MEEKER | The Meeker Public Library Board held its regular March meeting last week in the community room, with all board members present.
Community member Kathleen Kelley was the only public attendee to speak. She proposed revising the public comment format, suggesting the board eliminate broad, non-agenda-related remarks and instead adopt a two-part approach. The first would allow individuals to request future agenda items during a general public comment period. The second would permit comments during meetings only if they are agenda-specific and approved by the chair.
“The way this is right now, and I’ve seen it operate that way for the last six months, is you get a lot of hyperbolic comments from the general public. You get things that are not agenda specific, that really don’t relate to what you’re trying to do on the agenda itself,” Kelley said.
She argued that such changes would improve meeting efficiency and reduce distractions.
Following public comment, the board reviewed and approved the previous meeting’s minutes from the Dec. 11, 2024 meeting and Feb. 26 meeting.
Board Secretary and Treasurer Toby Leavitt presented the financial report, highlighting budget allocations, expenses and banking details. Concerns were raised about ensuring financial transactions, such as certificate of deposit (CD) transfers, were clearly documented.
“I did not do these reports—we’ve got three people involved in this,” Leavitt said. “I think, as treasurer, I oversee this with Kristina and with our bookkeeper. So I would recommend you call them financial reports.”
Library Director Kristina Selby reported a significant increase in book circulation in March. She announced upcoming April programs, including a bike workshop in partnership with a bike shop and a teacher appreciation week where students can make crafts for their teachers. Selby also welcomed two new employees and registered for the American Library Association (ALA) conference in June.
Board member Dan Olson questioned Selby’s registration, stating, “I thought that the last time we had discussed this, we voted no on this. I’m just trying to understand—since that didn’t pass during the last one—you’re going out to the ALA conference?”
Grieser acknowledged a mistake in the previous meeting, clarifying that the board did not need to vote on Selby’s attendance.
“In the moment, I was flustered and took my word back from her, because it’s just like any other expense,” Grieser said. “It’s really no different than her going to the policies and procedures training.”
Olson expressed frustration, stating, “To me, then just arbitrarily pulling that out of that process and making that decision to push it directly to her kind of disrespected the fact that this board essentially did not pass that motion.”
Leavitt admitted she also made a mistake in the last meeting.
“I made a mistake of making a motion to go ahead and approve that,” Leavitt said. “The motion did not go through because it died for a lack of a second. So we did not have [approval], and I know you didn’t agree with it… That was my mistake. We have the budget for her to attend the meeting.”
Board member Michael Cobb weighed in on what he was thinking
“We made a decision, and then the decision was overruled without any conversation,” Cobb said
Member Dan Olson voiced more frustration as he brought up the strategic objectives.
“If there are specific things that we really want to focus on as a library, let’s say that we wanted to open up a homeschooling center here; asking the director to take specific training in that area would be beneficial towards that end. If that was something that we decided to do,” Olson stated.
Board President John Moffitt emphasized the importance of consistency in decision-making.
“To me that’s the issue if we make a decision in the board, we’re going to do x and y ends up happening. I think we have to look at that and say our intention is if we say we’re going to do x, we’re always going to do x,” Moffitt stated.
“I’m not a supporter of the ALA, I would not support that going forward but I think that in the way everything worked out, we just proceed with that, and maybe in the future it’s a different discussion,” continued Moffitt.
The board then reviewed the salary benchmarks for library directors in the region and debated whether the position should be classified as exempt (salaried) or non-exempt (hourly). They considered future salary adjustments based on experience and education level.
The board discussed the request for proposal (RFP) process, awaiting legal feedback before proceeding. Extensive discussions followed regarding the scope of work, structural concerns, insulation requirements, and contingency planning.
After consulting with a professional engineer, who confirmed that the roof must be replaced, the board agreed to move forward with gathering bids before making a final decision.
The board also reviewed a proposal to increase building insurance coverage from $800 per square foot, which would result in an $11,000 annual premium increase.
A proposal was introduced to hold monthly workshops from 5:30-8 p.m., with the first set for April 8 in the community room.The meeting was adjourned, with the next regular board meeting scheduled for April 30 at 5:30 p.m.