously to give signature authority for all contracts and other documents to Adrianne Junius, who holds the position of Director.

Fees for Copying and Printing

Adrianne noted that our current rates have been in place for many years. Over time, they have changed from being higher than private businesses to being significantly lower than fees charged elsewhere. OfficeMax/Office Depot charges $0.24 for black-and-white and $0.64 for color prints. Local UPS stores charge around $0.25 for black-and-white and $0.59 for color. Other local businesses like The Shipping Post, PostNet, and Qwik Pack & Ship start at $0.25 for black-and-white and range from $0.55 to $0.75 for color prints. FedEx inside Walmart charges $0.26 for black-and-white and $0.71 for color.

Patrons are now bringing in large print jobs, often exceeding 100 pages. It's clear that patrons
are choosing the library because of our lower costs and the personalized service they may not
find at these local establishments. However, with the increasing costs of paper, toner, and
printer maintenance, the Library can no longer sustain these low prices. The proposed increase will help cover operational costs while bringing our rates in line with local businesses.

The Board voted unanimously to increase black-and-white printing fees from $0.15 to $0.25 per side and color printing fees from $0.50 to $0.60 per side, effective February 3, 2025.

Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Adjustments

The Board unanimously voted to reduce Donations revenue and Operations expenses by $9,450.00 to reflect the amount of the unused Forsyth County Arts Alliance grant funds returned to the North Georgia Community Foundation. These surplus funds were not used to book an author for this year's Forsyth Reads program.

The Board voted unanimously to reduce Federal revenue and Operations expenses by $14,271.60 to reflect the portion of the Digital Connectivity Grant that will be available in FY2026 and to increase Materials and reduce Operations expenses by $30,883.90 to reflect the portion of the grant that will be used for items to be added to the materials collection.

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

A great deal of discussion centered on the Library's efforts to find reasonable cost reductions in the budget so that the Library would not have to ask the County for additional funding this year and so that the amount used from the fund balance reflected a similar amount to the previous year. Last-minute news of a possible increase in costs on the library's part for providing health insurance to staff members added more variables to the discussion. Also, two Board members are new to the budget process with the Library and had questions about FCPL's in-depth budget process, planning, and data. The Library Director and Finance Manager will set up dates for individual board members to meet one on one to discuss FCPL's budget and fund balance. 

All present agreed that further discussion and a follow-up meeting were warranted prior to approval of the budget. At the Board budget meeting on February 10, the impact of possible increased health insurance costs and possible operational savings as a result of the later-than-anticipated opening of Denmark will be included in the budget conversation.

2026 County Budget Request

With this being the first FCPL budget cycle for two Board members and Adrianne, staff felt it premature to make an official recommendation about the County request at the January meeting.

General Discussion

Board Chair Christy Winters noted several upcoming events and encouraged Board members to attend all of them, including Anna's upcoming retirement party, the Director of the Year celebration this week, and the County's resolution to honor Anna in February. She also noted the upcoming Forsyth Reads program in March.