Board Minutes

Meeting 74

2009-09-16T15:04:00Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

September 16, 2009

HLC Governing Board members present: Archbold-Fred Lohrer; DeSoto-Paul Erickson, Ann Ryals; Glades-Jeanette Peeples, Julie Perry, Commissioner Donna Storter-Long; Hardee-Gloria Davis, Dianna Youmans, Commissioner Terry Atchley; Highlands-June Fisher; Okeechobee-Robbie Chartier. Members absent: Commissioners Judy Schaefer, Jeff Carlson, and Margaret Garrard Helton, Ann Ryals, Perry Newport, and Marion Davis. Others present: Librarians Mary Booher, Patti Jean Lang, Elizabeth Kenney, and Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. Comm. Atchley gave the invocation and led in the pledge to the flag. The Notice of Public Meeting was read. There were no additions or changes to the Agenda, which was approved as written, with a motion by Comm. Atchley, second by Robbie Chartier, and unanimous approval. The Minutes of the May 27, 2009 meeting were read. Robbie Chartier moved to approve the minutes with two corrections; one at bottom of page two ("Newman" should be "Newport"), and removal of "Commissioner" before Paul Erickson's name. The motion was seconded by Comm. Atchley, with unanimous approval by the Board.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT
Mary Myers reported there are Public Relations issues with the notification of overdue materials. The upgrade of Polaris to version 3.5 added a new service to Polaris, telephony. This service contacts patrons concerning holds and over dues saving staff a lot of time allowing more efficiency in the Libraries. It was determined during discussion that the current Unique Management service is not cost effective with a $25 or greater minimum balance due. Unique charges $8.95 for each submission. Comm. Atchley moved to raise the minimum limit that triggers the Unique service from a total balance due of $25 or greater to a balance of $100 or greater. Robbie Chartier seconded the motion that was approved unanimously.

Mary Myers advised the Board that the HLC CPA recommended a new inventory control method, Cyclic Inventory. Cyclic inventory would require each library to perform a monthly inventory of 10% of the Heartland property located in their library with a complete inventory every three years. Comm. Atchley moved to implement the new inventory control; the motion was seconded by Jeanette Peeples, and passed unanimously.

Mary Myers invited the HLC Board to attend all or part of the Cooperative-Wide In-Service Day October 12, 2009, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Lake Placid Library. Charlie Parker of the Tampa Bay Library Cooperative will be the featured speaker.

Discussion was held upon reviewing the Patron Visits, number of Patrons, Circulation, and Collection figures comparing 2008 and 2009. Number of member Patrons and Patron Visits increased. DeSoto Librarian, Elizabeth Kenny noted the dramatic increase of Patron Visits from 2,246 in 2008 to 6,514 in 2009. Ms. Kenny thanked and recognized the Library Staff of Marcia York, Wendy Farris, Cindy Beauvoir, & Leigh Hornbake for their hard work and that they "held the Library together".

The Board revisited the proposed Internet Policy to consider recommendations by Cooperative Attorney, Bert Harris. Comm. Atchley moved accept the Internet Policy with changes to delete Paragraph 5 "Internet users should enjoy....", and change Paragraph 9 "Inappropriate use, as determined....." to read "Inappropriate use, as determined by the library staff, will result in immediate cessation of Internet users' access and/or disciplinary action. That authority is granted to the director for discretion on issues that may not be Board policy and procedures, with issue to be brought to the next meeting of the Board for ratification." Robbie Chartier seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.

The Financial Report was reviewed. Motion was made by Robbie Chartier to approve the Financial Report. The motion was seconded by June Fisher and carried unanimously. It was noted that no action had been taken to fund an assistant for Mary Myers for the HLC. June Fisher agreed to check on the status with Highlands County who must approve the funding for Laura Andrews to assist with the Cooperative.

The application for the State Aid to Libraries Grant was reviewed. Comm. Atchley moved to approve the application for submission. Motion was seconded by Julie Perry and passed unanimously.

The Adoption of the FY09-10 Budget and Annual Plan of Service was discussed. Upon question of salaries increasing, it was noted that it was not an increase but a continuation of the approved funding by the Board for a Coordinator's assistant. Highlands County did not approve the funds to be applied for the additional duties when a new secretary was hired for the Highlands County Libraries. June Fisher agreed to check on the status with Highlands County who must approve the funding. Cash is carried forward to cover the first three months of the fiscal year until the State funding is received. Comm. Atchley moved to approve the adoption of the FY09-10 Budget. The motion was seconded by Robbie Chartier and carried unanimously.

Disruptive Patron policy was discussed. The Board instructed Mary Myers to develop two forms, one for Disruptive Behavior and one for Severely Disruptive Behavior. That forms will be signed by the Patron and by the Staff as Witness. If the Patron refuses to sign the staff witness will still sign. Further, that any violation of local, state, or federal law should be addressed by appropriate authority.

Director, Mary Myers was instructed to draft changes to policy for broken items and/or missing parts, including barcodes, to charge a fee for cost and processing for items and bring back to the Board for ratification at the Board's next meeting.

Chairman Paul Erickson announced the next meeting of the board would be held November 18, 2009, and adjourned the meeting at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Debra Ann Worley

Meeting 73

2009-05-27T15:00:00Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE
May 27, 2009

Heartland Library Cooperative Governing Board (HLCGB) members present: Archbold-Fred Lohrer; DeSoto-Paul Erickson, Ann Ryals; Glades- Jeanette Peeples, Commissioner Donna Storter-Long; Hardee-Gloria Davis, Dianna Youmans, Commissioner Terry Atchley; Highlands-Commissioner Jeff Carlson, June Fisher, Perry Newport; Okeechobee-Commissioner Margaret Garrard Helton. Absences: Commissioner Judy Schaefer, Julie Perry, Robbie L. Chartier, Marion Davis. Others present; Library Directors, Mary Booher, Patti Lang, Elizabeth Kenney; Highlands County Library Assistant Director Michael Pate; Highlands County Library Director/Heartland Library Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers; NCT Group CPA's, LLC Julie Fowler; Highlands County Friends of the Library Sue Rood.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10 a.m.

Ann Ryals gave the invocation and lead in the pledge to the flag.

The Notice of Public Meeting was read.

There were no additions or changes to the Agenda. Motion to approve the Agenda was made by Ann Ryals, seconded by Comm. Margaret Garrard Helton, and the Agenda was approved unanimously by the HLCGB.

There were no additions or changes to the Minutes of the previous January 21, 2009 meeting. Motion to approve the minutes was made by Perry Newport, seconded by Comm. Terry Atchley, and the Minutes were approved unanimously by the HLCGB.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT INCLUDING FINANCIAL REPORT

Heartland Library Cooperative Coordinator (HLCC), Mary Myers, reviewed the recent legislative action to cut State Funding. HLCC Myers thanked the Board for their support to keep the funding in place. The legislative body responded to the out pouring of e-mails (the count was stopped at 9,000), phone calls (Gov. Charlie Crist's office reported "the phones were melting down"), and the continual stream of people visiting elected officials' offices. It was noted by Fred Lohrer that funding remains a yearly issue. HLCC Myers suggested that at the beginning of the next budget cycle that the legislative body is reminded of the support for the libraries.

HLCC Myers reviewed the Heartland Library Cooperative Expenditure Report, and both Circulations and Visit graphs with the Board. An updated Library System Report through April, 2009 was handed out. It was noted that Glades figures in the System Report reflected that they had recently joined the Cooperative.

HLCC Myers continued her report explaining a new income producing/cost saving, patron friendly, Cooperative leasing program for popular materials that could be implemented. Popular materials would be leased and any extras would be sent back to the company when popularity decreased. HLCC Myers explained that in order to provide Patrons with adequate popular circulation materials it is now necessary to purchase popular material that after a short time are no longer needed, are weeded out of the system, and it is not cost effective. The leased materials would be kept on a separate pink cart and patrons would pay $1 and would have access immediately to whatever is available on the cart. Patrons would not have to be placed on a list until material is available. HLCC Myers noted that popular

Heartland Library Cooperative
May 27, 2009

materials have a quick turn around being placed back on the cart timely. HLCC Myers answered questions and is going to continue to explore the matter.

Motion to approve the Coordinator's report was made by Comm. Terry Atchley, seconded by Ann Ryals, and was approved unanimously by the HLCGB.

OLD BUSINESS:

There was no Old Business. Chairman Paul Erickson moved to New Business.

NEW BUSINESS:

Julie Fowler, NCT Group, CPA's LLC presented the annual audit. Ms. Fowler thanked HLCC Myers and the entire staff for their assistance and cooperation in preparing the audit. Ms. Fowler noted that the Financial Status of the Cooperative was in good standing and that the Fund Balance had grown. There were two material findings. Due to a miscommunication and subsequent date entry into the software, there was an error in Capitalization of a fixed asset. The second finding was concerning the accounting for Grants. A change in the Grant check list has been implemented. HLCC Myers agreed to monitor the correction and change.

HLCC Myers requested funding for the reinstatement of the Highlands County Administrative Secretary (HCAS) duties and reimbursement. When the new HCAS was hired, the previous nine percent (9%) of the salary of the position that was funded for Cooperative services (approximately $3,000) was not funded. The HLCGB did not include the HCAS in the budget because during the Highlands County Library Audit there was a question raised if Highlands County (HC) could fund the 9% to the Cooperative. June Fisher added that she was actively checking to find out if the job description included work for the Cooperative and how HC would handle the situation. HLCC Myers noted that she has been doing the extra work and that it is time consuming. Comm. Terry Atchley moved that the funding for the HCAS be reinstated in the previous manner, the motion was seconded by Comm. Donna Storter, and was unanimously approved by the HLCGB. With the motion by the HLCGB, June Fisher and HLCC Myers will move forward with resolution with Highlands County.

HLCC Myers reviewed the approved Loan Periods. Staff has requested a revision adding material type DVD Set, Limit 1 with corresponding Overdue Fine and Maximum Fine. This action will facilitate Patron & Staff saving time. Motion was made by Ann Ryals, seconded by Comm. Donna Storter, and was approved unanimously by the HLCGB.

HLCC Myers presented a new procedure for dealing with inappropriate use of public computers. This procedure was taken from another library system. The current Internet Policy and Disclaimer was reviewed, and HLCC Myers noted that the new procedure would "give teeth" to the Policy. There was concern as to how inappropriate use would be determined. It was noted that "inappropriate use, as determined by the library staff" was already included in the text of the current Internet Policy. Motion was made by Comm. Donna Storter to approve the proposed procedure upon review and approval by the Heartland Library Cooperative attorney. Second was made by Jeanette Peeples and the motion was unanimously approved by the HLCGB.

Highlands County Library Cooperative
May 27, 2009

HLCC Myers opened discussion for allowing Face Book to be an added use on the computers noting that Face Book is now being used instead of Web Pages by both business and personal users. Currently the Internet Policy and Disclaimer, Paragraph 7, states the HLC will block the category of "Social Networking". Both pros and cons were discussed at length. If passed for use, the Librarians were asked to monitor the use of Face Book and be ready with a report for the next meeting. Motion was made by Ann Ryals to make an exception to the Internet Policy of the HLC and allow access to Face Book for a period of three months, seconded by Comm. Donna Storter, and the motion was passed by the HLCGB with two opposition votes, Comm. Jeff Carlson, and Perry Newman.

Chairman Paul Erickson asked for member comments. Comm. Donna Storter was thankful for the legislative vote to save funding and noted that Polaris has the capability for bulk e-mail and could be used for the next budget cycle for notification to support continued funding. Librarian Elizabeth Kenney passed out a newspaper article thanking the public for support and asked that it be made part of the record.

The next meeting date was scheduled for September 16, 2009 at the Lake Placid Memorial Library, at 10:00 a.m.

Chairman Paul Erickson adjourned the meeting at 11:05 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Debra Ann Worley

Meeting 72

2009-01-21T15:00:00Z

Note: The minutes of this meeting have not yet been approved. Board approval will take place at the next meeting on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009.

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE
January, 21 2009

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto - Paul Erickson, Ann Ryals, Judy Schaefer; Glades - Julie Perry; Hardee- Terry Atchley, Gloria Davis; Highlands - Jeff Carlson, June Fisher, Perry Newport; Okeechobee-Marion Davis. Absent: Robbie Chartier, Margaret Garrard Helton, Donna Storter Long, Jan McKibben, Jeanette Peeples. Others Present: Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers, Highlands Library Advisory Debra Worley, Librarians Mary Booher, Fred Lohrer, Elizabeth Kenney, Kresta King, Michael Pate.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10 a.m., asking Commissioner Judy Schaefer to open with prayer and lead in the pledge to the flag. The notice of public meeting was read. There were no additions to the agenda, which was approved as written, with a motion by Perry Newport, a second by Marion Davis, and unanimous approval. The minutes of the previous meeting were moved for approval, with a motion by Ann Ryals, seconded by Judy Schaefer, and passed unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT
Coordinator Mary Myers suggested the members to introduce themselves for the sake of the new commissioners, and she shortly brought them up to date on the Cooperative's Interlocal agreement, and how it benefits its members through technical support, courier services, and material availability, among other services.
Regarding State Funding Budget cuts, and in answer to Paul Erickson's question, Mrs. Myers informed the members that the current cuts suffered by the Cooperative equal
12.48 % (4 million out of the State Aid Grant). She reminded the Board that the more they spend in their local libraries, the more funding the Cooperative gets as an incentive.
The additional $50,000 for bringing in Glades Library was reduced to $30,000. State Aid funding covers 99% of the Coop. funding. Heartland Cooperative is currently the biggest Cooperative in the State of Florida. In answer to Perry Newport's question, Mrs. Myers said that, although we could be almost certain there are probably going to be more cuts in the future, we couldn't anticipate the percentages. It is always helpful to have contact with our local representatives, but it may be wise to keep a conservative approach. Our libraries are as busy as ever, serving the community in these difficult times by providing them with computers to do job searches and submit resumes, allowing them to improve their skills through current bibliography, etc. We certainly want our representatives to know this.
Chairman Paul Erickson moved approval of coordinator's reports, with a motion by Gloria Davis, seconded by June Fisher, and approved unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS

Election of officers: Paul Erickson was nominated for Chairman and was re-elected with a motion by June Fisher, seconded by Ann Ryals, and approved unanimously. June Fisher was nominated for Vice Chair, with a motion by Jeff Carlson, seconded by Ann Ryals, and approved unanimously. Robbie Chartier was nominated for Treasurer and was re-elected and approved unanimously.

Unique Management Services: Mary Myers informed the members that 304 accounts were submitted to UMS during the trial period, at $8.95 = $2,720.80. The amount to be invoiced will be less than this because the Cooperative is eligible for a 15% trial discount and a Budget Neutral Guarantee which promises that UMS will not invoice the Cooperative more than it has recovered in cash plus waived amounts. The trial period is ending and the Cooperative now needs to decide if they are going to continue with their services or not. Are they recovering enough materials to justify the outgoing expense? Even though the counties have agreed that for every account recovered, they will reimbursed the Cooperative the $8.95 paid to the collection agency, the Coop. will end up paying more. For the counties themselves, is a win-win situation, they get the materials back and the money. Commissioner Terry Hatchley wanted to know if the Cooperative has a contract, or if it has to have one, and also if the Budget Neutral Guarantee will remain. Mary Myers believes it is on a month-to-month basis, but she will double check on that and on the guarantee. It was decided that UMS is effective, but that it needs to be monitored. Paul Erickson moved approval to continuing with UMS on a month-to-month basis, with the Budget Neutral Guarantee, with a motion by Jeff Carlson, seconded by Gloria Davis, and approved unanimously.

Members Comments
The Friends of the Library of Hardee County will be sponsoring a speaker, Jeff Klinkenberg Monday, February 9, 2009 at 6:00 p.m., at Hardee Co. Public Library.
Glades Library will be pleased to host "The Highway Men" art show, Saturday, February 21, 2009.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 18, 2009 at the Lake Placid Memorial Library, at 10:00 a.m.
The board adjourned at 10:55 a.m.

Estela Patrick
Library Assistant

Meeting 71

2008-10-22T15:00:00Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

October 22, 2008

HLC Governing Board members present: Archbold-Fred Lohrer; DeSoto-Commissioner Felton Garner, Paul Erickson, Ann Ryals; Glades-Donna Storter, Jeanette Peeples, Julie Perry; Hardee-Gloria Davis; Highlands-Perry Newport; Okeechobee-Marion Davis, Elvie Posey. Absences: Commissioner Gordon Norris, Commissioner Guy Maxcy, Jan McKibben, and Robbie Chartier. Others present: Glades Librarian Mary Booher, Librarians Kresta King, Patti Jean Lang, Elizabeth Kenney, Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers, and Carlos Roman CPA.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10 a.m., asking Commissioner Felton Garner to open with prayer and lead in the pledge to the flag. Recognition was given to DeSoto County Commissioner Felton Garner, and Highlands Co. Library System Admin. Secretary Carolyn Hesselink for their service to the Board. This is their last meeting. Glades Library Director Mary Booher introduced her three Board members: Jeanette Peeples, Julie Perry, and Commissioner Donna Storter. The secretary read the notice of public meeting. There were no additions to the agenda, which was approved as written, with a motion by Perry Newport, a second by Commissioner Felton Garner, and unanimous approval. The minutes of the previous meeting were moved for approval, with the addition of the word "himself," by Ann Ryals, seconded by Marion Davis, and passed unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

Mrs. Myers noted that she would provide a report with all libraries' statistics at each meeting. The incorrect collection size for all libraries for September was mentioned. The expenditure report from the office of our CPA, Carlos Ramon, was discussed, noting the balance forward. Commissioner Garner moved approval of both the financial and coordinator's reports, seconded by Perry Newport, and approved unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS

Mr. Ramon reported to the board about an alternative to paper checks being transported from Sebring to DeSoto, and sometimes to Okeechobee, for signatures. This would involve buying three copies of the advanced Acrobat program, for Robbie, Paul E., and Mary, and electronically sending checks for signature approval, but would be a great saving of time and energy in getting approval and mailing those checks. Ann Ryals moved to approve this process, contingent on positive comments from the auditors, seconded by Jeanette Peeples, and passed unanimously.

Mrs. Myers asked the board's opinion of donating the 1996 Chevy Venture van to charity. Suggestions were made. Donna Storter moved to declare the van as surplus, giving 30 days to find an agency who would want it, and after that, giving Mary leeway to get rid of it. Jeanette Peeples seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.

Coordinator Myers informed the board that our by-laws say we are to meet on the 3rd Wednesday of odd months, excluding July, and to hold elections in January each year. Our meetings for 2009 will be: January 21 (elections), March 18, May 20, September 16, and November 18, all at 10 a.m. in the Lake Placid Library. The current chairman is Paul Erickson, Vice Chairman is Guy Maxcy, and Treasurer is Robbie Chartier. The board is expecting new appointments from Hardee and DeSoto, with others possible.

The board adjourned at 10:55 a.m. for a tour of the Glades County Library, followed by a luncheon provided by the Glades Friends of the Library.

Carolyn Hesselink

Administrative Secretary

Meeting 70

2008-08-20T15:10:00Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE
August 20, 2008

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto-Commissioner Felton Garner, Paul Erickson; Hardee-Gloria Davis, Jan McKibben; Okeechobee-Marion Davis. Absences: Ann Ryals, Commissioner Gordon Norris, Commissioner Guy Maxcy, Perry Newport, Commissioner Elvie Posey, and Robbie Chartier. Others present: Glades Librarian Mary Booher, Librarians Kresta King, Patti Jean Lang, Elizabeth Kenney, and Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m., asking Commissioner Felton Garner to open with prayer and lead in the pledge to the flag. Library Assistant Estela Patrick read notice of public meeting. There were no additions to the agenda, which was approved as written, with a motion by Commissioner Felton Garner, a second by Gloria Davis, and unanimous approval. Paul Erickson requested a change to be added to the minutes of the previous meeting in paragraph 4, the meeting between June Fisher, Mary Myers, and he did not happen.
The motion to approve the minutes with the change was made by Gloria Davis, seconded by Comm. Felton Garner, and approved unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT
Mrs. Myers informed the board that the unauthorized audit performed by the HCBCC has been completed. From the original findings, #59 stated that the Coop. had not reimbursed   to Highlands Co. $49,000 from salaries paid. After reviewing this finding in detail, Mary Myers found that the financial department of Highlands Co. had incorrectly calculated the percentages for secretary Carolyn Hesselink's and Coordinator M. Myers' salaries, plus the auditors had assumed Douglas Henry to be a Cooperative employee during a period of time when he was actually an employee of Highlands Co.
Based on the review, HCBCC has agreed Douglas Henry was not a Cooperative employee at the times of the findings, and the actual amount owed by the Cooperative has come down to $13,233.98.
When Highlands Co. bills the Coop., Mr. Paul Erickson would like for them to say something to the fact that it was there mistake and not a refusal from the Coop. that has delayed this payment.
Mary Myers stated that the payment of the $13,233.98 would impact the contingency fund, meaning less money to roll over to the next fiscal year.
The motion to approve the Coordinator's report was made by Comm. Felton Garner, seconded by Gloria Davis, and approved unanimously.

CIRCULATION POLICIES
Mr. Paul Erickson requested it was added to the policies in page 13 in reference to Guest passes, that they will be issued where available, since Desoto library has not yet incorporated Envisionware and is unable to sell them. He would like to look into having Envisionware available in the future.
Mary Myers checked and confirmed with everybody present the new fines to be adopted on page 16, and it was agreed to keep them so.
Paul Erickson reminded everyone that the policies aren't set in stone, but that they can be reviewed, not only for each fiscal year, but also at the Coop. board meetings. Though it would not be wise to do so at every meeting.
It was also agreed that the new policies don't have to be presented to each county's board of county commissioners, because the Heartland Library Cooperative board includes commissioners from each county.
The motion to approve the Circulation Policies with added disclaimer an adoption date of October 1st 2008 was made by Commissioner Felton Garner, seconded by Jan McKibben, and approved unanimously.

UNIQUE MANAGEMENT SERVICES UPDATE
Every county, except Desoto and Glades, has approved the services of Unique Management. Desoto and Glades will be presenting it for approval in the near future.
In Highlands Co. the incorporation of such services has had very good press.

STATE AID APPLICATION FOR FY09
As a result of having incorporated Glades County to the Cooperative, the grant has increased and is now $450,000 for the FY09. However, if the State approves to reduce state aid a 4%, it will then be reduced.
The motion to approve grant was made by Comm. Felton Garner, seconded by Jan McKibben, and approved unanimously.

CLIC GRANTS
The motion to support CLIC grants approval was made by Gloria Davis, seconded by Marion Davis, and approved unanimously.
The motion to approve Library Services and technology Act Grant Agreement was made by Comm. Felton Garner, seconded by Marion Davis, and approved unanimously.

ADOPTION OF FY09 BUDGET AND ANNUAL PLAN OF SERVICE
Mary Myers went over the budget draft; informing everyone present the opening of a new Money Market account offered by the bank, that pays a higher interest, and where there is presently $65,000.
The budget draft shows a very healthy Cash Forward balance to carry them through until the new grant money arrives. The salaries (51200) are to remain the same with only one recent change affecting overtime balances (51400). An hourly employee is now an exempt employee. The salary will go up some to compensate for the change.
Mary Myers presented the board her thoughts regarding the services of the secretary. She is considering it would be in the Cooperative's best interests to separate the services of the Highlands Co. Library secretary from the Cooperative's, both being rendered presently by Carolyn Hesselink who is due to retire at the end of October 2008. The Cooperative calculated the coordinator's and the secretary's services in percentages that Mary Myers feels are more than what either is actually weekly putting into. Even though there are times that are busier than others, she doesn't think either of them is working to the fullest of those percentages. One way of solving this would be to have Mary take over the responsibilities of the secretary, have the CPA handle the paperwork, and have somebody in the board take notes and prepare the minutes for each meeting. Mary Myers is also cataloging for Desoto and Hardee Counties, which adds to her services to the Cooperative. Mr. Paul Erickson suggested she presented this as an agenda item for the next meeting.
Continuing with the reviewing of the budget draft, Mary Myers informed the members that the CPA is increasing its fees in a small amount and is now included under Professional Services (53100). Accounting & Audit (53200) shows also a slight increase.
Contractual Services (53400) includes Technical Services Support Staff for Glades.
Item (54100) shows a change on the Internet provider. Comcast cable is our current provider, and since the change took place the communication speed has improved wonderfully. Item (54600) EnvisionWare maintenance fees are a lot less than those of the previous system. Item (54900) the State-Wide ILL delivery charges are going up due to the increase in the price of gas. Item (54902) the courier will include Glades in his daily route. We will incorporate Heritage Quest Online Genealogy Database to our on-line services. Mary Myers concluded that the FY09 Budget Draft looks very healthy due to the Cooperative's conservative spending. Paul Erickson agreed it looks good.
The motion to approve the FY09 Budget was made by Comm. Felton Garner seconded by Gloria Davis, and approved unanimously.

MEMBERS COMMENTS
Librarian Elizabeth Kenney reported the coming approval of a contractor to build the new children's wing; and the upcoming "Teen reading group day", to take place October 23rd at the Library, pizza party included.

Next Board meeting is changed to October 22nd and it will be hosted at Glades County Library, Moore Haven. Glades Advisory Board and Friends will provide lunch.

Next meeting date corrected to Wednesday December 17th, 2008. The Board adjourned at 11:11 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Estela Patrick

Meeting 69

2008-05-28T15:00:00Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE
May 28, 2008

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto-Commissioner Felton Garner, Paul Erickson, Ann Ryals; Highlands-June Fisher, Commissioner Guy Maxcy; Okeechobee-Robbie Chartier, Commissioner Elvie Posey, Marion Davis; Hardee-Commissioner Gordon Norris. Absences: Perry Newport. Others present: Glades Librarian Mary Booher, Librarians Fred Lohrer, Kresta King, Patti Jean Lang, Elizabeth Kenney, and Michael Pate, Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m., asking Commissioner Felton Garner to open with prayer and lead in the pledge to the flag. Library Assistant Estela Patrick gave the reading of the new posted notice of the meeting. There were no additions to the agenda, which was approved as written, with a motion by Gordon Norris, a second by Felton Garner, and unanimous approval. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Robbie Chartier, seconded by Elvie Posey, and approved unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT
Mrs. Myers talked to the board about the rising cost of fuel and the impact that will have in the financial report. The Coop. vehicles have and are being used only for business purposes by Doug Henry for Courier Services, Max Mindar for Computer Support, and the Secretary Carolyn Hesselink for short errands to the HCBCC building and CPA Carlos Roman's office. Not much can be changed except grouping tasks that aren't urgent for Max Mindar to do all together on one trip.

Regarding the follow up audit to be performed by HCBCC, the Coop. has never authorized it. Paul Erickson commented he has never been approached by anybody from the HCBCC regarding audits, and he, June Fisher, and Mary Myers are meeting tomorrow to develop a strategy for it.
From the previous audit it was pointed out by the auditors that the money collected by HCBCC from all the computer sales done through the years for the Coop. has never been returned to the Coop. HCBCC still owes that money to the Coop.

Mary Myers talked also about incorporating a picture of the patron in the patron's registration in Polaris, to help confirm identity and avoid disputes. When parents sign their children's cards authorizing access to the Internet, the picture of the child, the child's signature, and the parent's signature will all show on the screen in the patron's registration.

The next item Mary Myers talked about to the Board was the Patron Visits Chart,
presenting a close follow up of the visits, and how all the libraries follow the same pattern, with its high during the winter months when the northerners are here. Fred Lohrer thought it would be a good idea to present this chart and its information to the Counties, to help them with the statistics of the influence of winter visitors in the area.

Paul Erickson moved approval, with a motion by Robbie Chartier, seconded by Ann Ryals, and approved unanimously.

CIRCULATION POLICIES
The goal of having consistent policies and procedures throughout the Coop. will ensure patrons are going by the same rules when registering and using our libraries; exceptions being only those that have to do with county policies, for example refunds. If it's a county policy not to issue refunds then, at that county, the patrons will not be refunded for items they have already paid for. Paul Erickson asked that the wording be changed to allow such understanding and asked that an index be added. He also noted Appendix 3 on pg. 21 is missing.
Elvie Posey suggested the Coop. should also have a consistent policy regarding the replacement cost of library items, since the price posted on the item record is the discounted one, and not the retail price. Mary Myers shared that, since the audit, Highlands Co. libraries have been charging the patrons the current replacement cost obtained from Baker & Taylor or Amazon at the time of the transaction. Robbie Chartier thought the Coop. should incorporate that as a policy.
When paying for an item, patrons also pay a processing fee currently set at $2.00. A change from $2.00 to $5.00 is suggested to be closer to the actual current processing expenses.
Currently, a Guest Pass for computer use may be purchased for $1.00 per hour for access, at all libraries except DeSoto.
Under Fines and Charges on pg. 13, the overdue fine per day for DVDs, video games, and playaways has been changed from $0.10 to $1.00; hoping this will work as an incentive for patrons to bring items back on time.

Under Security Check on pg. 18, Elvie Posey suggested it should be posted both in English and Spanish, and Guy Maxcy suggested each county should present the adopted Policies and Procedures to their lawyer for review. Paul Erickson proposed the Policies should be readopted annually and he asked Mary Myers to bring the revised policies to the next meeting for its approval.

Patti Jean Lang commended Mary Myers for the outstanding job and her dedication to the Coop..

UNIQUE MANAGEMENT- Mary Myers explained that, at 59 days overdue, and when cost of replacing the overdue material plus any outstanding fines for the material totals $25.00 or more, the patron account is sent to Unique Management, and an additional nonrefundable fee of $8.95 is added to the patron account to pay for the services of the collection agency. Unique Management then contacts the patron with delinquent account until the account balance is zero, or until arrangements are made for repayment of amounts owed and return of overdue materials. Unique Management guarantees a 50% to 70% return minimum; and they offer a 90 days trial period of their services of accounts that are 120 days old. The Coop. will have to pay in advance $8.95 per account turned over to Unique Management from the contingency account.
The $25.00 is based on an arbitrary decision, and it can be changed.
Mary Myers would like the members to find out with their county governments how long it would take them to return to the Coop. the $8.95 paid by the patrons when paying their fines, so that money can be put in an account designated to pay for the services of Unique Management. Robbie Chartier would like to know how many accounts over $25.00 (and for how long they been over that amount) there are; and she also suggested training the employees regarding the collection agency. Mary said that could be done at the next Service Training Day for Staff to take place in October. Mary also asked the Librarians to train their employees in getting patrons' e-mail accounts upon registration and during updates, since e-mails are being used to notify patrons of overdue items and it facilitates charging non-responsive accounts automatically. Mary will send to the commissioners a report to help them do a presentation to their Counties including: how much is outstanding, how many accounts are $25 and over, background of Unique Management services, and the percentage of success by the collection agency. Paul Erickson moved to approve a 90 days trial period with Unique Management, with a motion by Ann Ryals, seconded by Robbie Chartier, and approved unanimously.

NEXT MEETING DATE SET for August 20th, 10 a.m., at Lake Placid Library; and the following meeting is set for October 15th, at 10 a.m., at Glades County Library, Moore Haven, with an invitation for lunch extended by Librarian Mary Booher.

The meeting adjourned at 12:07 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Estela A. Patrick
Library Assistant

Meeting 68

2008-03-19T21:07:28Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

March 19, 2008

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto-Felton Garner, Paul Erickson; Highlands-Perry Newport; Okeechobee-Robbie Chartier, Elvie Posey. Excused absences: Ann Ryals, Commissioner Gordon Norris, Gloria Davis, Commissioner Guy Maxcy, and Marion Davis. Others present: Glades Librarian Mary Booher, Librarians Fred Lohrer, Kresta King, Patti Jean Lang, and Elizabeth Kenney, Cooperative Coordinator Mary Myers, Highlands County Community Services Division Director June Fisher, NCT Group representative Julie Fowler, CPA Carlos Roman, prospective member Jan McKibben.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 9:56 a.m., asking Commissioner Felton Garner to open with prayer and lead in the pledge to the flag. Mr. Erickson then asked for any additions to the printed agenda. Mrs. Myers offered these additions: #10 a resolution on mileage, #11 vehicle usage policy, #12 legislative updates, and #13 member comments. Perry Newport moved to approve the additions, Elvie Posey seconded, unanimously carried. One correction to the minutes was to change the words "stand along" to "stand alone". With this correction in mind, Robbie Chartier moved the minutes be accepted, seconded by Felton Garner, and carried unanimously.

Chairman Erickson asked each one to introduce themselves as we have some new attendees. Librarian Patti Jean Lang announced the resignation of long-time Hardee County representative Elinor Batey and introduced prospective board member Jan McKibben. Newly hired Community Services Division Director June Fisher was introduced by Mary Myers.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

Elvie Posey moved the adoption of the Coordinator's written report, seconded by Robbie Chartier, carried unanimously.

AUDIT REPORT

Comments were received from CPA Carlos Roman, our Heartland accountant, and NCT Group representative Julie Fowler presented their clean audit opinion, but noted that the office of Carlos Roman would be making changes to add controls in journal entries with a written document for each entry. Robbie Chartier moved to accept the printed audit, seconded by Felton Garner, and unanimously carried.

IRS MILEAGE ALLOWANCE RESOLUTION

Mary read from the latest IRS mileage allowance, asking the board to agree to a resolution to use whatever would be the current IRS mileage rate, presently rounding it off to .50 per mile. Perry moved to accept the resolution, seconded by Robbie, carried unanimously.

GLADES MEMBERSHIP ACCEPTANCE

Mrs. Myers noted that, if accepted by the Board, the Glades membership will be effective October 1st. Six counties in the cooperative will mean an extra $50,000 from the State Library which is applying for an LSTA Grant to cover the costs of the equipment start-up. Elvie Posey moved to approve the agreement to accept Glades, Felton Garner seconded, carried unanimously.

IT POLICY REVISIONS AND UPDATES

A printed comprehensive policy was presented to the board, including email usage, software, public computers, Internet usage, etc. Perry Newport moved to accept the revised, updated IT policy, Felton Garner seconded, carried unanimously.

CIRCULATION POLICIES

Mary Myers led a discussion of the policies, which will be brought back to the board, in final form, at the next meeting.

HEARTLAND VEHICLE USAGE POLICY

The written policy was presented to the board, Robbie moved to adopt this policy, Elvie Posey seconded, carried unanimously.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Mrs. Myers informed the board of Senate Bill 1210 and House Bill 795 concerning Special Districts needing to codify their charter. This would mean ours would need to be audited next year.

There has also been a revision introduced to the multi-library grant to increase it by $100,000.

NEXT MEETING DATE SET for May 21st, 10 a.m., at Lake Placid Library.

The meeting adjourned at 12:07 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn Hesselink

Administrative Secretary

Meeting 67

2008-01-30T21:00:35Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

January 30, 2008

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto-Paul Erickson, Felton Garner, Ann Ryals; Hardee-Gloria Davis; Highlands-Perry Newport, Guy Maxcy; Okeechobee-Marion Davis, Elvie Posey. Not present: Gordon Norris, Elinor Batey, Robbie Chartier. Library Directors present: E.M. Kinney, Fred Lohrer, Patti Lang, Kresta King, Mary Myers. Special guest-- Glades County Librarian Mary E. Booher.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10 a.m., asking Commissioner Felton Garner to lead the invocation and pledge to the flag. Secretary Carolyn Hesselink gave the reading of the posted notice of the meeting. There were no additions to the agenda, which was approved as written, with a motion by Elvie Posey, a second by Felton Garner, and a unanimous approval. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Ann Ryals, seconded by Gloria Davis, and approved unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

Elvie Posey moved to accept the written report, seconded by Felton Garner, and unanimously approved. Mrs. Myers talked to the board about the new technology plan in their board packet, which is based on E-rate requirement. The only change to that plan was on page 5 of the packet, to show that our 3M PAMS program will be ending in July. Polaris has another plan for patrons to print and add value to their library cards; a program called Envisionware. After evaluating three different plans, it was felt this was the best one and that we could move up the timeline from July to March, with a cost of approximately $13,106. Mrs. Myers noted that the State Library has to certify the plan, which will be submitted when we apply for the next E-rate. Felton Garner moved approval with the amended PAMS change, seconded by Ann Ryals, and approved unanimously.

GLADES COUNTY

Mrs. Myers introduced Mary Booher, the Glades County Librarian. The Charlotte/Glades Library System is parting ways and they have explored either being a stand-along library or joining the Heartland Cooperative. Finding that their patron services and courier services would be greatly increased, their study committee recommended that they apply to join the Heartland Library Cooperative. Myers informed the board that we are eligible for a state grant to help the transition, and with a five member cooperative, we are eligible for .20 on the dollar (some $50,000 extra) each year. Their employees would remain Glades County employees. If the State Aid Law revision is passed, our cooperative base grant would be raised. Elvie Posey moved to invite Glades into the Cooperative, Gloria Davis seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

Gloria moved to give Mary Myers approval to write an LSTA grant to bring Glades into the cooperative, seconded by Elvie Posey, and passed unanimously. It is Mary's intention to ask our attorney Bert Harris to rewrite the InterLocal Agreement.

MEMBER COMMENTS

Board members asked Mrs. Booher about Glades Library and she gave these statistics: it is on the river in Moore Haven, has some 6,250 square feet, has a meeting room, some 25 computers, and the addition was built three years ago.

It was announced that long-time Highlands County member Jeanne Renton has had to resign due to health problems. The secretary was instructed to write a letter of thanks to her from the board.

NEXT MEETING IS: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 10 A.M., AT THE LAKE PLACID MEMORIAL LIBRARY.

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn L. Hesselink

Administrative Secretary

Meeting 66

2007-11-28T20:57:36Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

November 28, 2007

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto-Ann Ryals, Paul Erickson, Felton Garner; Hardee-Gloria Davis; Highlands-Perry Newport; Okeechobee-Marion Davis. Not present: Elinor J. Batey, Robbie Chartier, Guy Maxy, Gordon Norris, Elvie Posey, Jeanne Renton. Library Directors present: Elizabeth Kenney, Kresta King, Patti Lang, Mary Myers. Others present: Michael Pate.

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. with Felton Garner leading in the invocation and the pledge following. The secretary read notice of public meeting. Mrs. Myers requested an addition to the agenda. Ann Ryals moved approval of the agenda with the revision, seconded by Felton Garner and approval was passed by voice vote. Gloria Davis moved the approval of the written minutes, Felton Garner seconded the motion, and approval was passed by voice vote.

Coordinator's Report

Interlocal Agreement: The Highlands County Board of County Commissioners approved the Heartland Library Cooperative Interlocal Agreement on October 2nd, 2007.

Legal Opinion: Ross Macbeth, Highlands County Attorney, performed an analysis of certain findings in the Highlands County Clerk of Courts Audit. Coordinator Myers provided a copy of his analysis to Board Members.

Adopted Budget FY 2007-2008: Salaries, Overtime, and Benefits are now listed separately, which shows a clearer picture of employee-related costs. The Cooperative is now reflected in a separate cost center in the Highlands County Budget.

Budget Amendment Approval: Under the original Interlocal Agreement, the Coordinator had the ability to both make budget amendments. Under the new Interlocal Agreement, the Chairman and Treasurer approve these before any action is taken.

Public Internet Scheduling: After June 2008, 3M will no longer be providing PAMS. Several alternatives are being considered. Envisionware, a partner with Polaris Library System and used by a number of large libraries, is under consideration.

The Coordinator's Report was moved for approval by Felton Garner, seconded by Ann Ryals and approval was passed by voice vote.

New Business

Annual Plan of Service and Budget for FY 2008: Perry Newport moved approval, seconded by Gloria Davis and approval was passed by voice vote.

CLIC grant agreement for Hardee: Hardee County received approval of their Community Libraries In Caring grant with funding of $8,000.

Unique Management Services: Unique Management Services offer services to aid in the collection of unpaid fines and fees and the return overdue materials. A one-time investment of $3,500 is needed to buy a component that will allow Polaris to give Unique the information they need to proceed. Unique is compensated by their keeping a percentage of the funds they collect, agreed upon through negotiation. Coordinator Myers felt that any money returned through this process should be placed in each Library's materials budget rather than merely being returned to the general fund. Each Library will also need to ensure that all of their items are correctly priced in the Polaris Database and what percentage of that price should be collected. It was agreed that Coordinator Myers would write and present a proposal to the Counties about Unique Management Services.

Independent Special District: The Florida Department of Community Affairs has ruled that The Heartland Cooperative is a Special District. Prior to this ruling, the Cooperative required the use of a host county in order to participate in the Florida Retirement System (FRS). The Cooperative now has the ability to participate independently. Highlands County is now only providing the Cooperative with physical space and staff. If a decision were made to forgo the current hosting arrangement, the Cooperative would hire a full-time Coordinator (someone who had received an MLS) and combine the duties currently performed by Highlands County Staff on a part-time basis. A discussion ensued on how this would impact current and future funding.

Professional Dues and Conferences: Coordinator Myers explained that some counties were no longer paying the professional dues of their Library Directors to the Florida Library Association. Also both of new Directors wished to attend the Public Library Association Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 25-29th, 2008. Director Kenney declined the offer as she had already paid her 2008 dues. Chairman Erickson thought this was something could be done this year but that no precedent be set and asked Director Myers for a suggestion. She asked that the Cooperative fund FLA dues and attendance to the PLA for Director King and Director Lang. Perry Newport moved to accept the suggestion, Paul Erickson seconded and approval was passed by voice vote.

The NEXT MEETING of the board was set for WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, at Lake Placid Memorial Library at 10:00 a.m. The board adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Estela Patrick

Meeting 65

2007-09-26T20:54:52Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

September 26, 2007

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto--Ann Ryals, Paul Erickson, Felton Garner; Hardee--Gloria Davis, Gordon Norris; Highlands--Perry Newport; Okeechobee--Robbie Chartier. Not present: Elinor J. Batey, Marion Davis, Elvie Posey, C. Guy Maxcy, Jeanne Renton; Library Directors present: Elizabeth Kenney, Kresta King, Patti Lang, Mary Myers. Others present: Bill Benton, Michael Pate

Chairman Paul Erickson called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. with Felton Garner leading in the invocation and the pledge following. The secretary read notice of public meeting. Mrs. Myers requested an addition to the agenda. Gordon Norris moved approval of the agenda with the revision, seconded by Treasurer Robbie Chartier and approval was passed by voice vote. Robbie Chartier moved the approval of the written minutes, Ann Ryals seconded the motion, and approval was passed by voice vote.

Coordinator Mary Myers offered her report. The discussion focused on circulation statistics over the last 12 months. Myers also introduced Kresta King as the new Director of the Okeechobee County Public Library, Patti Lang as the new Director of the Hardee County Public Library, and Maria Chenique as the new Lake Placid Memorial Library Librarian. Chartier moved approval of the Coordinator's report, Norris seconded, and approval was passed by voice vote.

Bill Benton of the NCT Group presented an engagement letter in the amount of $7,500, a $300 increase from the previous year. Perry Newport asked a question regarding any changes in scope of the audit function and was told that none would be made outside of ordinary industry practices. Newport moved to accept the letter, Chartier seconded, and approval was passed by voice vote.

The next agenda item was the 2007-2008 budget. In Personnel matters, the position of Technology Trainer is now vacant and there are no plans to fill the position in the future. Remaining personnel will get a 4% raise in conjunction with Highlands County Board of County Commissioners practice. Erate discounts will reduce the monthly telecommunications charge from over $3,000 to around $800 a month. As has been the practice, the Cash Carried Forward will be increased again this year, but will not exceed the legal limit of 20 Percent. Reserve Contingency will not exceed 10 Percent. Budget approval was moved by Norris, seconded by Newport, and approved by voice vote.

The Base Grant for State Aid was nearly increased by $100,000 this year in the State Legislature. It is hoped that this will occur next year. The State Aid Application was moved by Chartier, seconded by Ryals, and approved by voice vote.

Three Counties have submitted applications for the State Library Community Libraries in Caring Grant Program. Highlands County has chosen Podcasting and Video Podcasting, Hardee is seeking to expand their Graphic Novel collections, and DeSoto would like to continue their ESOL Computer Aided Learning Program from last year. Approval of the application was moved by Davis, seconded by Garner, and approved by voice vote.

Myers proposed the 1996 Chevrolet Astro Van owned by the Cooperative be declared surplus. The van is no longer actively used and has developed service-related issues after more than a decade of heavy use. Newport moved to begin the surplus process, Chartier seconded, and approved by voice vote. Myers was also directed to ask Board Attorney Bert Harris to write a letter asking Highlands County for any funds (estimated to be several thousand dollars) generated from previous sales of surplus items that had not been returned to the Cooperative. Chartier moved to approve this, Ryals seconded, and approval was given by voice vote.

The NEXT MEETING of the board was set for WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, at Lake Placid Memorial Library at 10 a.m. The board was adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn Hesselink

Meeting 64

2007-05-30T20:46:57Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE MEETING

May 30, 2007

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto--Felton Garner, Paul Erickson; Ann Ryals; Highlands--Guy Maxcy; Perry Newport; Hardee--none; Okeechobee--Robbie Chartier, Marion Davis. Librarians: Mary Myers, Michael Pate, Margo Taylor, Fred Lohrer, E.M. Kenny. Other attendees: Mike Carter of NCT Group, CPAs, LLP.

Chairman Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m., with the invocation and pledge led by Commissioner Felton Garner. Notice of meeting was read. A motion to approve the agenda as presented was made by Robbie Chartier, seconded by Ann Ryals, and carried unanimously. The minutes were moved for approval by Robbie Chartier, seconded by Perry Newport, and carried unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

Mrs. Myers pointed out the attachment on the report from our Network Manager Paul Ramponi. She asked that the technology review and analysis by Brad Bates, Polk County IT Manager, be moved to the Member Comments part of the agenda. Board members agreed to do so.

Absent from our meeting was Diane Hunt, Hardee County Librarian, who is now retired to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and it was noted that Margo Taylor, Okeechobee County Librarian, will be retiring this summer, also. Robbie moved to accept the report, Ann Ryals seconded, and it carried unanimously.

The Interim Financial Statement from the office of Carlos Ramon was presented in its new report format. A question was raised about CLIC--Community Libraries in Caring Grant--awarded last year to DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands, now winding down. This grant was cut by 50% for next year, so Mrs. Myers felt we would not be getting this grant money again.

Perry made a motion to approve the financial statement as presented, seconded by Felton Garner, and carried unanimously. Mrs. Myers informed the board that a copy of our entire packet is now being sent to each county commission office.

NEW BUSINESS

Mike Carter from NCT Group presented the annual external audit report. A copy was given to each board member. Mike commented that this was "a smooth audit."

Mrs. Myers introduced Bert J. Harris, III, as our board attorney. Guy Maxcy asked Bert to contact Luke Brooker concerning the InterLocal Agreement which will be on the BOCC agenda June 5.

ARCHBOLD AGREEMENT RENEWAL

Every five years, Archbold Expeditions asks the board to review and renew their contract for services from the cooperative to use the Polaris system, our catalog to include their holdings, and our courier service when needed. They are not a voting member, but want to continue their partnership with us. Felton Garner moved to accept the agreement, seconded by Ann Ryals, and carried unanimously.

COMMENTS

Board members reviewed the independent assessment done by Polk Co. Cooperative IT Manager Brad Bates. His basic determination says we are doing well at this time, but he did make some recommendations for strengthening our security. Mrs. Myers spoke to one of Mr. Bates' recommendations--that the cooperative think of having another county be the host. She mentioned that South FL Community College might be amenable, or Polk County Cooperative, and that Tampa Bay Library Consortium is interested, also. She felt that keeping the headquarters in the center of the state, but being independent, is best. Board members were comfortable with continuing with our current headquarters, for the time being.

NEXT MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, AT LAKE PLACID MEMORIAL LIBRARY, 10 A.M.

Meeting adjourned by Chairman Erickson at 11 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn Hesselink

Administrative Secretary

Meeting 63

2007-03-14T20:20:24Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE MEETING

March 14, 2007

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto--Paul Erickson, Felton Garner; Hardee--Gloria Davis; Highlands--Perry Newport, Guy Maxcy; Okeechobee--Marion E. Davis, Robbie Chartier, Elvie Posey. Librarians: Mary Myers, Michael Pate, Margo Taylor, Fred Lohrer, Diane Hunt, E.M. Kenney. Other attendees: Highlands Co. Administrator Carl Cool.

Chairman Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m., with the invocation and pledge led by Felton Garner. Notice of meeting was read. An addition to the agenda, #8, on travel policy, was added. The motion to approve the amended agenda was made by Robbie Chartier, seconded by Elvie Posey, and unanimously carried. Robbie C. moved the minutes of the previous meeting for approval, seconded by Comm. Garner, and carried.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

Fred Lohrer asked if there is a ratio of cardholders to public access computers. Coordinator Myers stated that there is a state standard, but our limitation is dictated by our space available in all the libraries. That is the reason for going to wireless access, however, bandwidth is being used close to capacity, making upgrading a priority. Hayes E-Government Resources is now overseeing the bandwidth instead of FIRN. Future bandwidth upgrade may be a big expense for the cooperative. Commissioner Posey asked if the public could be charged for the cost of any upgrading. Coordinator Myers said, instead, we could engineer it so the public got less bandwidth and the library system (circulation, etc.) received more. Our revenue limits will make the decision for us. On the bright side, the legislature is considering raising all cooperative's base grant. Mrs. Chartier moved to accept the coordinator's report, seconded by Newport, unanimously carried.

Mrs. Chartier commented on the financial reports, asking for some revision in how it reflects the budget. She moved that we request from Carlos Roman's office a report that shows the available budget rather than the targeted budget, seconded by Comm. Posey, and carried.

INTERNAL AUDIT REPORT

Highlands County Administrator Carl Cool reported to the board members that the internal audit was now complete and that a concurrent agreement with the auditors had been reached. A committee of himself, Assistant Director Rick Helms, Human Resources Director John Minor, and Mary Myers, had drafted a to-do list. Some of the items the Board will have to look at: the Interlocal Agreement--does it give the right to sign contracts with agencies to interlibrary loan with them, or should all four counties have a say? Mary noted that this right to sign contracts is already in our Interlocal Agreement. Can we contract with an outside CPA? Mrs. Myers said this power is given to the Board in the Interlocal Agreement.

Do we need our own lawyer rather than using the four counties lawyers?

Robbie Chartier asked whether we need an attorney or not? Coordinator Myers agreed she would research this issue for our May meeting.

How do we or should we reimburse employees when they work for the cooperative? (This was one of the issues of lack of separation of time worked for the county and the cooperative.) It is requested that those who work part-time for the cooperative use two separate time sheet forms to track the amount of time they will be paid by either the county or the cooperative.

The secretary is to send a basic agenda packet for each meeting to the four county commissions.

For future audits, Highlands County will issue an RFP, and whichever firm is chosen will also do the cooperative external audit.

Perry Newport voiced the boards thanks to Mr. Cool for his work on our behalf.

COOPERATIVE VEHICLE USE POLICY

The written policy was changed on #3, first paragraph, and second line, to read "Cooperative vehicles shall not be operated by anyone who is not an employee of a member county." Robbie Chartier moved to approve the amended vehicle policy, seconded by Marion Davis, and carried.

TRAVEL VOUCHER FORM & POLICY STATEMENT

Carl is willing to sign travel vouchers. Mary noted that the cooperative would be using its own travel voucher modeled on the state travel voucher form. The Heartland form will be online, with the policy statement, so it will be easy to fill out and print. An addition to the policy is, "We will use the current resolution for reimbursement as adopted by the host county." Comm. Garner moved to approve the amended travel voucher form and policy statement, Gloria Davis seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

COMMENTS

Commissioner Guy Maxcy commended the work of Michael Pate and the library staff during the internal audit.

NEXT MEETING IS SET

The next meeting date is May 23, Wednesday, at 10 a.m., at the Lake Placid Memorial Library. Meeting adjourned by Chairman Erickson at 11:55 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn Hesselink

Administrative Secretary

Meeting 62

2006-11-29T20:15:34Z

Heartland Library Cooperative Meeting

November 29, 2006

Members Attended: Robbie Chartier, Marion Davis, Paul Erickson, Felton Garner, Jeanne Renton, Eleanor Batey, E. M. Kenney, Ann Ryals, Diane Hunt, Mary Myers, Margo Taylor

Felton Garner led the invocation. Paul Erickson led the pledge and moderated the meeting.

Robbie Chartier made a motion to add new item to the agenda; Ann Ryals seconded the motion. Motion carried, unanimous.

Jeanne Renton made a motion to approve the minutes as they stood; Robbie Chartier seconded the motion. Motion carried, unanimous.

Mary Myers presented the Coordinator's Report and introduced Kresta Harris as the Lake Placid Librarian and the note-taker for today. The Coordinator Report addressed:

1. Changes to Purchase Order processing

2. Summary Financial Report created from Mary's Bookkeeping and Quicken program. The report will get longer as history is generated; there is currently only one-month history. This report will show where the money is spent and where it was generated.

3. Audit is complete and will be distributed to the Highlands County Commissioners, Heartland Library Cooperative, and the public. Responses from management will be included in the Audit report.

4. Criminal investigation is nearing completion.

5. O&B Office gets budget amendments.

6. Gates computers will begin being distributed to the libraries within the Cooperative

7. DeSoto library is number 3 on the budget list for expansion; please talk to legislators to encourage support for the library expansion.

Robbie Chartier made a motion to approve the Coordinator's report; Jeanne Renton seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

The Interlocal Agreement Approval form was decided that four original copies needed to be taken to all County Commissioners for approval. After each County Commission approves the Interlocal Agreement, then one original copy can be sent to each County Commission for signatures. All members present checked that their respective Commissioner names were spelled correctly. Diane Hunt and Mary Myers will work on a cover letter for Diane Hunt to take her Commissioner meeting.

Ann Ryals made a motion to approve the Interlocal Agreement Approval form; Felton Garner seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

The Purchasing Policy was then discussed. Paul Erickson recommended that it be amended to reflect "Heartland Library Cooperative Purchasing Policy" rather than "Heartland Library Cooperative Purchasing Policies." Typos were then pointed out for change.

Robbie Chartier wanted to discuss the sealed bids aspect so that it accurately reflects the Sunshine Law. All members then discussed the following:

1. Purchases over $20,000 will be advertised

2. Phone quotes may be solicited for purchases up to $10,000

3. Purchases between $10,000 and $20,000 require written quotes

4. Purchases under $20,000 require two bids/quotes are solicited

5. Purchases over $20,000 require three bids/quotes are solicited

Ann Ryals made a motion to accept the Purchasing Policy as amended as of this meeting, 11/29/06; Robbie Chartier seconded the motion. Motion was passed unanimous.

The next meeting was tentatively scheduled for January 17, 2007 but may be adjusted to January 24, 2007 so that member Robbie Chartier might be present. Discussion of the audit findings will occur at the next meeting.

Paul Erickson adjourned the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Kresta Harris

Meeting 61

2006-10-18T20:14:10Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

October 18, 2006

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto--Felton Garner, Paul Erickson; Hardee--Elinor Batey; Highlands--Jeanne Renton, C. Guy Maxcy; Okeechobee--Robbie Chartier, Elvie Posey, Marion Davis. Librarians and guests: E. M. Kenney, Diane Hunt, Margo Taylor, Mary Myers, Highlands H.R. Director Freddie Carino, Asst. Highlands Co. Library System Director Michael Pate, Highlands County Administrator Carl Cool.

Chairman Erickson called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. with Felton Garner leading in the invocation and the pledge following. The secretary read notice of public meeting. Mrs. Myers, covering the subject of by-laws, requested an addition to the agenda. Comm. Posey moved approval of the agenda with the revision, seconded by Felton Garner and passed unanimously by voice vote. Robbie Chartier moved the approval of the written minutes, Elvie Posey seconded the motion, and it passed with a voice vote.

There was no Coordinator's report, however Mrs. Myers did hand out an InterLocal Agreement revision that the chosen committee of Robbie Chartier and Paul Erickson had looked over.

There was much discussion of wording changes made to the document to better explain various provisions, including creating a volunteer position of Treasurer to help with the financial details of the cooperative. Mrs. Myers suggested to the board that Okeechobee County's Assistant County Administrator, Robbie Chartier, would be a good choice. Guy Maxcy moved to create this position, seconded by Elvie Posey, and carried. This gives the cooperative three offices; Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Treasurer.

Robbie moved the Coordinator develop general purchasing policies similar to our host county, to be ratified at our next meeting, seconded by Jeanne Renton, and carried by unanimous voice vote. Guy Maxcy moved the board accept the By-laws as revised, seconded by Robbie Chartier, and unanimously passed by voice vote. The committee will receive the revised Interlocal Agreement and local attorneys will review it with a goal of accepting the new Agreement by early 2007.

Concerning having an outside vendor do our bookkeeping, Carlos Roman was recommended by our Coordinator and Highlands County Purchasing, having had extensive experience in government accounting. His estimate of expenses was about $6,000 a year. Robbie Chartier moved and Felton Garner seconded the motion, that Carlos Roman be accepted as our accounting service. This passed by voice vote.

The NEXT MEETING of the board was set for WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, at Lake Placid Memorial Library at 10 a.m.The board was adjourned at 11:58 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Meeting 60

2006-09-27T20:12:32Z

HEARTLAND LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

September 27, 2006

HLC Governing Board members present: DeSoto--Paul Erickson, Felton Garner, Ann Ryals; Hardee--Gloria Davis, Elinor Batey; Highlands--Perry Newport, Jeanne Renton; Okeechobee--Robbie Chartier, Elvie Posey, Marion Davis. Librarians: E. M. Kenney, Diane Hunt, Fred Lohrer, Margo Taylor, Michael Pate, and Coordinator Mary Myers, plus guests Carl Cool and NCT Group's Mike Carter and Julie Fowler.

Chairman Erickson called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m., with Commissioner Garner giving the invocation, followed by the pledge of allegiance. Notice of public meeting was read. Robbie Chartier moved and Commissioner Posey seconded the motion to approve the addition of financial services added after item 6 on the agenda. Carried unanimously. Mrs. Chartier moved, and Mrs. Ryals seconded the motion, to approve the minutes and that carried unanimously.

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

Mrs. Myers noted that the new statistical report the board receives would include a printout of our current financial status. The board was informed that Chairman Erickson now approves all the checks and budget amendments, which are then sent on to the Budget Office and Finance. Mrs. Chartier moved that the board approve the Coordinator's Report, seconded by Jeanne Renton, and carried unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS

Mike Carter presented the arrangement letter for the 2007 audit by NCT Group and introduced the manager of the Sebring office, Julie Fowler. Mrs. Chartier moved its acceptance, seconded by Comm. Posie, and carried unanimously.

Highlands County Administrator Carl Cool commented on the letter from the Highlands Clerk of Courts declining to do business in fiscal year 2006-07 with the Cooperative. He will address the negative statements made. Mrs. Myers and Admin. Cool talked to the board members about our urgent need for an accounting firm on a temporary basis until we can do an R.F.P. to take over on a more permanent basis. We are now paying the Clerk of Courts about $10,000 a year for their bookkeeping and oversight of our finances and inventory. Myers told the board we would pay Highlands County per the Interlocal Agreement to do the request for proposals and hire the accounting firm.

Mr. Cool suggested we use Highlands County's professional services acquisition committee of five, and add to it cooperative representatives to interview any qualified firms. Selected to serve on the committee: Robbie Chartier, Guy Maxcy, Gordon Norris, and Paul Erickson.

Mr. Cool recommended we formulate an interim engagement letter as soon as possible. Mrs. Chartier moved that Paul Erickson work with Mary Myers and Carl Cool to put together this letter, seconded by Jeanne Renton, and carried unanimously. This interim accounting firm would be signing our State Aid Agreement for Heartland.

Mike Carter suggested we go back to issuing our own purchase orders. Mrs. Myers noted our need to revise our Interlocal Agreement (now ten years old), to be more specific. All four county commissions would need to approve it, including the county attorneys. Mr. Cool agreed that we could continue to occasionally use Highlands County's attorney, Ross Macbeth, for legal services. Mrs. Myers felt that her job description should be altered to document her duties as Cooperative Coordinator, and our Interlocal Agreement should mention the length of appointments to the board. Mrs. Chartier asked that the Chairman's new duties also be listed, all to strengthen the cooperative.

Mr. Cool assured the board that all five Highlands County commissioners are very supportive of the cooperative. His reply letter to the Clerk will document the many changes the cooperative has made.

An Interlocal Committee to rewrite our document was chosen: Robbie Chartier, Paul Erickson, and Mary Myers, with the understanding that Mr. Cool and the various county lawyers could also look it over. Board members were encouraged to send in any comments.

BUDGET REVIEW AND ADOPTION

Verbal changes made to the budget handout: fee for outside audit 53200 increased to $7,200; account 55206 Prime Time donations (Hardee County) in the amount of $517; reduction in 55201 of $11,135; line item Other Charges retitled Financial Services. It was noted that we could have 2 set-up fees by accounting firms. Mrs. Myers will ask for the inevitable budget changes as needed. This budget includes three grant applications: CLIC for DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties. Perry Newport moved the adoption of this budget, seconded by Ann Ryals, and passed unanimously.

Mrs. Ryals moved to approve the Heartland grant agreement application, seconded by Mrs. Chartier, and carried unanimously.

INTERNET FILTERING

Congressional action is in the works on a law called DOPA (delete on-line predators act), which will require all those entities receiving federal funds to filter primary social sites, including Myspace, among others. Coordinator Myers told the board that the cooperative librarians have already agreed to do this. She asked the board to affirm their decision to filter these social networking sites. Comm. Posey moved this action, seconded by Mrs. Renton, and carried unanimously.

NEXT MEETING DATE OCTOBER 18, 10 A.M., tentatively Lake Placid Library.

Adjourned at 11:23 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn Hesselink, Administrative Secretary