Library Board Meeting Update (7/20/2026)

Submitted by Sara Higgins

The Library Board met on Monday for the regular July meeting.

Highlighted agenda items include:

Announcements
Flo Valdes welcomed new Board Member Tracey Jones and offered her support as she begins her Board service. Adrianne Junius shared that it has been a great summer and thanked everyone for their support.

Georgia Fund 1: Office of the State Treasurer
The Board voted unanimously to open a Georgia Fund 1 account with the Georgia Office of the State Treasurer with an initial deposit of $250,000 from the Library’s General Fund Balance and automatically reinvest the interest back into the account.

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Adjustment
The Board voted unanimously to decrease State revenue and Operations expenditures by $35.56 to adjust the amount of the Marketing Grant received from GPLS.

Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Adjustments

• The Board voted unanimously to carry forward $113,520.78 in Operations encumbrances from FY2026 for miscellaneous supply orders ($1,204.95), Hampton Park furniture ($3,253.38), HVAC repairs at Sharon Forks Library ($24,306.00), replacement of the AV System at Post Road Library ($53,398.97), and remaining enhancements to Polaris ($31,357.48).
• The Board voted unanimously to carry forward $11,448.96 in Materials encumbrances from FY2026.
• The Board voted unanimously to increase Donations revenue and Operations expenses by $20,000.00 to reflect a grant from the Forsyth County Arts Alliance (FCAA) Fund at the North Georgia Community Foundation for Forsyth Reads Together.

Request for State Aid Fiscal Year 2027
The Board voted unanimously to authorize Forsyth County Public Library to apply for state aid for FY2027.

Public Services Activities Report
Sarah Brubaker presented the Public Service Activities Report for May and June. Highlights included Summer Reading, the “Where’s Loanie?” Bookmobile scavenger hunt, America 250 celebrations, engagement programs, and An Afternoon with Mary Kay Andrews. Summer Reading statistics shared included 8,000 registrations, 540 programs, and 5,756,040 minutes read.

FCPL Friends and Advocates Report
Adrianne Junius presented the FCPL Friends and Advocates Report, highlighting their recent Board meeting. The Friends reached a new milestone with $100,000 in sales in Fiscal Year 2026 and currently have 176 active members. She also shared details about their new loyalty program and mentioned that they are actively seeking sponsors.

Impact Fees Report
Adrianne Junius shared an overview of the Library’s current impact fees from both the Forsyth County Government and City of Cumming. Past uses of these fees for FCPL include the construction of the Denmark, Post Road, and Hampton Park libraries, the renovation of the Sharon Forks Library, and the purchase of the Bookmobile. 

Financial Report
The Board voted unanimously to adopt the Library’s General Fund financial report.

General Discussion
Adrianne Junius presented a draft of legislative priorities for the upcoming state legislative session. The proposed focus areas include upholding fiscal stability for Library operations, investing in infrastructure, advancing literacy initiatives, and maintaining local governance. A final document will be presented for adoption at the September Library Board Meeting.