Mary Katherine Merritt

The meeting includes reviews of investment, financial, and staff reports. Unfinished business items encompass a closed session regarding litigation, the approval of a contract for a parking lot project, a discussion on a DCEO grant application, a statement of economic interest, and a revision of the list of days the library will be closed in 2026. New business includes a department presentation from Adult Services.

Key discussion items for this meeting include staff reports for December 2025 and January 2026, a facility project update, and a motion to approve a quote for a sprinkler system upgrade in the Carnegie Community Room. New business features a department presentation from Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley. The Board is scheduled to consider the approval of several policies, including the Public Bidding Policy, Exclusion of Patrons Policy, and Indemnification Policy, as well as the EDI Statement. Additionally, the agenda includes a Secretary's Audit covering minutes from July 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, a review of the Board Annual Legal Calendar, and a proposal for a Board Retreat.

The agenda included approval of the consent agenda, covering minutes from various meetings and financial reports. The board addressed invoices for approval, recognized Trustee Robert T. Gephart, and reviewed administrative and committee reports. Unfinished business included updates on the Director Search and the Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance. New business items featured the Annual Audit Presentation, the IPLAR Report, and Policy Committee Recommendations related to fines for overdue materials and public participation rules. The board also discussed the Consolidated Election in April 2023, a Staff In-Service Day, and scheduled future committee meetings.

The Board of Trustees meeting included a presentation by PFM Asset Management, LLC, providing an update on the Library's investments over the last five years. The board also reviewed the Fiscal Year 2022/2023 Per Capita Grant Application, outlining how the Library plans to allocate the funds received. There was also a departmental presentation by the EDI Working Group, which focused on long-term goals, actionable deliverables, and the development of a shared EDI vocabulary for staff. The board also approved the updated salary schedule.

The meeting included discussions and reports on various topics, such as a building project update, the implementation of an online statistical dashboard (OpenGov), recommendations from the Policy Committee regarding an Employee Handbook update, and recommendations from the Finance Committee concerning the 2021 Merit Structure and Benefit Summary. Additionally, the board addressed Ordinance 2020/2021 -- 4, which establishes the dates for regular meetings of the Board of Trustees for the calendar year January 2021 -- January 2022, and the 2021 Holiday Closing schedule.