Present:
Joseph Nuzzo, President
Kathryn Arabia, Vice President
Steven Goldman, Treasurer
Tara Flynn-Rozanski, Secretary
Mary Chamberlain, Trustee
Joan George, Trustee
Mary Ann Clementi-Jones, Superintendent’s Alternate
Margery Cyr, Director
Allan Kleiman, Assistant Director
Maria Nowak, Executive Assistant

Absent:
Bina Desai, Trustee
Barbara Cannon, Mayor’s Alternate

Guests:
Lenore Douglas
Arlene Robinson
Linda Seiler

The President called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. and announced the meeting had been advertised and would be conducted in accordance with the Sunshine Law. The Secretary called the roll.

Minutes

Motion: made by Mary Chamberlain, seconded by Kathryn Arabia, to approve the minutes from the May 10, 2006 Board meeting as presented. Vote: Yes: Joseph Nuzzo, Kathryn Arabia, Steven Goldman, Tara Flynn-Rozanski, Mary Chamberlain, Mary Ann Clementi-Jones. Joan George abstained.

Finance

Payment of Bills

Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Kathryn Arabia, to approve the bill listing in the amount of $139,746.43. All in favor.

Mr. Goldman informed the Board there is a bill regarding a personnel issue he would like to discuss in executive session.

Operating Budget FY 2006/2007

Mr. Goldman that the Finance Committee met to discuss the status of the Library’s operating budget. The operating budget for FY 2006/2007 will have a deficit of $70,629.00. As we approach the end of this fiscal year it is estimated that there will be approximately $80,000 available of unspent monies from the current operating budget. Mrs. Cyr explained this is due to unanticipated revenues from fines and fees and two professional positions that were unfilled for a portion of the year.

Mrs. Cyr stated the Library will need $70,629 to balance the FY 2006/2007 budget. It is her recommendation that at the end of this fiscal year, the Library will use the remaining monies from the unanticipated revenue and pay back the Library’s Emergency Fund which was borrowed from to balance the current year’s budget. This procedure has been followed for the past several years. At the beginning of the 2006/2007 fiscal year, the Library will re-borrow money to balance the new operating budget.

Mr. Goldman stated he agrees with Mrs. Cyr as this is the only path the Library can follow to ensure a balanced budget for the new fiscal year.

Personnel

Resignation

Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Dr. Joan George, to accept the resignation of Library Intern, Chrissie McGovern, effective June 14, 2006. All in favor.

Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Dr. Joan George, to accept the resignation of Circulation Services Coordinator, Debbie Delaney, effective June 7, 2006. Vote: Yes: Joseph Nuzzo, Kathryn Arabia, Steven Goldman, Tara Flynn-Rozanski, Dr. Joan George, Mary Clementi-Jones. Mary Chamberlain abstained.

Promotion

Motion: made by Mary Chamberlain, seconded by Steven Goldman, to approve the promotion of Chrissie McGovern to substitute Librarian, effective June 15, 2006 at an hourly rate of $23.00. All in favor.

Director’s Report

Mrs. Cyr reported that Wendi Smolowitz was unable to attend tonight’s Board meeting; but will be at the July meeting to report on the ESL Conversation group.

Mrs. Cyr informed the Board Allan Kleiman has been officially appointed to the Old Bridge Cultural Arts Commission.

The Director’s report was reviewed and accepted.

Assistant Director’s Report

Mr. Kleiman reported the debris around the Laurence Harbor Branch has been removed by the Township; the weeds will also be removed and the sidewalk replaced.

Mr. Kleiman informed the Board the Library has developed their first commercial ad with the Township Cable Channel 14 which will start airing tonight. The Board viewed the commercial in its entirety on the Library’s television/DVD player.

Old Business

Library Board Team Building and Planning Workshop

Kathryn Arabia reviewed the agenda from the Team Building and Planning Workshop held on May 31, 2006. At this workshop, the members of the Board reviewed the roles that Library Trustees play and their responsibilities as Board members. Short-term goals for each Board committee were brainstormed. It was decided that each committee would be assigned a month between June and December to present a status report to the Board of their goals and progress.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee’s assigned month was June. Mr. Goldman, as Chair of the Committee, reported on the short-terms goals for the Finance Committee.

1. Consideration of bulk buying with the Township schools
2. Consideration of joining a consortium for the purchase of electricity

Mr. Goldman will report in July on the progress with these goals.

Personnel Committee

There was discussion about possible goals for the Personnel Committee. It was agreed that these goals will be:

1. Prepare for negotiations
2. Provide copies of the Union contract to all committee members
3. Reach out to other libraries to request copies of their contracts and pay scales that might be in place

Outreach Committee

This committee will be placed on next month’s agenda.

NJLTA “Trends in Public Libraries” – Report from Tara Flynn-Rozanski

Mrs. Flynn-Rozanski reported that she and Mrs. Cyr attended the NJLTA dinner and lecture which was co-sponsored by Infolink. It was a very nice affair. The speaker was Carol Nersinger, director of the East Brunswick Public Library and formally Director of the State Library Development Bureau. Ms. Nersinger talked about different trends in public libraries around the country and a few things she wanted trustees to key on. One of these is not to be afraid to borrow ideas from other libraries; another she noted was if something is not working, don’t keep doing it because it has always been done that way. She shared ideas for the scale-down of Reference Departments in libraries; and the importance of designs of libraries which make a library inviting for people to want to come and visit.

Trustee Training for 2006

Mrs. Cyr reported the trustee training is scheduled for September 29 and 30. She is hopeful that all the trustees will be able to attend at least one day of the training session. Registrations must be submitted by July 29.

Public Comments

Linda Seiler complained to the Board she was not notified about the Board Workshop held on May 31, 2006.

Linda Seiler said she is happy the Library is promoting the trustee training; as it will be a wonderful program this year and hopes to see the Board members attend.

Executive Session

Motion: made by Dr. Joan George, seconded by Steven Goldman, to adjourn into Executive Session for the discussion of personnel issues at 8:47 p.m. All in favor.

Public Session

The Board reconvened into Public Session at 9:25 p.m. The following motion was made:

Motion: made by Kathryn Arabia, seconded by Mary Chamberlain, to accept a two-year contract between the Old Bridge Public Library and the Director Margery Cyr with a salary increase of $2,270.00 (2.75%) from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007 and $2,333.00 (2.75%) from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. All in favor.

Adjournment

Motion: made by Kathryn Arabia, seconded by Tara Flynn-Rozanski, to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. All in favor.

Respectfully submitted: