Benicia Board of Library Trustees Meeting - September 14, 2026

The Benicia Board of Library Trustees convened on September 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Benicia City Hall Council Chambers. Present were President Todd Hickey, Trustee Lois Kazikoff, and Trustee Ruth Workman; Vice President Carolyn Cataloni and Trustee Linda Ordonio Dixon were absent. The board adopted the agenda, heard reports from the Friends of the Library, the Benicia Library Foundation, and the City Librarian, approved the August 3, 2026 minutes, and voted to place a future agenda item on endorsing the California library vision.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were offered during the public comment period.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved the minutes of the August 3, 2026 meeting by unanimous roll call vote. Trustee Workman asked for clarification about wording in section 7C regarding board authority over policy versus procedure; the City Librarian explained that municipal code requires policies to be developed in concert with library administration, and no amendment was made.

Friends of the Library Report

• Daryl, newly elected president of the Friends of the Library, reported the organization was founded around 1984 and supports the Benicia Public Library through donated book sales, memberships, and annual donations of approximately $60,000 per year. He described its donation and monthly public sale model, a premium section, and eBay sales for higher-value books, and responded to trustee questions about membership fees, digital reading trends, and the future of used book sales.

Benicia Library Foundation Report

• Chair Sharon Mayer reported that the Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established in 2005, raises private support for library capital improvements and enhancements. She said the foundation has rebuilt its governance and outreach over the past two years, and its net assets grew from $365,000 to $672,000 as of July, an increase of approximately $307,000, or 84.1%, largely due to a significant bequest.
• She noted that more than a quarter of the library's 31,000 square feet remains unimproved and the building has not had a major change in over three decades. The foundation is not presenting a proposal for that space, but wants to be ready for future capital opportunities.
• She outlined four priorities: be known, be strong partners, grow giving, and prepare a 2027 strategic plan aligned with library priorities. Asked about 2027, she said the foundation's top priorities are building out the board, proactive community outreach, and connecting prospective funding to outreach. She asked the board for partnership, help aligning efforts with library priorities, telling the foundation's story, identifying donors and grants, and supporting the foundation financially when possible.
• Trustees praised the presentation and suggested sharing it with the city council, local media, and the public. The presentation referenced Devin O'Shea and Ariel Casillo, who worked with the foundation on a planned giving event. Discussion also covered the foundation's participation in the Solano Community Foundation Day of Giving on October 7.

City Librarian Report

• The City Librarian reported no updates from the City Council or Arts and Culture Commission. HVAC problems in the children's area continued, with another repair visit scheduled for Wednesday.
• The library received its book bike; plans call for regular visits to the high school to allow teens to check out materials. The modular pods were delivered and installed, and three of five planned computers are now running on the new system; the library is fully off Userful, with two more computers expected.
• Summer reading program participation increased by 232% over the previous year. Survey results cited by the City Librarian included: 25% of participants were under age 5, 54% were ages 5-12, 16.7% were teenagers, and the rest were adults. She also reported that 29.2% of respondents had both an adult and child from the family participate, 30% had just an adult participate, and 42% had an adult and child from the same family participate; these figures were stated as separate categories. 100% preferred the new format, 100% found it easy or very easy to understand, 92% rated their experience great or excellent, and 96% reported a high likelihood of participating again next year.
• The City Librarian provided the Friends of the Library fiscal year 2025-26 report: $42,000 of the Friends contribution went to materials, just under $15,000 went to library programs, and the remainder went to staffing. The Measure L report to Solano County, which will be presented next week with Board President Todd Hickey representing Benicia, shows sales tax revenue slightly higher than the prior year but not keeping up with inflation.
• The September financials, which mostly cover expenses through August, show several line items above expected year-to-date percentages. The City Librarian attributed these largely to timing, including deferred compensation, annual PERS UAL payments, multi-year contracts, and an overspent advertising budget caused by the different ways Facebook and Instagram advertising work. An unanticipated electrical expense raised computer maintenance spending.
• On library impact fees, the City Librarian reported that all city impact fees are reviewed every eight years; the last review was in 2020 and the next would take effect in 2028, with annual adjustments possible in between. She questioned the current use of integrated library system replacement and collection costs as criteria, calling the $100,000 ILS estimate unrealistic, noting the last ILS change was the first in more than 30 years, and describing collection cost as an ongoing expense rather than a capital cost. She plans to advocate for more realistic measures, such as square footage.
• On the library basement fund, the City Librarian is trying to trace an $18,000 change between 2010 and 2012 reports; finance records before 2018 are not easily accessible, and she is asking finance to explain the figures.
• The City Librarian is scheduled to keynote the Future of Libraries Conference on October 1 in San Francisco and to present at the California Library Association conference in Riverside later in October; five library staff members are attending.
• The California library vision report, developed with the state library since June 2025, is meant to guide state and federal library funding and advocacy. The City Librarian will present it at the October public library director forum. Three related projects are being developed: an executive coaching curriculum for library directors, an ecosystem navigation study, and a statewide resource sharing study. She noted the vision project began after federal library funding was withdrawn and has faced concerns from some library directors about promising too much.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the August 3, 2026 meeting minutes unanimously.
• Voted unanimously to place the California public library vision endorsement on the next meeting agenda, with no formal endorsement made at this meeting; the next meeting is scheduled for October 5, 2026.
• No action items were on the agenda, and there were no communications from staff or members.
• The meeting adjourned at 6:57 PM.