Dave Fisher of the accounting firm Rehmann Robson delivered highlights of the Ann Arbor District Library's financial audit at the AADL board's Nov. 15 meeting. (Photo by the writer.)

Dave Fisher of the accounting firm Rehmann Robson was on hand to review the district’s financial audit for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010. He described the library as in solid financial shape, especially in relationship to other entities in Michigan that rely on property tax revenues. The library has no long-term debt and its fund balance is strong, he said. But he added a cautionary note that like other taxpayer-funded entities, the library would likely be grappling with a continued drop in property tax revenues in future years.

Property tax revenues emerged again in a discussion during the director’s report. AADL director Josie Parker drew attention to a Nov. 15 column published in The Ann Arbor Chronicle regarding the ongoing negotiations between the city of Ann Arbor and the Downtown Development Authority. The column pointed out an issue that Parker has been tracking as well: the potential for tax increment financing funds captured by the DDA from public entities, including the AADL, to be used to offset a parking fund deficit caused by striking a new parking deal with the city. The board ultimately passed a resolution at Monday’s meeting, directing Parker to seek legal counsel on the issue.

Board member Ed Surovell said he wanted to make sure the board was defending their right to collect taxes, and that they’re being as responsible as possible to the citizens of the district. “I think this is dead serious business,” he said. “The appropriation and misappropriation of tax revenues is the lifeblood not just of this library, but of a democracy.”

Also during her director’s report, Parker described the results of a site review by staff of the Michigan Commission for the Blind, which manages the federal program that the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled @ AADL is part of. The review, conducted every two years, is the first one since the AADL took over management of the WLBPD from the county, a transition that occurred in early 2009. AADL received several commendations for its approach to providing WLBPD services.

At the end of the meeting, outgoing board member Carola Stearns – who lost her seat in the Nov. 2 election to challenger Nancy Kaplan – gave a poignant speech, thanking the library staff and her colleagues on the board. In connection with a possible downtown building project, she urged the board to explore alternative funding sources, beyond paying for the project solely with taxpayer funds.

City-DDA Parking Contract Negotiations

During her director’s report, Josie Parker alerted the board to a Nov. 15 column published in The Ann Arbor Chronicle. The column, by Chronicle editor Dave Askins, discussed the ongoing negotiations between the city of Ann Arbor and the Downtown Development Authority, and pointed out the potential for tax increment financing funds captured by the DDA from public entities, including the AADL, to be used to offset a parking fund deficit caused by striking a new parking deal with the city.

Parker told the board that she has been aware of this issue, and is following it closely. She said she has attended DDA meetings at which this has been discussed, and it’s known that the library understands the issue and the impact that the parking agreement might have. It’s known that the library is paying attention, she said.

One of the meetings that Parker attended was a DDA retreat in May, during which DDA board members discussed their approach to negotiations with the city over a new parking agreement. From Chronicle coverage:

Parker’s an interested party to the DDA conversations, not just because of the library’s downtown branch. To the extent that payments by the DDA to the city could involve revenues from the DDA’s tax-increment finance district, Parker told The Chronicle before the meeting, she wanted assurance that any excess TIF revenues were distributed proportionally, according to state statute, to all the taxing authorities whose tax levies were “tiffed” – that is, captured by the DDA. The Ann Arbor District Library is one of those taxing authorities, along with the city of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Washtenaw Community College and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.

At Monday’s AADL board meeting, Parker said she wanted the board to know that she is aware of the issue, adding “I will need direction as this moves forward.” As tax revenues decline, it’s important to look at how these revenues are used, she said.

Carola Stearns said she appreciated that Parker was staying on top of the issue. But she didn’t think that the library had any control over the TIF funds, and wondered whether that was, in fact, the case. Rebecca Head said she didn’t know, but that it was certainly something they could discuss with their partners – referring to the other taxing authorities that would also be affected by TIF capture: The Washtenaw Community College, the county government, and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.

Saying it seemed that the city was attempting to collect money for its general fund through the DDA in a way that’s not appropriate, Ed Surovell felt the board should seek the advice of legal counsel, and proposed doing that as an agenda item later in the meeting.

The board returned to the issue under items for new business. Surovell made a motion to direct Parker, in conjunction with the board’s treasurer and finance committee, to consult with legal counsel about the city-DDA parking agreement, and to seek a legal opinion about how funds are being allocated that would otherwise be coming to the library.

Margaret Leary made a friendly amendment that the director or treasurer make a preliminary report and recommendations to the board at their next meeting.

Surovell said he wanted to make sure the board was defending their right to collect taxes, and that they’re being as responsible as possible to the citizens of the district. “I think this is dead serious business,” he said. “The appropriation and misappropriation of tax revenues is the lifeblood not just of this library, but of a democracy.”

Outcome: The board unanimously passed a resolution directing AADL director Josie Parker, in conjunction with the board’s treasurer and finance committee, to consult with legal counsel about the city of Ann Arbor-Downtown Development Authority parking agreement, and to seek a legal opinion about how funds are being allocated that would otherwise be coming to the library.

Financial Audit

During Monday’s meeting, Dave Fisher of the accounting firm Rehmann Robson was on hand to review highlights of the AADL’s financial audit for fiscal year 2009-10, which ended June 30, 2010. Prior to his presentation, board treasurer Prue Rosenthal reported that the finance committee had met with Fisher and reviewed the audit report in detail. The committee members are Rosenthal, Ed Surovell and Barbara Murphy. She said that Fisher told them the library is in “wonderful shape,” with no outstanding issues. “We’re in good shape – very good shape,” she said. The committee had approved a draft of the audit.

Fisher told the board that AADL has a “very healthy” fund balance. At the end of the fiscal year, the unreserved fund balance for the library’s general fund – that is, money available for spending – was $7.042 million, or 57% of total general fund expenditures. The combined fund balances of $7.65 million represented an increase of $587,757 over the previous year.

The library’s total net assets were $31.693 million at the end of the fiscal year, an increase of $64,809 from the previous year.

Fisher noted that property tax revenues, which account for 91% of the district’s total revenues, have been declining, as they have throughout the state. “That’s going to be a factor, of course, in future budgetary cycles,” he said.

Total revenues were $12.97 million during fiscal 2009-10, down from $15.94 million the previous year. Of that, property taxes accounted for $11.79 million during 2009-10, compared to $14.62 million in 2008-09.

Despite declining revenues, Fisher said the library has a solid fund balance, which is very good – it’s also something that many other government entities don’t have these days, he noted. Fisher also pointed out that the library has no long-term debt, unlike many other entities. That means they don’t have debt payments to make.

When board president Rebecca Head observed that this presentation was likely different from others that Fisher is making, he agreed, saying that school systems in particular are having some issues right now with their fund balances.

Fisher noted that there were no issues this year related to AADL’s internal controls. He mentioned that the IRS has stepped up its audits of governmental and nonprofit entities, in particular looking at issues related to employees versus independent contractors. He urged the library to be vigilant in following the IRS rules related to independent contractors, and to ensure that W-9 forms are obtained when required.

Board members had few questions. Margaret Leary noted a paragraph in the report referring to a contingent liability that she said she thought they have already addressed. The section she referred to is part of the notes to the financial statements, and reads:

The Library in December 1995, effective for the Library 1996-1997 fiscal year, has executed a Library Services Contract with a Township, for the purpose of providing reciprocal library services to the residents of this Township which has its own library. Because the Ann Arbor District Library overlaps in part with this Township Library territory, the contract states in part that Ann Arbor District Library shall pay over to this Township the portion of property tax received on behalf of this Township.

No amounts have been paid over to the Township under the provisions of this Contract. This Township has not since 1996-1997 asserted its right to receive this property tax revenue, and it is unknown what amount, if any, would be required to be repaid in the case this Township elects to assert this right. It is believed that resolution of this matter will not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of the Library.

Leary wondered whether the report needed to reflect the fact that the library has changed its boundaries. Though board members and staff did not mention the township by name at Monday’s meeting, they were referring to Northfield Township. The board took action at its May 17, 2010 meeting to change those boundaries. From Chronicle coverage of that meeting:

The board voted unanimously to approve a resolution to modify the library district’s boundaries so that there’s no overlap with the Northfield Township Area Library’s district, located north of Ann Arbor. Residents in Northfield Township’s district will continue to have access to AADL resources. [.pdf file of boundary changes]

At Monday’s meeting, Ken Nieman, associate director of finance, HR and operations, pointed out that the issue is addressed in the financial statement’s first footnote. Fisher added that it’s necessary to include this as a contingent liability, to let people know that the situation exists.

Before the vote, Murphy thanked the library staff – in particular Parker and Nieman – for year after year of clean financial audits. Nothing is as damaging to an organization as problems with finances, she said, adding that they’ve now had over 10 years with no problems. [She was alluding to AADL's former finance director, Don Dely, who in 2000 was convicted of embezzling $119,387 from the library between 1997 to 2000. The situation was uncovered in early 2000, when the library discovered that it faced a nearly $1 million deficit. The library director at the time was Mary Anne Hodel – Parker took over as interim director in the fall of 2001, and was appointed director in early 2002.]

Murphy thanked the staff for making the board’s job easier.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved a resolution to accept the financial audit for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Director’s Report: Games, Kudos

Josie Parker reviewed several items during her director’s report. She noted that for the third year in a row, the AADL hosted the American Library Association’s national gaming day, this year held on Nov. 13. Teens at nearly 50 libraries nationwide competed, and two of the winners – with the user names “Hot_ArmS” and “DingDong” – played at the AADL, defeating players from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. Parker said this pleased Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director of IT and product development, since he comes from Kansas. Parker also noted that the platform the libraries use across the country for multi-user gaming – GT System – was developed by AADL staff. [link to AADL's GT System site and to a video of the competition]

Later in the meeting, responding to a query from Jan Barney Newman, Parker reported that the games played were Rock Band and Mario Kart/Super Smash Bros. Brawl. [Here are links to the leaderboards for Rock Band and Smash Bros.] She clarified that teens were in the tournament, not staff. Ed Surovell joked that this kind of gaming isn’t something that happens up at the Soaring Eagle Casino.

Parker also reported on results from a site review by staff of the Michigan Commission for the Blind, which manages the federal program that the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled @ AADL is part of. The review, conducted every two years, is the first one since the AADL took over management of the WLBPD from the county, a transition that occurred in early 2009.

AADL received commendations for its work, Parker said, which were especially gratifying because there had been skepticism at the state and federal levels about the approach that AADL was taking. Typically, this type of library is handled as a “library within a library,” she said, which is expensive and difficult to administer. The AADL is treating it as a service available throughout the system.

The commendations include:

• Completing comprehensive reviews of patron accounts in 2009 and 2010, and for meeting deployment targets for use of digital technology.
• Taking a proactive stance in managing services, using all of its available staff. “Use of all-staff trainings and development of a staff wiki have provided excellent back-up information to those who do note regularly interact with the WLBPD service population,” the report states.
• Creating outstanding programs and trainings for WLBPD patrons, and for supporting a low-vision book club.
• Assigning specialized tasks to specific employees, to ensure consistent compliance with library standards, as well as best practices for patron services.

Parker said that they cleaned up the database of patrons by calling each entry – about 500 people – when they took over the WLBPD from the county in 2009. That personal touch made a huge difference in how the library was perceived, she said. They also anticipated that the National Library Service, which provides resources to the WLBPD, would transition from tapes to digital recordings, so they made the transition to digital earlier this year. They’re ahead of other libraries in that regard, she said.

The review also included three recommendations for the WLBPD:

• That appropriate staff attend conferences for the Michigan Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind and the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
• That the library honor volunteers of the WLBPD annually.
• That results of a patron satisfaction survey that’s being developed by library staff be shared with all WLBPD stakeholders.

Parker thanked AADL associate director Celeste Choate, who took the lead on this project, as well as the staff of the outreach, IT and circulation departments, who bear the most responsibility for the WLBPD. The board gave them a round of applause.

“I think it’s truly a model for the future,” said board president Rebecca Head.

Farewell from Outgoing Board Member

At the end of Monday’s meeting, Carola Stearns made a statement, thanking the library staff and her board colleagues and reflecting on her tenure on the board. [Stearns was appointed to the board in mid-2008, following the resignation of Jean King. She ran for a two-year term in the Nov. 2 election, but was defeated by challenger Nancy Kaplan.]

Stearns said she was deeply disappointed that her service would be ending, saying that her voice represented the “politically unconnected, library-loving taxpayer.” She praised AADL director Josie Parker and the library staff, saying that the board had some hard decisions to make, but they always had been provided with the information they needed to make informed decisions. It was impressive that the board’s votes had been unanimous, she said.

The next couple of years won’t be easy for the board, she said. They’ll have to resolve a difficult conundrum. On the one hand, she said she’s sure that now is the time to address the inadequacies of the downtown library building. Yet she’s equally convinced that it’s not the time to finance such a project solely with taxpayer money. Stearns said she was dismayed when, prior to the election, a local blogger asked only one question of her –whether she favored renovating the existing downtown branch, or building a new one. That’s missing the point, she said – when the time comes, the board will make a decision that’s appropriate for the library and for the community. The real issue will be how to finance it.

Stearns urged the board, at their next retreat, to explore alternative funding sources for the downtown library project. It won’t be easy, she said, and it’s not clear that funds are there to be solicited. Yet it is important to keep the library strong, to continue to evolve, and to minimize the financial impact on the individual taxpayer. Future Ann Arborites deserve a strong library as well, she said.

The board and staff gave Stearns a round of applause, and the meeting was adjourned.

Present: Rebecca Head, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Prue Rosenthal, Carola Stearns, Ed Surovell. Also: Josie Parker, AADL director.

Next meeting: Regular board meetings are typically held on the third Monday of the month, with the public portion of the meeting starting at 7 p.m. in the library’s fourth floor board room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. The board’s next regular meeting is set for Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. [confirm date]

Rebecca Head, left, was elected to her second term as president of the Ann Arbor District Library board at Monday's meeting. To the right are board members Jan Barney Newman, re-elected as vice president, and Prue Rosenthal, re-elected as treasurer. (Photo by the writer.)

Ann Arbor District Library board meeting (July 20, 2009): The board’s annual meeting unfolded with a light agenda, including the re-election of officers and some reflections on the past year by board president Rebecca Head.

Josie Parker, AADL’s director, gave an update on how the state budget crisis could affect the Ann Arbor library – the negative impact lies more in  services rather than in funding. The board also set its meeting agenda for the coming year – and unlike some boards, such as the University of Michigan regents, the AADL trustees don’t take off the month of August.

We’ll begin with Parker’s report on the potential impact of state funding decisions.

State Budget Impact

During her director’s report, Josie Parker discussed the implications of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s recent executive order abolishing the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries, of which the Library of Michigan is a part.

For several years, AADL hasn’t included revenue from the state when preparing its budget, although they’ve continued to receive state funding. This was a cautious approach taken because of the uncertainty of funding, and Parker said that if state aid is cut, AADL will be able to absorb the loss.

Some of the services AADL patrons use could be at risk, however. AADL participates in the Michigan Electronic Library Catalog, a system known as MeLCat. It’s funded in part by the state library, and allows member libraries throughout Michigan to share materials. As Parker discussed at the June board meeting, funding for MeLCat is in jeopardy, in part because the formula for receiving federal funds is based on how much state funding is allotted to the program. So if state funding is cut, federal funding will likely be lost too. This would be a potentially huge impact to library patrons, she said – it’s a popular service.

The Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, which AADL took over from Washtenaw County earlier this year, could also be affected. Parker said she was uncertain about the future of state services for the blind and physically disabled, which are being shifted from the Library of Michigan to the state Commission for the Blind – part of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. The commission’s mission isn’t even remotely related to library services for the blind and physically disabled, she said – it focuses on research to prevent blindness, vocational training and independent living services. Parker said she couldn’t find the word “literacy” on their website, nor anything about services for the disabled. She’s also concerned because the Commission for the Blind faces cuts, too, just at the time it’s being given the additional responsibility for these specialized library services.

Catalog Page Survey

Parker also reported on an optional survey the staff is conducting on the AADL website’s catalog page. As of July 1, they’d received about 4,500 responses from just over 600 people (with the average respondent answering roughly 7 of the 9 questions). The questions are geared to reveal how users navigate the site, and Parker said she’d been told by Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director for IT and production, that results were affirming the site design. The online survey is a trial, she said, but it could be used to seek feedback  in other areas.

Finance

Associate director Ken Nieman reported that the library’s auditors will be coming during the week of Aug. 31. By the end of their fiscal year on June 30, AADL had received 100% of their budgeted tax revenue. The library’s fund balance stood at $6.8 million. For its operating budget, the library finished the year with a positive balance of $455,000.

Trustee Barbara Murphy asked whether they’d have to refund any of the tax revenues the library had already received, due to taxpayers successfully appealing their property tax assessments. That’s possible, Nieman said – they regularly receive notices about decisions made by tax tribunals, requiring that the library return tax dollars it has already received. They actually work that into the budget, he said, setting aside about $30,000 annually to cover those paybacks. “Obviously this year it was much more, and most of that was Pfizer,” he said. [Pfizer challenged the city's property tax assessment following its decision to close its Ann Arbor research campus. The drugmaker reached a settlement earlier this year requiring local taxing authorities, including the library, to return a portion of the taxes that Pfizer had already paid.]

Election of Officers

Earlier in the meeting, the board elected officers for the new fiscal year, which began July 1 – or in this case, re-elected officers to their existing posts: Rebecca Head, president; Jan Barney Newman, vice president; Prue Rosenthal, treasurer; and Margaret Leary, secretary.

Head reminded the board that their bylaws allow officers to serve in the same position for only two years.

Looking Back: A “Roller Coaster Ride”

Following a tradition of the annual meeting, board president Rebecca Head gave a “state of the library” report, looking back on a year that she described as a “roller coaster ride.” Last July began with the completion of their “uniquely designed” Traverwood branch, she said. [The building won a design award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Michigan earlier this year.]

A year ago they were also in the midst of deliberation about the future of the downtown building, envisioning it as an anchor to meet the community’s current and emerging needs. That was all good, she said, but “it just wasn’t quite in line with the blast we got from the economy.” So they paused that project late last year, knowing they could reactivate it. Since then, the building has shown signs of its age, Head noted, citing the demise of some air handlers and the freight elevator.

The fiscal year also brought the addition of the Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, which was previously the responsibility of Washtenaw County government. Head commended AADL’s staff for making the transition. She also noted that more recently, the board continued to respond to economic conditions by deciding to lower its millage rate from 1.92 to 1.55 for the current fiscal year.

They’ll need to continue to focus on the future, she said, as their current strategic plan expires in 2010 and they consider where they want to go from there.

Present: Rebecca Head, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Josie Parker, Prue Rosenthal, Carola Stearns.

Absent: Ed Surovell.

Next meeting: Monday, Aug. 17, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the library’s fourth floor meeting room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

Washtenaw Library for the Blind & Physically Disabled @ AADL

Josie Parker, AADL director, gave a brief presentation about the Washtenaw Library for the Blind & Physically Disabled, which was formerly housed with the county and was, at the request of the county last year, moved to the Ann Arbor library. It opened under AADL management on Feb. 2.

Parker praised all the people involved in making the transition. She noted that the library board had waived the district’s residency requirement so that anyone in the county who’s eligible for those services can participate at no cost. And rather than being in just one location, as it was at the county, the services for the blind and physically disabled will be accessible from every branch, she said. [Some of these services were also described by staff at a recent library board meeting.] Over the next few weeks, library staff will be doing outreach by calling every person who has registered for the WLBPD, Parker said.

Commissioner Barbara Levin Bergman asked whether the software being installed on AADL computers – which allows vision-impaired people to use the computer – would be installed in other library districts, like Ypsilanti and Saline. Parker said that it’s expensive software, but that they’re hoping to engage other library districts in the county to make their patrons aware of the services at AADL.

“We won’t let those clients down,” said Parker, “and we won’t let you down.”

Vendor preferences

The topic of giving preferences to local businesses for county contracts had been previously discussed but came up again on Wednesday. An agenda item asked commissioners to approve a contract with Allied Building Service, a Detroit firm, to provide as-needed general construction services to the county, and with Huron Valley Electric, based in Scio Township, for electrical services.

At the evening’s first public comment session, Cindy Carver of Manchester-based Carver Construction spoke about her concerns over the bidding process, saying that it’s difficult to know what the county is looking for and how it awards its contracts, and that the process is frustrating and confusing.

Commissioner Jeff Irwin moved to postpone the item until the board’s March 4 meeting. Commissioner Jessica Ping said she’d like to discuss the topic of local vendor preferences and the procurement process at an upcoming working session. By a voice vote, commissioners approved tabling the contract.

Meet the staff

Bob Guenzel introduced two interns and a former intern who’s now part of the administrative support staff. He said the county had great success working with interns from both Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. He first introduced Scott Rasmussen, who’s in his final semester at the Ford School working toward a master’s degree. Rasmussen, who’s been an intern since September 2008, spoke briefly to the commission, saying that after graduation he hoped to make Washtenaw County his permanent home. He currently lives in Pittsfield Township with his wife and two sons.

Kyle DeBoard has also been an intern since last fall, and is attending EMU for a master’s degree with a concentration in public management. He was unable to attend Wednesday’s board meeting. And Guenzel introduced former intern Stephanie Jensen, who now works as an administrative coordinator for the county. She recently finished her master’s of public administration from EMU.

Public comment

In addition to Cindy Carver, the only other person who spoke during the public comment portions of Wednesday’s meeting was Tom Partridge. He spoke at all four public comment sessions. He berated the board for not doing more to help house the homeless, especially when temperatures dropped below zero, as was the case that night. Following the discussion of county finances, Partridge said that if he were a commissioner, he wouldn’t focus on doom and gloom but would come up with creative concepts to move forward, like a countywide transportation system and an economic development department that’s part of the county, not a separate nonprofit, referring to Ann Arbor Spark.

When Partridge spoke past the three-minute time limit, Conan Smith – who, as Ways & Means Committee chair, was leading that part of the meeting – told him his time was up. That prompted Partridge, raising his voice, to say, “You know it’s unconstitutional!” Partridge was referring to a recent vote by commissioners to change the time limit for public comment speakers from five minutes to three minutes per turn.

At the final public comment session of the evening – following the board meeting, which was chaired by Rolland Sizemore Jr. – Partridge said he was disappointed the commission was not funding lifetime education for county residents, countywide transportation or a county economic development department. He asked why he hadn’t heard about county projects for the proposed federal economic stimulus package, and said they should send such projects to President Obama forthwith.

Several commissioners responded to Partridge’s comments. Wes Prater noted that the county had submitted about $61 million in projects that might be eligible for federal funding through the stimulus package, and said the road commission had submitted a similar amount. Barbara Levin Bergman noted that Ann Arbor Spark was doing economic development for the entire county. Both Mark Ouimet and Sizemore pointed out that commissioner Jeff Irwin had been a leader in regional transportation initiatives. Sizemore also asked the county’s administrative staff to provide Partridge with copies of the proposed stimulus package projects.

Misc. items

Commissioners Barbara Levin Bergman and Kristin Judge reported that they’d had an orientation tour and meeting with the county jail and community corrections staff. (Judge took the tour as a newly elected commissioner; Bergman serves on the community corrections advisory board.) Bergman said she wished that other commissioners could have attended, and recommended that they find another time to set up something similar for other board members.

Bob Guenzel said he appreciated the Ann Arbor News article and editorial about the county and city of Ann Arbor sharing an IT data center, but he wanted to clarify that county employees would not be working at the city, as The News seemed to imply. Only the equipment is located at city hall, he said.

Present: Barbara Levin Bergman, Leah Gunn, Jeff Irwin, Kristin Judge, Mark Ouimet, Jessica Ping, Wes Prater, Ken Schwartz, Rolland Sizemore Jr., Conan Smith

Absent: Ronnie Peterson

Next board meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the County Administration Building, 220 N. Main St. [confirm date]. The Ways & Means Committee meets first, followed immediately by the regular board meeting.  (Though the agenda states that the regular board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m., it usually starts much later – times vary depending on what’s on the agenda.) Public comment sessions are held at the beginning and end of each meeting.

Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled @ AADL

“We’re ready to rock and roll on Feb. 2,” Celeste Choate told the board, referring to the opening of the WLBPD. Choate – the library’s associate director of services, collections and access – described the range of services that will be offered, as well as outreach efforts the library is doing to reach more potential patrons, including children and non-English speakers. About 500 patrons are registered, but Choate estimated that as many as 5,000 people countywide could be eligible for the services.

The Library for the Blind was previously run by the county, which last year asked AADL to take over those operations. Choate said it’s unusual for this kind of library to be located within a public library, and that their goal is to encourage WLBPD patrons to become active in regular library services as well.

Eli Neiburger of the library’s IT staff described the technology that’s being put in place for WLBPD patrons, including JAWS, a type of screen-reader software that makes it possible for visually-impaired people to use the computer. He also told the board that a new website was being launched Jan. 27.

The board approved a policy change as part of its preparation to open the WLBPD. They passed a resolution waiving the fee typically charged for non-residents to get a library card. For those eligible for the WLBPD, no fee will be charged.

Budget and finance

Board member Prue Rosenthal reported that staff is working on the 2009-10 budget, which will be presented to the board in April. Though the library is authorized to levy up to 1.92 mills and does levy that amount, the goal is to work within a budget of 1.55 mills, she said, and they’re not considering any layoffs or reduced hours. There will be a public hearing on the proposed budget in May, with the board voting on it that same month.

The board approved two resolutions for the purchase and maintenance of two large air-handlers, which circulate air in the eastern and center sections of the downtown library’s basement, first and second floors. The equipment must be custom-made and should ideally be installed when the weather is temperate, said Ken Nieman, the library’s associate director. That’s because the air handlers will be out of commission during the transition, and if it’s too hot, the library would have to close down during the replacement.

In part because of the time crunch – Nieman said they’d like to install the equipment this spring, as opposed to waiting until fall – the board was asked to waive its competitive bid process and award the contract to Pace Mechanical, a company that for the past three years has been the library’s HVAC maintenance contractor. Pace, based in Westland, estimates the project would cost $235,000.

Board member Jan Barney Newman asked whether the new equipment could also be used if AADL were to move ahead on building a new downtown library. No, Nieman said, the equipment could be recycled for its metal parts, but could not be reused on a different building.

The board approved the contract with Pace, and also approved extending an $89,700 maintenance contract with the firm through June 30, 2010.

Friends of the Library

Prue Rosenthal reported on a meeting that she and fellow board members Margaret Leary and Jan Barney Newman had with officers of the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit that raises money to help support AADL. “We had a fabulous meeting,” she said. “We had fabulous cookies.” The meeting with Pat McDonald, Rae Ann Weymouth and Liz Ong focused on the future of the Friends, Rosenthal said. She said the group would prefer to keep its used bookstore at the downtown library, and that they understand there will be upheaval because of projects like the replacement of the air-handling equipment. The Friends are also talking with other groups, like the PTO Thrift Shop and the Salvation Army, about possibly sharing space outside the library in the future. Rosenthal said one of the issues discussed was that if the store closes, it’s done in such a way that long-time volunteers are respected and celebrated. She also said the law firm Dykema Gossett is drafting an interim agreement between the library and the Friends, at the library’s expense.

Withdrawing from regional cooperative

In a move that AADL director Josie Parker said won’t affect library services, the board voted to withdraw its membership from The Library Network, a regional cooperative of libraries in southeast Michigan. A TLN board member, attorney Helen Vick of Ypsilanti, spoke during the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, urging the board to keep its membership. She said it struck her as odd that in a time of dwindling resources when libraries needed to stick together, the AADL would leave the cooperative.

Just before the vote, Parker said the library was assuming too great a financial risk by being a member. Because of its size and resources, AADL doesn’t tap services from the cooperative. Yet if state aid that funds TLN isn’t sufficient to cover the cooperative’s costs, members would be on the hook to pay the difference, she said – even members that don’t use its services. Though co-ops were originally designed to share the wealth by providing services that smaller libraries could use, there hasn’t been a recent analysis about their effectiveness, Parker said. Because of the way state funding is structured, if AADL is not a member of the cooperative, it would receive only half of the $120,000 it gets annually from the state – although that funding is never guaranteed.

The board voted unanimously to withdraw its membership.

Director’s report

Josie Parker had kudos for several staff members. She praised Madelaine Krolik, who has worked for AADL 17 years and is retiring at the end of January. Krolik is “quietly wise,” Parker said, the kind of person that it’s easy to take for granted until they’re gone and you realize how much they contribute. “We will miss her.” Parker also gave props to Eli Neiburger, Celeste Choate, Ken Nieman and other library staff who helped with the transition of the Library for the Blind, noting that a lot of the hard work happened over the holidays. And she praised the staff for pulling off the Jan. 24 appearance by best-selling author Greg Mortenson, who packed the auditorium at Huron High. She said the Ann Arbor News article about the event didn’t make it clear that it was organized by the library, and that library staff handled every aspect of the evening. “It’s way beyond what’s normally expected for a library,” she said.

Parker also said that they had some good news about the loss rate of their materials – essentially, the percentage of items that get stolen from the collection. The rate was so low, significantly under 5 percent, that last April they decided to “uncage” the CD collection at the downtown location. Cages are the clear plastic containers that CDs and DVDs are kept in while on the shelf. Librarians take off the cages when the items are checked out. From April through November, they tracked the loss rate of the CDs – it was only 1.3% during that period, “an amazingly positive number” out of around 14,000 items. Now, they’ve decided to uncage the DVD collection, too. Parker said it’s a way of rewarding the vast majority of patrons who are honest.

Misc. items

During an update on the Traverwood branch, Parker noted that they’re getting complaints about parking on Traverwood Drive, because there’s no access from those parking spots directly to the sidewalk. Parker said the property without the sidewalk is owned by the city. When the library submitted plans for the branch, they’d included a proposal for steps along that stretch, but it was rejected by city planners because of liability concerns. “There’s absolutely nothing we can do about it,” Parker said. “It is what it is.”

During the board’s public comment time, Glen Modell, who identified himself as a 33-year employee of the library, said he was there to present his annual criticism of the library’s audit as it relates to retirement benefits. He did not elaborate.

The board was presented with a proposed policy change regarding its selection of exhibits. The change in AADL’s exhibits policy would eliminate specific references to the application process. The board will be voting on these changes at its Feb. 16 meeting.

Present: Rebecca Head, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Josie Parker, Prue Rosenthal, Carola Stearns, Ed Surovell.

Absent: Margaret Leary

Next meeting: Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the library’s fourth floor meeting room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

Funding for Veteran Services

On the table was a proposal to levy a small tax, using a decades-old law that would allow this move without voter approval. Money raised from the tax could only be used to provide services to indigent veterans. The county currently pays for those services out of its general fund, but is seeking ways to close a projected budget deficit.

The original proposal called for 1/50th of a mill, or about $2 for a home valued at $100,000. It would raise about $315,000. Karen Lovejoy Roe got the discussion started by noting that funding for vets wouldn’t increase – it would just shift, being paid for by the new tax rather than the general fund. She supported an increase in funding.

But it was Ronnie Peterson who drew a line in the sand: “I’ll only support this if every penny goes to veteran services.” Peterson was upset that more than $100,000 would be spent on administrative costs. He proposed an amendment mandating that the tax would only pay for direct services, such as covering utility bills, rent or other expenses that a struggling veteran might face.

But Leah Gunn argued that administrative costs – salary and benefits for the five staffers in the Veteran Services department – were directly related to providing those services. She noted that it’s the staff who meet with veterans, identify their needs and help them address those problems.

When it became clear that Peterson was unmoved, Gunn proposed an amendment to the amendment, to increase the tax from 1/50th mill to 1/40th mill. That would hike the amount raised annually to about $393,000 – the amount above the original 1/50th mill would be used for administrative costs, leaving the other dollars available for direct services. For a home valued at $100,000, the tax would be about $2.50.

“She wrote me enough notes, I should be persuaded by now, Commissioner Gunn,” Peterson quipped.

No one spoke at the public hearing on this tax, and the vote to approve it was unanimous. It will likely appear on your December tax bill and be reevaluated – and possibly adjusted – by the board annually.

Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled

Several people spoke passionately on this issue during multiple public comment sessions at Thursday’s meeting. Additional supporters of the Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled attended the meeting but didn’t speak publicly. Those who did speak all supported retaining the existing county-run library and its five-person staff, rather than transferring services to the Ann Arbor District Library.

Clare Nathan, whose father uses the library, spoke several times. She said the library functioned as a kind of community center for its patrons, who relied on its specially-trained staff as much as than the services offered – or more so. Closing the library and moving it (the staff are not being hired by the AADL) would be a “gross disservice” to those residents, she said.

Marie Lane, who uses the library, also spoke of a sense of community there. “It’s sort of a family unit we’ve become,” she said, where people have even met and married. “It seems the people down at the (Ann Arbor) library think we can be ‘mainstreamed’ … This is not going to work.”

After hearing the first round of public comment, several commissioners expressed their thanks to the speakers, trying to assure them that the transition would be smooth. Leah Gunn noted that she has been a professional librarian and served on the Library for the Blind board for 23 years. She said she has great confidence in AADL director Josie Parker and the staff’s ability to serve patrons with “professionalism and caring.” (At which point an audience member, clearly unswayed, loudly whispered, “Boy, does she (Parker) have them snowed.”)

When it came time to vote, Karen Lovejoy Roe made an unsuccessful attempt to table the proposal until November. The transfer was approved, with only Lovejoy Roe and Peterson voting against it.

2009 Budget Adjustment

The board unanimously approved a revised budget for 2009, but not without some discussion. At their Sept. 17 meeting, county administrator Bob Guenzel had talked in detail about his recommendations to balance the budget. Rolland Sizemore feels too many positions are being cut at the lower levels of the organization, while upper-level managers are being spared. “I’ll support this budget, but this is the last time,” he said.

Guenzel said that serious discussions for the 2010-11 budget will begin early next year, starting with a strategic focus on priorities for the county.

Tom Partridge, Scio Township resident, was the only speaker at the public hearing for these budget recommendations, which he opposed.

Items Approved with No Discussion

• Approval to hire Patrick Barrie as Washtenaw Community Health Organization Deputy Administrator for an annual salary of $120,000. Only Sizemore voted against this item.
• Approval of an improvement project for Joslin Lake in Lyndon Township, aimed at controlling invasive and nuisance aquatic species. The five-year project is estimated to cost $302,980, paid for by establishing a special assessment district.
• Creating a Washtenaw County Department of Veterans’ Affairs and a Washtenaw County Veterans’ Affairs Committee, comprised of five veterans appointed by the commission.

Police Services Steering Committee

Jessica Ping queried Jeff Irwin about a special meeting of the Police Services Steering Committee that she’d heard was in the works to discuss pricing for sheriff deputy contracts. These are the controversial contracts that resulted in township lawsuits against the county when they raised the amount that townships must pay to hire deputy patrols. Some townships are planning to put a millage on an upcoming ballot to cover this expense – some already have. Ypsilanti Township would like to have voters weigh a millage proposal in February. They need to lock in 2010 rates before they can determine how much tax revenue they’ll need to cover those costs. An additional complicating factor is that there will be a new sheriff soon – incumbent Dan Minzey was defeated in the August primary. Irwin agreed that the group needs to start hammering out a new contract as soon as possible.

Revised Regulations for Wastewater Treatment

A public hearing on new regulations for dealing with septic systems and other wastewater treatment drew several people who spoke out against the changes, which will likely be voted on in November. Kathy Jackson, Augusta Township supervisor, was adamant that these regulations, and even some of the existing ones, would cause undue financial hardship for residents who might have to pay thousands of dollars to comply. Carol Kovalak of Kovalak Excavating & Septic Cleaning in Willis said she knows of people who might lose their homes if forced to comply with these revised regs. “Please consider not approving this at this point,” she said. “It needs work.”

Using Local Contractors

In response to an issue raised during public comment, both Jessica Ping and Karen Lovejoy Roe reaffirmed the county’s commitment to local businesses and asked the administration to review its bidding policies. They wanted to explore giving some kind of a priority to bids by local companies. Curt Hedger, the county’s corporate counsel, said he would report back at the Oct. 15 meeting.

Honoring Denise Dalrymple

Denise Dalrymple, director of the county Children’s Services Department, is leaving to become CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan, a group being formed from four separate councils, including part of the Ann Arbor-based Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council. The commission presented her with a resolution of appreciation. Rolland Sizemore said he was especially sad to see her go: “You can handle me better than most people.”

Miscellaneous Commentary

At one point during the meeting, Mark Ouimet, one of two Republicans on the commission, was trying to request a speaking turn and became a bit frustrated that he couldn’t get the attention of Conan Smith, who was chairing the meeting. Finally, Smith noticed Ouimet’s request and apologized that he hadn’t seen it earlier.

“I do appreciate you looking to the right side of the room rather than leaning to the left,” Ouimet quipped.

Smith shot back: “I’ve been this way since birth.”

Present: Leah Gunn, Jeff Irwin, Mark Ouimet, Ronnie Peterson, Jessica Ping, Karen Lovejoy Roe, Ken Schwartz, Rolland Sizemore Jr., Conan Smith

Absent: Barbara Levin Bergman, Mandy Grewal

Next meeting: Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the County Administration Building, 220 N. Main St. The Ways & Means Committee meets first, followed immediately by the regular board meeting. Public comment sessions are held at the beginning and end of each meeting.

The decision gives the go-ahead for architects to focus on that option, said AADL director Josie Parker. She said it also means she will focus on funding options, including going to voters to request a new millage for the project, which could cost more than $70 million.

From left: Ann Arbor District Library Director Josie Parker, board chair Rebecca Head, and board members Jan Barney Newman and Prue Rosenthal, at the Sept. 15 board meeting.

The board had discussed the options at length at their August retreat, and earlier this month Parker had presented some of those options to the board of the Downtown Development Authority, which has recently authorized a $56.4 million budget for an underground parking garage adjacent to the library. The parking garage is currently undergoing site plan review and resubmission to city planning staff.

On Monday, several board members summarized their reasoning in deciding to build anew. The difference in cost between the two options was negligible, in part because it would be expensive to bring the current building up to the desired standards. A remodel also wouldn’t give the library flexibility to expand, and a new design would bring operational efficiencies in ways that aren’t currently possible.

The vote was followed by applause around the board table. “Here we go,” Parker said.

Earlier in the meeting, board members discussed whether to pursue LEED certification for the project. At the recommendation of Luckenbach Ziegelman Architects, the board voted to spend up to $15,000 to register with the U.S. Green Building Council – the first step in starting the LEED process. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is a stamp of approval that the project has used environmentally conscientious building practices.) Parker noted that the building would be LEED certifiable regardless of whether they got the official designation. Board members asked the architects to provide a specific cost for getting certified, before they decide whether to go through the process.

In other business, the board also authorized Parker to transition the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, now administered by the county, to AADL. The county had requested that this transfer take place – the library was due to close at year’s end because of budget cuts. Parker said she plans to expand services for the group – by adding programs for families and children, for example – and hopes to also increase the number of people registered for these special services throughout the county.

Present: Rebecca Head, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Josie Parker, Prue Rosenthal, Carola Stearns, Ed Surovell. Absent: None

Next meeting: Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the library’s fourth floor meeting room, 343 S. Fifth Ave.