OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Clearwater Library Board Meeting – November 6, 2025

Clearwater Municipal Meetings — Thursday, November 6, 2025
BodyClearwater, Florida
SessionClearwater Municipal Meetings
DateThursday, November 6, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 58:16

Transcript — Verbatim
2:00

Oh no, you're a new cover.

4:02

Oh, you gotta move on.

4:40

Uh, my name is Tanya Landry.

4:43

Okay.

4:44

My name is Kelly Malicia.

4:46

Good morning, and my name is Loretta Mitchell.

4:48

So thank you.

4:49

We do have a quorum today.

4:51

So our first item of business.

4:56

Take a look at the minutes from the last meeting.

5:00

Do I hear a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting?

5:03

I so move.

5:05

And do I hear a second?

5:06

I second.

5:08

All right.

5:09

Is there any discussion?

5:10

Hearing none.

5:11

All in favor, signify by saying aye.

5:14

Aye.

5:14

Aye.

5:14

And minutes are approved.

5:17

All right.

5:19

Do we have any citizens to be heard regarding items not on the agenda?

5:25

Seeing none, we will move on to new business items.

5:29

Merging of advisory boards, Rosemary call, city clerk.

5:34

Come on up and tell us what's happening.

5:37

Well, good morning.

5:38

First, I would like to thank each of you because I know you guys take time out of your busy schedule to volunteer to serve on this board.

5:46

So I do appreciate that.

5:47

But as part of this year's budget exercise, staff was tasked with finding efficiencies and specifically with the advisory board.

5:54

So I worked with several with all the departments who have an advisory board, and I we've identified boards that either were going to be sunset, and we found two boards to sunset, and then there was the issue of consolidating some boards to improve efficiency.

6:11

But I think of it as an opportunity to improve our community engagement.

6:16

So the library board was one of them with the Parks and Rec Board and the Environmental Advisory Board to consolidate it into one.

6:23

One of the issues that we have is that when these boards were created, specifically the library board, I think is and EAB and Parks and Rec, those are the three, they were created at a time when we lack the professional expertise, and 40 years ago, public meetings were probably the best way to get public feedback.

6:41

That has since changed.

6:42

It's where we've become more technological, um, so that seems to be more efficient, even just getting applications, individuals to apply.

6:50

I can post it on our website.

6:54

I can post an ad in the paper.

6:56

Not that I would add put an ad in the paper for that specifically, but we don't get any feedback.

7:02

But when we post it on social media, that's what triggers it.

7:07

And so we're just trying to find better ways to improve that process.

7:12

But one of the things identified by staff is that the most of the boards have become more of a council is no longer requesting tasks of you, and so that's how the boards were initially created because that was really the best way 40 years ago.

7:30

Have a public meeting and you seek the input.

7:33

So it really has I would say um has shown the power of one.

7:38

It just happens to be an individual on an advisory board, make a recommendation or share an observation to improve a service, and it just happens to get done.

7:48

But there really are no actions or asks of staff.

7:52

It really has just become staff updates or project updates.

7:57

And as we were discussing, is that really the best use of time of board members, not just staff, but of board members to come to a meeting and approve minutes, but just really identify recommendations that either a can be easily and for the most part, does not require really true discussion, and that may not be the case in this in this board, but current garner true discussion among the board members to um have staff adopt that that recommendation because that's one of the things I think that makes us our staff really good at that.

8:31

If you know somebody, you call them up, you can call Jennifer and make that recommendation.

8:36

You saw this, or I would like this.

8:38

And if it's within the budget, it's easily implemented.

8:42

So really do not need to have an advisory board for that purpose.

8:45

So the idea of this new board would be consolidating the three boards to be the community resiliency and leisure services advisory board.

8:55

They will now lost my train of thought there for a second.

9:01

So they will now be empowered to hold public meetings to actually garner community um input, holding education outreach sessions, um, and that can even just be uh providing um sessions to seek feedback for potential grants.

9:17

So that was one thing that we did identify.

9:20

One of the complaints that I have received from past board members is that the boards meet quarterly and not um in a free not frequently enough to receive projects prior to council receiving them.

9:32

So that would be one thing.

9:33

So review potential grant opportunities and actually seek public input.

9:38

So going to maybe different sections of the community depending on where that grant is and try to get the community's input and sentiment on potential grant projects or potential projects.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement███████████████████████████████31%
Public Facilities███████████████████████████27%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Arts And Culture█████████████13%
Procedural████████8%
Historic Preservation████████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Clearwater Library Board Meeting – November 6, 2025

The Clearwater Library Board met on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 10:15 AM in the City of Clearwater Main Library Council Chambers. The meeting covered approval of minutes, a presentation on merging advisory boards, setting the 2026 meeting schedule, and the library director's report. No public comments were received.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the August 7, 2025, Library Board meeting were approved unanimously by a voice vote (all ayes).

New Business Items

  • Merging of Advisory Boards: City Clerk Rosemarie Call presented a proposal to consolidate the Library Board, Parks and Recreation Board, and Environmental Advisory Board into a single Community Resiliency and Leisure Services Advisory Board. The goal is to improve efficiency, increase community engagement, and provide the new board with concrete projects (e.g., reviewing grant opportunities, holding public input sessions). The board would have seven members, with a preference for three environmental professionals. Current members of the three boards would have the opportunity to apply if the ordinance is adopted. Council was scheduled to hear the first reading of the ordinance that evening (November 6) and a second reading later in November. Board members expressed initial concerns about the library's role being minimized, but after discussion they acknowledged the potential for broader community engagement and that library services would remain a focus. No board vote was taken as the decision rests with city council.
  • 2026 Library Board Schedule: The board discussed the schedule for 2026. Given the pending merger, they agreed to duplicate the current quarterly schedule (first Thursday of February, May, August, November) for now. A motion was made and seconded, and it passed unanimously (all ayes) to continue quarterly meetings starting February 6, 2026.

Director's Report

Library Director Jennifer reported on several items:

  • Fiscal Year 2026 Budget: Approved in September, effective October 1, 2025. The library faced a percentage reduction, resulting in reduced hours and positions.
  • Holiday Programs: Halloween events were successful. Upcoming: Silver Santas program for seniors (tree at main and countryside libraries, 50 cards requested, 25 already taken); Posada celebration at East Library on December 13, 2025, 2–5 PM.
  • North Greenwood Library Updates: A new mural on the facade will be installed in February 2026 by a local muralist. Furniture overhaul is finalized; ordering will proceed after minor infrastructure changes. A grand reopening is planned coinciding with Black History Month.
  • Beach Library: A pop-up library opened in the pool office on November 4, 2025, with limited hours (Tuesday–Thursday) through April. It offers reserves, popular materials, a friends book cart, library cards, and Wi-Fi. The permanent library reopening is expected spring 2026, with a meeting scheduled to select furnishings.
  • Strategic Plan Renewal: A consultant-led process kicked off in March 2025 with staff; follow-up sessions occurred this week. Next steps include community surveys and stakeholder meetings (board, friends, foundation).
  • Downtown Construction Impact: Hotel construction outside main library will begin soon, likely causing lane changes and parking impacts. The library will remain open.
  • Staff Development Day: Held October 13, 2025, at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in partnership with Pinellas Public Library Cooperative.
  • Vendor Change: Major vendor Baker & Taylor went out of business in September, causing temporary delays in material delivery. The library quickly pivoted to other vendors, minimizing impact.
  • Carnegie Library Award: Clearwater will receive a $10,000 award from the Carnegie Foundation in January 2026 as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration. Clearwater's first free library (1916) was a Carnegie library; only seven such libraries existed in Florida.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Minutes approved unanimously.
  • 2026 Schedule: Approved quarterly meeting dates (first Thursdays of Feb, May, Aug, Nov) to continue if merger not adopted.
  • Merger Proposal: No board action; council to vote on ordinance. Board members expressed conditional support, noting the importance of protecting the library's role.
  • No other decisions or votes were taken.

Board Members to be Heard

Board members raised questions about the seed library program (available at countryside and East Library; expansion being considered) and the status of the art space at main library (council rejected initial proposals and will reissue a request for proposals with a six-month window in early 2026).

Meeting Transcript

Oh no, you're a new cover. Oh, you gotta move on. Uh, my name is Tanya Landry. Okay. My name is Kelly Malicia. Good morning, and my name is Loretta Mitchell. So thank you. We do have a quorum today. So our first item of business. Take a look at the minutes from the last meeting. Do I hear a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting? I so move. And do I hear a second? I second. All right. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. And minutes are approved. All right. Do we have any citizens to be heard regarding items not on the agenda? Seeing none, we will move on to new business items. Merging of advisory boards, Rosemary call, city clerk. Come on up and tell us what's happening. Well, good morning. First, I would like to thank each of you because I know you guys take time out of your busy schedule to volunteer to serve on this board. So I do appreciate that. But as part of this year's budget exercise, staff was tasked with finding efficiencies and specifically with the advisory board. So I worked with several with all the departments who have an advisory board, and I we've identified boards that either were going to be sunset, and we found two boards to sunset, and then there was the issue of consolidating some boards to improve efficiency. But I think of it as an opportunity to improve our community engagement. So the library board was one of them with the Parks and Rec Board and the Environmental Advisory Board to consolidate it into one. One of the issues that we have is that when these boards were created, specifically the library board, I think is and EAB and Parks and Rec, those are the three, they were created at a time when we lack the professional expertise, and 40 years ago, public meetings were probably the best way to get public feedback. That has since changed. It's where we've become more technological, um, so that seems to be more efficient, even just getting applications, individuals to apply. I can post it on our website. I can post an ad in the paper. Not that I would add put an ad in the paper for that specifically, but we don't get any feedback. But when we post it on social media, that's what triggers it. And so we're just trying to find better ways to improve that process. But one of the things identified by staff is that the most of the boards have become more of a council is no longer requesting tasks of you, and so that's how the boards were initially created because that was really the best way 40 years ago. Have a public meeting and you seek the input. So it really has I would say um has shown the power of one. It just happens to be an individual on an advisory board, make a recommendation or share an observation to improve a service, and it just happens to get done. But there really are no actions or asks of staff. It really has just become staff updates or project updates. And as we were discussing, is that really the best use of time of board members, not just staff, but of board members to come to a meeting and approve minutes, but just really identify recommendations that either a can be easily and for the most part, does not require really true discussion, and that may not be the case in this in this board, but current garner true discussion among the board members to um have staff adopt that that recommendation because that's one of the things I think that makes us our staff really good at that. If you know somebody, you call them up, you can call Jennifer and make that recommendation. You saw this, or I would like this.

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