All right, I'd like to uh call to order uh the the board meeting of the Indianapolis Library uh Board of Trustees.

Can we have a roll call, please?

Yes, Mr.

Baderman.

Present.

Miss Johnson.

Present.

Dr.

Matada.

Right.

Dr.

Palacio.

Present.

Dr.

Violo present.

And Ms.

Witter.

Would you have a floor?

Excellent.

Thank you.

Point of order.

I'd like to propose an adjustment to the agenda.

Sure.

Moving item 6B to the beginning of the meeting so that we can take care of that business.

Item 6B, please.

Okay.

So item 6B is the public hearing on the 2026-2027 Irvington branch renovation and multifacility long-term capital maintenance and equipment update projects bond uh presentation.

Um we have a motion to move that to the beginning of the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Is there any discussion?

Hearing none, we'll have a call of the roll.

Yes, Mr.

Baderman.

Approved.

Ms.

Johnson approved.

Approved.

Dr.

Palacio.

Approved.

Dr.

Riolo, approved.

And Miss Woodard approved.

Alright, and the uh motions carry.

Um let's proceed with item six B.

Uhita, if you could come up and begin the presentation there.

Okay.

Okay, we have our chair.

Um, yeah, we're not going to call that.

Okay, sorry, chart.

Oh, Brad.

Oh.

You have your choice.

Thank you.

Um, sorry, before you proceed, one one last thing.

Um, so we have to uh adjourn the regular meeting and convene a public hearing right now.

Is there a motion to adjourn the regular meeting?

So moved.

All right, second.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded any discussion.

Hearing none, uh, we'll have a call of the roll.

Yes, Mr.

Baderman.

Approved.

Uh Ms.

Johnson, approved.

Dr.

Matada.

Approved.

Dr.

Palacio.

Approved.

Dr.

Violo.

Approved.

Ms.

Woodard.

Approved.

Alright.

It is passed as well.

We are we now have a public hearing.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Um these two gentlemen are here to discuss our 26 2026-2027 bond uh for the renovation of everything branch.

Okay, I'm not for sure.

So our first year.

Okay.

Thank you, Ms.

Campbell.

Uh Mr.

President, members of the board, Jeff Qualk and Bush with Barge and Thornburg.

This evening we're convening the first of two public hearings as required by Indian law in connection with any library project that's going to be repaid in whole or in part by bond issues that are paid from property taxes.

This is very similar to what you all have done on many numerous occasions over the last couple of decades, as a matter of fact.

And so tonight we publish the notice of this public hearing on June 12th in the local newspapers, and this will be the first public hearing.

We will then have the second public hearing with this presentation again on at your July 27th board meeting.

At the conclusion of that public hearing, you will then consider a resolution known as a preliminary determination reimbursement resolution that would then, if approved by you all, make a preliminary determination to proceed with this project and the next steps according to that with certain maximum financial parameters that will be presented by Mr.

Tanzel this evening and again on July 27th.

So the project tonight is very similar in many ways to the ones that you've had in the past.

This would be primarily renovating the Irvington branch public library, and it would be renovated on a very similar scale to what you've done with your other branch renovations over the past several years.

There are a lot of things behind the walls that will be done as well as updating the technology capabilities at that building.

Uh there'll also be authorized some additional approvements across the district that will be more miscellaneous in nature.

And then finally, there are going to be some equipment and uh materials purchases that are in this bond issue of roughly two to three million dollars uh that would be allocated toward the uh expenditure for those types of materials and software licenses, ebooks, those sorts of things.

So uh with that, I'd be happy to answer any question you may have regarding the process or the project.

If you want any more detailed information about the project, we can have uh Mr.

Parsons provide more of that to you at the July 27th meeting, but suffice it to say it's very similar to your other projects that you've done, including the one most recently that you're embarked on as well.

Okay.

Um any questions before we move to uh Baker Tilly's and financial analysis.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Uh, thank you very much.

I appreciate the opportunity to be here this evening.

My name is Jason Tantle with Baker Tilly, and we represent the library as your municipal advisor.

Now that we've had an opportunity to hear about the project scope and need, we will now review in the presentation before you how the library could pay for these projects through the issuance of a property tax supported bond in an amount not to exceed 19 million dollars.

We will be reviewing maximum parameters that would be within your resolutions on July 27th, and so we have that summarized on slide four.

But it's important to note that as we review these maximums that the library has positioned itself to be able to repay these bonds uh with a four-year term and not increase the debt service levy.

So, with that you can see on slide two, we have provided a graph of the 10 bonds that are currently outstanding of the library, and they are each represented in their own individual color.

Uh, but really just want to draw your attention to the fact that annual payments in 2026 are roughly 21 million dollars.

Uh, that falls to under 19 million dollars in 2027, and then all debt is repaid by 2030.

So as these bonds come to maturity, the library has positioned itself to potentially replace these bonds if it so chooses without increasing its debt service levy.

Slide three is a calculation of the library's general obligation bonding capacity.

Uh, the bonds being considered here this evening are general obligation bonds, and there is a limitation as to how much we can issue.

This issue uh this limitation is two percent of one third of the most recent net assessed value, which as you can see for the library is over sixty-five billion dollars and backing uh factoring in the other ten general obligation bonds outstanding that roughly three hundred and ninety-five million dollars is available to the library, but the nineteen million fits well within this constraint.

Slide four is a summary of the maximums that you would see within your resolutions on July 27th.

Again, a maximum being established here this evening is a borrowing amount not to exceed 19 million dollars, and we would anticipate 18 million seven hundred and twenty thousand dollars available for the Urbitam branch project after bond cost of issuance.

Uh the maximum repayment term is six years, but again to here this evening uh the proposed repayment term is actually four.

Uh the six years is just to provide flexibility should something unforeseen happen in the market.

Maximum total uh excuse me, maximum annual payment is established at thirteen, six hundred and ten thousand.

Uh this would provide for two years of levy neutrality if the library so chooses.

And then you can see here on our bottom uh ratios and uh rates that currently the library debt service tax rate is 3.18 cents, and the debt service levy is 20 million seven hundred and eleven thousand, and we are not anticipating any increases to this amount of assessed value remains constant.

Our final slide is the graph of the proposed four-year repayment term where you could see the 10 bonds outlined in blue, the proposed 2026 bonds in red, and the dotted line representing the debt service levy, where again the library has positioned itself to be able to maintain its debt service levy at 20 million seven hundred and eleven thousand and all debt being repaid consistently with its other bonds outstanding by 2030.

With that, I'd be happy to turn it back over to Miss Campbell or answer any questions that the board has at this time.

Any questions from the board?

Okay, just one question?

Oh, we are always making sure that we explain terms for the larger public as well.

Can you say a little bit more about what is meant by a debt service levy, please?

Absolutely.

The debt service levy is the request by the library of the dollar amount to repay the bonds that you see here on this graph.

And so uh as we mentioned, the annual payments are roughly twenty-one million dollars.

So the library is requesting 20 million seven hundred and eleven thousand to repay those bonds in both 2026 and 2027.

So it is specifically the dollar amount requested.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Dr.

Plasco.

Thanks for the presentation.

How was the net assess value done?

The sixty-five billion.

The sixty-five billion from the Marianne County Assessor's Office, just as annually updated based upon trending and the assessment of parcels specifically in a scheduled order.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Alright.

Any other questions?

Okay.

Thank you for that part.

Now we're going to move to public comment from the audience.

So this is public comment in relation to this public hearing.

The public comment for everything else we're going to do right after, just so everyone understands.

But is there any public comment?

Anyone who wishes to address the public with regard to these particular bonds.

Alright, seeing none, I will uh ask to close the public hearing.

Is there a motion to close the public hearing?

Is there a second?

Second.

Any discussion?

Hearing none, we'll have a call and roll.

Yes.

Ms.

Johnson.

Approved.

Dr.

Matada.

Yes.

Dr.

Palacio.

Approved.

Dr.

Riolo.

Approve.

Ms.

Wooder?

Approved.

And Mr.

Benjamin.

Approved.

The motions carried.

The uh public hearings now adjourned, and we will um reconvene our regular meeting.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

All right, see you next month.

Alright.

Just need a second to get reset here.

Thank you.

Alright, now uh the regular meeting.

Uh good evening, everyone.

My name is Ray Beterman, president of the Indianapolis Public Libraries Board of Trustees.

Welcome to the June Board of Trustees meeting hosted tonight at the Fort Bend branch.

We'll be hearing from a branch manager in a moment.

If you visited one of our branches recently, you've no doubt been greeted by the playful energy of our summer reading program.

This year's theme, play your way, comes to life the moment you walk through the doors.

Inspiring book displays, playful decorations, amusing activities, and welcoming spaces invite visitors of all ages to discover, create, and relax through reading and play.

Port Bend, for example, is a wonderful showcase of the fun and excitement that summer reading brings to our communities.

Since our last meeting, we've successfully launched our 2025 summer reading program on May 30th, when the uh our branches were transformed into neighborhood celebration destinations.

Branches had fun activities with hands-on crafts or animal encounters, and even outside sidewalk chalk art, sandbox sculptures, and fire engine tours and parking lots.

I'd like to also congratulate the staff and supporters of our Martindale Brightwood branch who celebrated 125 years of service to the community on May 30th.

The branch has made an enduring impact for generations of Martindale Brightwood neighbors who have found learning and connection within our library.

Now at week three of summer reading, our library community is working towards an ambitious goal.

Collectively reading for 22 million minutes.

After all, reading and taking time to play is not just for kids.

We have a special opportunity this Saturday at Central Library with a day of play.

This is a family-friendly event, and it's for all ages.

Uh, it's a recess featuring live demonstrations of international games, a yo-yo champion, a free arcade, balloon sculpting, Lego activities, and more.

Like everything in the Indianapolis Public Library does, a day of play is free and open to everyone.

And will take place at Central Library this Saturday, June 27th.

And speaking of Central Library, also since our last board meeting, my fellow board members and I had the pleasure of participating in the ribbon cutting for two extraordinary new spaces, Kid Central and Teen Central.

These expanded and thoughtfully designed areas inspire new opportunities for learning, creativity, and belonging for young people in Indianapolis.

I understand we'll have an opportunity later in the agenda to see a video highlighting these additions.

However, I encourage you to please visit these beautiful new spaces yourself.

Now let's learn more about our host branch, Fort Ben.

I'd like to invite Miss Shelby Peake, Fort Bend branch manager to please step forward and share her report.

Good evening, President Bieterman and members of the library board, as well as the members of the community and the city of Lawrence.

Welcome to the Fort Bend branch, especially if this is your first time.

And uh welcome back if this is not your first time.

So um I will do my best to um keep things brief, but I have a lot of exciting things to share with you about our branch.

Um so as um most know, we are the newest branch in the Indianapolis Public Library system.

Uh so we are um about to hit our third birthday.

Um, so um we are the youngins, but we are a team of 20 um staff strong.

Um I'm actually um pleased to um say that in our three years we've been able to grow um our staff.

Um we originally started at 18 or 19, but since then we have added um a page position as well as a um part-time juvenile librarian position um was just added this year, and I'm thrilled about that because it just opens up a lot of doors for us, not only to expand our juvenile services to meet um the demands and needs of the community, but um it also helps our adult team as well just that there's just more of us all hands on deck to um make sure that um we're trying to um you know grow and include um everyone at our busy branch.

Um I also would like to um take a moment.

Um we have 15 active volunteers and an intern.

And I want to say something special um and uh recognize our very first volunteer for this branch.

Um her name is Lynn Watson, and um we actually found out a few days ago that she passed away on June 12th.

Um I want to talk a bit about Lynn because she dedicated over a thousand hours of volunteer service to the library, not just here at the Fort Bend branch, um, but prior to that, she and she cur and she did um also volunteer at Lawrence Branch.

So she was um at uh Fort Ben twice a week and at Lawrence twice a week.

So she um dedicated a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of um a lot of service um to library staff.

Um so um we uh we uh really miss her.

Um she actually received a Star Award in December of 2024 for excellent volunteer services.

Um I would like to um thank Lynn's family as well for giving me permission so that way I can um publicly share um about um how wonderful Lynn was um and uh by doing over a thousand hours of volunteer service, she actually um is awarded a book tile that goes up in a branch of her choice.

Um and we actually are um she wanted a book tile at both locations at Fort Ben and Lawrence, and so we're going to make that happen.

Um so thank you for letting me share about that.

Um a little bit about the community that we serve.

We are in the heart of the city of Lawrence, which if you're not very familiar with this area, Lawrence actually is an excluded city, one of the excluded cities in Indianapolis, and so we have a wonderful local government that we get to work with in addition to our civic leaders in Indianapolis.

And some congratulations is actually due because just announced today, our the mayor of Lawrence and the city were selected by the community data health initiative as one of the top 2026, or one of the 2026 top 12 African American Mayors Association Cities to Watch, which is a national recognition that honors cities that are advancing in environmental health, public health, and equity.

So we're really excited to hear that news and we do a lot of good work with them.

Some other statistics, there are more details in your packets, but we had almost 125,000 visitors last year, and I think we are projected to exceed that number this year.

This is a very um active and growing community.

I'm sure you've noticed the apartments that they're building right next door.

They're actually just announced another apartment complex that's going up across Lee Road.

So there's still a lot of moving and growing in economic development here, and a lot of rich history.

One other thing I would like to highlight is in our physical circulation.

And I think what kind of speaks to that is the City of Lawrence school system has a Spanish immersion program, and their students have to read several books a week in Spanish, and so our children's world languages collection is very well loved.

And it is great.

So let's see.

Um just some other things to paint a picture about this community.

It's very multicultural.

We have a very large Hispanic and Latino population, but you also see um percentages of Haitian Creole and Korean as well in our area.

Um in fact uh the local restaurant that um we provided for you today was some Jamaican cuisine from W Lagoon.

Um so you'll find a little bit of everything here.

Um, and we do have um, yes, oh thank you.

Well, thank them.

They're amazing to work with.

Um so um with that in mind, we made sure to have an effort that we are providing as many bilingual programs as we feasibly can.

Um, so that includes bilingual story times and Spanish computer classes, and we also are um just started this semester.

Um, we've been added to the group of library branches that provide pathway to literacy classes.

Um we're getting ready to do our next semester in the fall.

Um, some other highlights.

Um, we renewed our certified autism center status with IBCCCS in May 2025.

Um so we are continuing um to offer um excellent inclusive customer service for our neurodiverse patrons and um do weekly sensory-friendly story times on Thursdays during the school year.

Um, and then we also are just um offering a safe judgment-free space, and um we're very excited about um some new adult and teen offerings that I'm gonna speak about in a minute.

Also, this year, um, this is will be our third year in a row working with AARP Foundation with providing free tax preparation for patrons.

This year's 775 patrons were served.

Um, and uh our largest program this year so far has been our annual model train show.

Um we work with the National Model Railroad Association, Central Indiana Division.

They come and they fill this room with model train exhibits.

And then we had other activities and challenges for families, and they got to earn prizes and things like that.

And so we had 480 families throughout the day.

So it was an all-day thing.

And the model trains are amazing and very popular, and um we already have a date for next year, so it's coming back.

Um I do want to mention I want to give some special thanks at our summer reading kickoff.

Um Lawrence Fire Department came with the fire truck, as well as our local ice cream shop, Moo and Lou Frozen Treats, and that um made our kickoff super successful, and I want to give Moo and Louise a special shout-out because they did not charge anybody for any of their treats, so um completely free to the library and to the public, and they didn't have to do that, and um so um I really appreciate that and wanted to acknowledge that.

Um here's just some other things.

Um, if you have any questions about anything, I'm happy to go into more detail.

Um, we try to have a MLIS intern um every semester if we can so far.

Um, our um OSVR volunteer resources department has been um really great at matching us with folks.

Um, so pictured is actually um our intern that we had for 2025 and 2026, Becky.

Um, and we do have an MLS intern this summer, um Clem who will be with us for a few more weeks, um, before going back to school in the fall.

Um this year we were also um asked to become a polling site for uh we did the primary election early voting this year, um and we're going to be doing voting in the fall as well.

Um the they've been amazing to to work with, and I've heard very positive things from the public about how that all went as just being a nice and easy to get to place for folks to come out and vote.

Um I would like to also um say thank you to Corey Minor from the programming department because uh the neurodiverse meetups were her vision.

Um she approached us and was like, hey, I really want to do this program and for adults, and we didn't hesitate to agree to host and help um plan it.

So um we do quarterly adult neurodiverse meetups, and what that is is um just like a low like sensory way to just be social without having to follow typical social expectations.

You're not in a loud restaurant, you're not, it's it's a quiet, more controlled space.

Um there are activities, and you can participate as much or as little as you would like, and we also encourage attendees to bring their own hobbies, so we also encourage parallel play.

So everyone could be doing their own thing at a different table, but still building communities still being um involved, and those have gotten such a positive response, and we've had requests to make one for teens as well.

So we're looking towards that for the future in the fall.

Um I think the last thing I'll note on here is that we are a pilot location for our library of things, and um I've uh and that has been circulation, has definitely started to pick up on that.

So we're really excited and happy that we were selected to be part of the pilot program.

Um, so that is all I have.

Are there any questions?

Great, thank you.

Any questions from the board?

Yes, Dr.

Rillow.

Thank you.

I think that it speaks a lot to your leadership that you develop partnerships the way you do.

I mean, free frozen treats is it's you reaching out to them that they were so giving.

So thank you for that.

I should know the answer to this.

How often does the certification for the autism center come around?

Sure.

Um, so the one that Fort Ben is under is currently two years for the uh rest of the library branches, and I think we'll be grandfathered into their program.

I believe it's uh you can correct me if I'm wrong, Gregory.

I think it's four years of four-year term now.

Um so as we added more branches, it's it's is structured a little bit differently than when it was just the one building.

And then for you to go up for recertification, is it as onerous a process as the first time?

No, we just had to retake the training.

Okay.

Um we didn't have to, they don't need to look at the building again or anything like that.

So it's just um maintaining your education.

Thanks for doing that.

First, I want to say that I'm always impressed when I attend the board meetings on all of the amazing program that happens.

Um, everything you shared, it just resonated community.

You talked about how you partnered with the mayor, how you partnered with the fire station, local restaurants.

Um I think that's the beauty of Lawrence, and I think that's why I love it so much.

So if I find some good housing, maybe I'll try to find my way over here.

But I do have speaking of growth, do you by any chance, and this may be a premature question, with the housing with the apartments um being built here, and you said there's new ones on the other side of the library as well.

They haven't started construction yet, but it has been announced.

Okay, and and again, maybe premature, but do you know what that's going to do with the uh to your traffic at the library?

Do you have any insight?

Um, not specifically.

I anticipate personally that um it's going to grow.

Um we do have a pretty um high door count, but we have a lot of folks that do um live in walking distance and come here because they love that feature.

Um and I do know that once we know um, you know, who exactly is going to be managing these apartment complex that we'll be reaching out and encouraging library card sign ups.

Okay.

Thank you for that.

Yeah, I just assume I that was the data.

I was curious if you had that data yet, but a little early for that.

Yeah, yeah.

Sounds good.

Comments?

No?

All right.

Oh, please.

Just want to say thank you for keeping this wonderful library.

This is my home library, so I really enjoy coming in and working from here or checking things out, or you know, whatever I need to do.

Uh, but I know you take good care of this uh branch, so I just want to say thanks personally and publicly.

Yeah, and thank you very much.

We love seeing you and your family in here.

So thanks, Dr.

Falascio.

Thank you very much for your presentation today.

Okay, now we will proceed to public comment.

My understanding is we have a couple.

Um, so um, Ms.

Gilbert, um, could we have a requesting public comment?

No.

Uh first of all, we have Jim Perone, and he is with the mayor's office.

Great.

Uh so I have a statement that I read just before public comment starts.

Um, we welcome feedback from the public about our Indianapolis libraries, and this is a time when the public may address the library board.

If there are several individuals representing the same group, please select a spokesperson.

Please do not repeat the same comments someone else has offered.

Please also note this uh public comment time is not the appropriate form for commenting on matters related to employee charges, employee complaints, or alleged employee misconduct.

Any such matters should be brought promptly to the attention of the CEO or the talent development department where matters can be addressed in compliance with established library policies and procedures.

A five-minute limit will be allowed for each speaker.

Each speaker should give their name and let us know if they're speaking on behalf of a group.

All right.

Do we have the first speaker?

Uh Mr.

Perron.

Speaking of your life.

Sorry.

Okay.

Good evening.

My name's Jim Jim Perrin.

I'm with the mayor's office here with the city of Lawrence, and we just simply wanted to say thank you for being here and welcome.

Mayor Whitfield wanted to be here this evening, but she was not able to.

She asked me to come just to just to say welcome to each of you.

And uh myself is a proud uh and happy patron of this particular branch.

And so thanks for being here.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh next we will have Mr.

Torres, and then after Mr.

Torres, we will have uh Diana Abdullah.

Good evening, everyone.

Last month, I asked about the process and the data you used for expanding paid grade 20, the CEO's salary.

That's resolution 19 to 2026.

Since nothing prior to the meeting was shared or posted.

When the resolution came up for a boat vote last month, President Biederman said the CEO salaries from three Ohio public libraries and municipal corporation CEO's salaries were used to arrive at the figure of $270,000.

It doesn't seem practical or realistic to use the CEO's salary of our international airport, Health and Hospital Corporation, or even Indigo.

They employ more people and their budgets are way larger.

The process used in previous system-wide compensation studies used peer library salaries to come up with comparable salaries for NDPL.

Those libraries were Columbus Metropolitan, St.

Louis, Charlotte Mecklenburg, Salt Lake City, Denver, Multona County, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Cuyahoga, Seattle, King County, Louisville, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

The average salary of those library amounts, the average CEO salary of those library amounts to 216,000.

The average CEO salary of the three Ohio libraries, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cuyoga, does not equal 270.

It would be interesting to know if those CEOs have been in that position for more than five years.

I am not here to say that the CEO does not deserve a salary raise, but the $60,000 or 30% increase has shocked us all.

Staff shared what a $60,000 increase would mean to them, which I am compiling and hoping to share with you all.

A staff member mentioned $60,000 would allow NDPL to have separate librarians for reader services, for the nonprofit series, and for business.

Those are three programs on top of library and regular duties that take immense preparation and are well attended.

This would also create another librarian level position that is not management.

Just today we submitted a 2000 uh 2027 salary increase proposal for the 300 plus Union eligible staff we represent.

We are expecting you all to be just as equitable to our frontline staff as you are on top of the CEO and staff who all on top of serving the public deal with serious patron behavior issues daily, who have been stalked, who have been sexually harassed, who have been threatened, all the things the CEO upper management are shielded from.

Lastly, for years, the CEO would get the same raise that staff received.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Danny Abdullah.

And then we'll have Johnny Hall.

Going after Michael Torres is so difficult.

Okay.

Um my name is Danny Abdullah and I'm a social worker, a trauma therapist, as well as a resident of the Far East Side.

Um, and I'm also a frequent patron of this library, Fort Benn.

Um I've seen librarians at this library support the community.

We just had this great presentation from Shelby of all of the things that this library, the library workers are doing for our community.

Um, not just like children, but also the adults who frequent this space.

You know, in the past I've been able to have conversations with Shelby in which she was trying to make this library even more inviting and a welcoming place for people in the community with severe and chronic mental health conditions, which is something that's near and dear to my heart.

Um Fort Benn is a dementia awareness space and was the first library in Indiana to become a certified autism center.

And most important to me, the staff are able to be helpful and understanding to my seven-year-old and my twelve-year-old who are children.

I'll just put it that way.

At all of the libraries who keep the libraries going.

Librarians are able to help us find what we need for research, for resources.

Um, they create programming that is inclusive to all of us.

Um, they teach us how to work technology.

Um, it is the workers who should be getting a 30% pay increase, not Greg Hill.

I have never seen Greg Hill show up for any programming that is not a photo op.

Hill's salary increase would amount to approximately over $60,000, an amount that many librarians, those doing the actual work, don't even make in a year.

Meanwhile, staff have reported that they don't have air conditioning in staff areas.

Central Library was closed for months, and the cost of living continues to skyrocket.

What message does it send to the employees of the library that they can't even have air conditioning, but Greg Hill can get over $60,000 raise?

That's ridiculous.

Employee retention, morale, and financial well-being are critical to the organization's long-term success as well as the community's success.

Where would we be without our librarians?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, next is Johnny Hall and then Lindsay Haddock.

Thank you, board, for your for your time.

Um, good evening.

My name is Johnny Hall, and I'm a proud patron of the West Perry branch.

I want to begin with an observation.

Every dollar spent by the Indianapolis Public Library represents a choice.

A choice about what we value and a choice about what kind of institution we want to be.

A choice about who benefits.

That's why I'm here tonight.

Not because I believe that libraries should be leaderless, not because I oppose administration.

Uh, not because I think Greg Hill is uniquely responsible for every challenge facing this institution.

I am here because I believe the board has made the wrong choice, and more importantly, I believe it reveals a troubling set of priorities.

The Indianapolis Public Library does not belong to Greg Hill.

It does not belong to this board.

It belongs to the public, it belongs to the communities that rely on it.

It belongs to the children attending story time and events like the aforementioned summer reading program.

It belongs to students doing homework.

It belongs to the workers searching for jobs or learning a second, third, or fourth language.

It belongs to the families who cannot afford to buy every book they want to read.

It belongs to the people of Indianapolis.

And when we spend public money, we should always ask a simple question.

Who benefits?

Tonight we are told that $60,000 raise for a CEO is necessary.

Necessary for competitiveness, necessary for retention, necessary for leadership.

But what I have not heard is what Indianapolis gains from that decision.

Because every dollar directed upward is a dollar that cannot be directed outward.

The same money that could support the workers who interact with the public every day, the librarians who help children discover a love of reading, the staff who assist job seekers, the employees who keep branches running, uh the workers who make the mission of this institution possible.

The money could support professional development and tuition reimbursement.

It could support expanded programming, it could support new resources, it could support communities that have historically been underserved.

Instead, we were told the best use of those funds is increasing executive compensation, and this is where I struggle because libraries are not supposed to think like corporations.

Libraries are the one few institutions left in America that exist for the common good.

Libraries are where we invest in people rather than profits.

Libraries are where we recognize that knowledge belongs to everyone.

Libraries are where public resources are transformed into public enrichment.

This is why leadership in a library should look different from leadership in a corporation.

A steward asks, what does the institution need from me?

A corporate executive asks, what does the institution owe me?

A steward sees resources as something held in trust.

A steward understands that every dollar represents an opportunity to strengthen the public mission.

A steward understands that leadership begins with service.

What concerns me tonight is not simply the amount of money involved, it's the philosophy behind it.

The assumption that when resources become available, executive compensation should rise before the benefits are shared more broadly throughout the institution.

The assumption that leadership is best rewarded by concentrating resources at the top rather than investing them throughout the organization.

The assumption that the public should simply trust that this is the best use of its money.

I do not believe that.

I believe Indianapolis deserves a library that prioritizes the many over the few.

I believe Indianapolis deserves leadership that sees public money as a sacred trust.

And I believe that when we have additional resources available, our first instinct should be to strengthen the institution as a whole rather than enrich the people at the top of it.

Because ultimately it's not Greg's Hill Greg Hill's library.

It's our library, it belongs to the people of Indianapolis.

And the question before us tonight is not what Greg Hill deserves.

The question is what Indianapolis deserves.

Thank you for your time.

Okay, now we have Lindsay Haddock and then we'll have uh Daisy Cook.

Good evening.

Um my name's Lindsay Haddock's.

I'm the manager at the Wayne branch of Indianapolis Public Library.

Tonight I'm here representing the Staff Association Staff Association Scholarship and Program Committee.

Twice a year, we uh as a scholarship committee, we um choose recipients for a scholarship um stipend for uh employees of the library.

The recipients have to be a member of the staff association for at least one year and agree to serve on a committee or chair a committee after they finish their schooling.

Um, so uh and recipients can get awarded um scholarships for no more than six semesters, six semester hours per applicant and calendar year.

Um this year, this semester, we had um the following recipients of our award.

Um, Valerie Cobb, who is at my branch.

She is a PSA and she works with teens and adults.

We have Andrew Cope, who works at the Southport branch, and he's the circulation supervisor there.

Um Nick Greenberg, who works at Lawrence and is an library assistant too.

Sydney Joseph, who works at the InfoZone branch as a PSA, and Faith Zettler, who is currently the West Region floater, but is soon soon taking on a new role at Central Library as a youth multimedia specialist.

So we are happy to award uh as you can see, PR or recipients are from all different parts jobs in the library.

So we're happy that we get to support their scholarship.

Um committee members, we have a lot of committee members on this committee.

Uh Katrina Barnett, who's in CMSA, she's a team lead, Deb Earett, who is a supervisor librarian at Wayne, um, Jenna Maddox, who is the manager at the Glendale branch, Peggy Ware, who is the mid-region area resource manager, Rachel Wiesner, who is a public service librarian at Decatur, uh, Sarah Woodruff, who is a public service librarian at Eagle, and me.

So we work hard to try and make sure this uh scholarship is awarding for all, and we're working on trying to keep it viable for everyone and keep it going.

So thank you for having me today.

Okay, we have Daisy Cook, and then we'll have Lucas Lucas Lee.

Okay, hello.

Um, good evening, guys.

My name is Daisy.

I'm an Indianapolis resident and a library lover.

I go to the Central Library and the College Avenue Branch.

Uh, and I'm coming here tonight to voice my concerns about this proposed raise for CEO Greg Hill, a raise that stands higher than the median salary for a librarian, which is around uh 54,000.

Now, a 60K raise seems alarmingly high, especially when compared to salaries and raises actual librarians and workers receive.

Um, so why this amount?

Well, according to a mirror indie article I had read, uh, the board president, uh Ray Biederman, uh, you were quoted to say we have a we have to be a competitive workplace for people at that level.

And during that board meeting, you mentioned the pay range was adjusted based on libraries in like Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio.

And then later on, you know, you amended in the article that other libraries were also used for consideration, but those were, you know, the three that came to mind.

Uh I do find it interesting that the libraries mentioned in the meeting were in Ohio.

Um, in case you guys didn't know, Ohio has one of the most like heavily used and best funded public library systems in the US.

Uh, they rank around like number one in the nation for library circulation, so the amount of things that people are checking out.

Uh, number two for in-person visits per capita, and roughly two-thirds of all Ohioans hold a library card, ranking them the second amongst the nation.

Uh now, these were based on the most recent data collections, which were from 2023, but the article from Ohio Capital Journal was from this year.

Uh, we are making comparisons um against one of the most top performing states when it comes to libraries.

Now, Indiana is pretty like we perform very well.

Uh like uh from most of the numbers I saw, we were in the top like 15 for different statistics.

But when we're performing well, like it it still doesn't even seem fair to really make a wage comparisons to a state uh that receives state funding.

Uh meanwhile, Indiana is locally funded, so it's based off of our property taxes.

We don't get um the same kind of money that Ohio gets.

Uh so I I want to ask, like, why are we so willing to give like tens of thousands of dollars to just one person?

Uh, why are these funds not being allocated for programs, uh further improvements to the library, or the workers who are boots on the ground, the ones who have to subject subject themselves to the public, whether it's, you know, Michael Torres mentioned earlier, like some people are berated, they have to deal with like sexual harassment, people who actually have to deal with the brunt of things like this.

What work has been done to merit such a raise?

Was it the weeks-long closure of the central library to fix a broken class panel?

Like, was it the broken AC?

There's an obvious pay gap for library workers and a lack of accountability and concern from the board on this in my eyes.

Um how can you look at this room and not recognize the like problems at hand?

I want to ask the board to reconsider the salary raise and consider the librarians and workers who do the hard work every day.

Thank you for your time.

Okay, and now we'll have Lucas Lee, and then I'll have Rissa Wilson.

I think there's one reading, and I don't know.

I want to better, I thought something probably better than I just want to do with the broccoli title.

Good evening.

My name is Lucas Lee.

I'm a veteran historian, Indianapolis resident and uh patron of central branch, organizer with the answer, and I came here straight for my 10 hour shift to stand with the librarians and staff of Indianapolis.

As a historian, my field would not exist without the diligent work of those in library studies field.

Everyone in the liberal arts field honestly owes a debt to them.

But that is just one aspect of why I've come tonight.

As an organizer with Act Now to Stop Warren and Racism, we have identified a major issue with this proposed pay raise for CEO Greg Hill.

Aside from the fact that it is pure greed, and aside from the fact that the CEO is getting a raise personally more than my entire salary for a year, this proposed raise is a smaller act of aggression in a larger campaign to privatize pro public resources at the harm and expense of our most marginalized and oppressed communities in the city.

Let me explain.

In the most recent years, there has been an Indiana and an all-out campaign to attack public resources like IPS.

Many present may know that there's currently a drive to turn Indianapolis into a city where charter schools and private interest determines the fate of our public schools.

The Indianapolis public libraries, a community education tool for the public, are also now being increasingly seen in this lens.

Like schools, they're being seen as a potential target for privatization.

Further attempts at this may come in the future, but we are already starting to see the signs.

The proposed raise of Grey Kill is a sign of the roots of privatization spreading.

Out of pure greed, this executive could receive $60,000 more per year.

Are the workers receiving a 30% raise?

Should they?

What is at risk if this proposal goes through?

We may see this greed emboldened.

We will see more and more be taken away from not only the workers of this of these libraries, but the marginalized and oppressed people that regularly use the libraries and their resources.

This erosion of resources, many of which are cities most oppressed people rely on upon daily to engage with the world, will compound on the problems of a state and city already rife with rampant systemic racism.

It will further subject our neighbors to a world that seeks to exploit them and oppress them for everything they are and everything they have.

Herein, the board has a simple choice.

Stand with the librarians and help make the library a true public resource for all, or vote for personal gain and satisfaction to make it existential problem for our communities worse.

I implore you to choose the public good over the private gain.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So Wilson, and then we'll have Alexandra Chaffin.

Hello.

Oh, so sorry.

Hi.

My name is Rissa Wilson.

Um, I'm a social worker, I'm an organizer, revolutionary, and a very, very long time library card holder.

Grew up at the 42nd in college location.

Um, and I know that this branch, like many others across the city, cannot run without the essential staff that the board continues to silence and mistreat.

The NDPL board and library CEO have a history of talking with their wallets, and these decisions continue to harm the many and benefit the few.

Um, as a lead organizer with Indianapolis Hope Packages, we're organized around a 10-point program inspired by the Black Panther Party, and our very first point is the right to a living wage.

We assert and demand that everyone deserves a right to a living wage.

And the CEO continuing to receive an annual raise while the library workers and staff are left with crumbs is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form.

And this is the reality of how our community's essential public services and spaces can easily become run like corporations when the people's interests are smothered by the sound of cold hard cash.

Our libraries could not function without our librarians and our staff workers, and the NDPO board and CEO could not function without them.

It is not the CEO that you see when you return your books.

It is not the board members that are coming to assist you when you're looking for a certain title or author.

It is not the CEO who is setting up the community resource rooms for the programs and workshops that were just happening right here in this literal room.

Um it is not the CEO handing out prizes to the kids for reaching their summer reading goals.

It's not the CEO reshelving the books and reading through the archives.

These are all responsibilities and more carried out by our library workers, the ones who deserve the 30% pay increase and better working conditions.

Again, everyone has a right to a living wage, and I just I urge the NDPL board to look around them right now and really consider the impact of their choices at a time when the prices of gas, food, and housing continue to rise.

And what sense does it make for you not to consider your most essential people?

Your most dedicated workers, your library staff, and to my library workers, you have more power than you know, and the community stands with you.

Your struggle is my struggle.

I have worked in agencies where the CEO's salaries are inflated and we are capped out, and our work conditions are harsh.

But please know that your labor power is worth more than you know, and do not be afraid to show this board that you won't be bullied and you won't be silenced.

Thank you, and all power to y'all.

Okay, Alexandra, and then we'll have just like um Morgan Stewart.

Okay, directly.

Hi, I'm Alexandra.

I am a resident of Lawrence since 2019.

And um, as a resident of Lawrence, I have to say I'm quite used to watching money, resources, and benefits from my area leave and go elsewhere.

As many of my tax dollars go to Lawrence PD, and then poof they vanish, and they're spent in Fishers and Carmel.

Growing up and still today, I believe the library to be an incredible resource, rich environment for people of all ages.

But as an adult, I can see some of the flaws behind the scenes.

From what I've read, the library workers' wage increase is no more than 3%.

This is incredibly small increase amounting to literal pennies an hour.

The library workers who spend their days here with us helping enrich our community.

Those are the people you and I interact with each week, and the ones who are helping serve us, being with us, teaching us, and growing alongside us.

In contrast, I read that the CEO who was appointed and not selected by the people, is apparently about to get approved for $60,000 salary increase, which is 30% increase, 10 times more than any of the library workers.

60,000 library dollars could go a long way to build up the Indianapolis libraries, all of which have funding issues, starting with increasing wages for those hardworking and dedicated workers.

The library can only enrich the community or line the pockets of the wealthy, and everything else is being given to the wealthy right now.

Gas prices are off the chain.

Some grocery, same grocery budget buys half the food now, and I refuse to sit idly by as every last penny flows out of the pocket of the working class families of Lawrence and into small handful of wealthy individuals.

Thank you.

Okay.

Morgan is up next.

And then we'll have Lindsay Holgrave.

Hi there, my name is Morgan Shu, and I am a worker at the Indianapolis Public Library Space Park Branch.

As some of you may know, uh Space Park is one of the last two Carnegie libraries in our system, and it hasn't really been renovated much besides uh the elevator and um that elevator has to be manually um operated by um member of staff, which is like, well, okay, great.

Um we have kids who come up in strollers all the time.

Um people who are realtory users uh need the library um staff to like um help them up into the building.

And it doesn't really sound like much, but uh what you have to realize is that the building is so incredibly small.

Um our staff lounge is literally like a room closet.

The office is incredibly narrow, uh, if we have things that we're working on, like um waiting carts of um books that are like dead or non-circulating, um, it gets incredibly claustrophobic.

So uh when you consider like all the um services that we offer, and then uh there's barely any room for um the staff at Spades Park to kind of um unwind, especially after um very um very unpleasant uh patron interactions.

Um I've only been with uh the library for a year, and I've been fortunate not to be subjected to um sexual harassment, groping, uh physical touch, but um as of recently we've had uh a number of hostile patron interactions.

Um when you're doing this type of work every day where you're very passionate um about you know helping the people who come in because you care about them.

Uh this stress eventually just like builds up and up, and um you're not able to provide the level of services, the quality of care that you want to provide because um these we have uh regulators who come in uh every day, we care about them, and then you know, if we're not able to help them in the ways that they need, it hurts us, it hurts the reputation of the library, and it's just unsustainable.

Um, so I just uh question like, where is this money coming from for a 30% CEO raise?

Um, everywhere I go, you know, I hear about um the horror stories from my coworkers at other branches, just uh things are happening uh on a day-to-day basis, even.

And I'm just like, how is this happening at you know, one of the last few third spaces uh for people to go to?

You we don't have people going to the mall anymore.

Malls are dead.

People are afraid to go to the park because like, you know, it's just um the public has changed.

The library is really one of the last few places you can go to that is like air conditioned that is supposed to be safe, that like you're not expected to spend money at these third spaces are disappearing, and we need to maintain a library that is safe and provides the services that people need, so having, you know, any kind of like equitable uh raise would really help um the workers, the frontline librarians provide um the care that our people need.

Thank you.

Okay, next we have Lindsay, and then we have Riley Park after that.

Hello, I will be uh carrying out a comment from an employee who wishes to remain anonymous both in name and in branch.

I would like to raise a concern regarding the proposed 30% increase to the CEO's salary, which amounts to approximately $60,000.

At this very same time, many employees received raises of only about 3%, which do not keep up with the pace of the rising costs of housing, of groceries, transportation, and other basic necessities.

Some staff members are struggling to make ends meet despite working full time, and others are delaying retirement because they cannot afford to stop working.

Because leadership compensation is a decision for the board, I ask that the board consider the message that this proposed salary increase sends to their employees.

Employee retention, morale, and financial well-being are critical to the organization's long-term success.

I encourage the board to evaluate compensation more equitably across all levels of the organization, and to prioritize meaningful wage growth for the employees who carry out its mission day in and day out.

Thank you.

Okay, now we'll have Riley, and then we'll have Jay Joe Werner.

I'll just get closer.

Um good afternoon, members of the board.

Um my name is Riley Park, and I am a doctoral student at UND and a resident on the South Side.

Um the closest branch to me is the Garfield Park branch.

Um today I'm here to venently oppose uh the raising of CEO Greg Hill's uh salary.

Um Mr.

Hill has not shown the commitment or the progress made of a public library CEO to have that salary.

Um the process in which he was hired into the position went against both the wishes of the workers and the community members.

And also the process in which the library board had set up for a new CEO to be hired.

Nichelle Hayes was clearly the people's choice, right?

And yet the majority of the public library board at the time decided against that.

The money that should have gone to the workers, um, in 2022 2023, um, when the CEO uh search was happening, um, were paid to hire cops at board meetings to bully community members into silence.

Moreover, library workers who come in day in and day out to do the work are paid significantly less than the CEO.

Library workers have detailed unsafe working conditions and low pay in an era of rising living costs and inflation.

The people who do the day the work day in and day out deserve the pay raise than Greg Hill.

They have shown their commitment to the library system and the patrons, therefore they should be able to have a living wage.

And sure as hell, not the cops who are in our public libraries.

Thank you so much.

Okay, now we'll have Joe and then we'll have Marissa Cohen yesterday.

Sorry, it's just a G.

I'm sorry, this is gonna be Joe Warner.

And then we'll have Marissa Cohen after that.

Thank you.

Uh-huh.

Good evening, Mr.

Biederman, members of the board.

Um, my name is Joseph Warner.

I'm a community member.

I'm not here on behalf of any other organization or group just here on behalf of myself.

Um I don't have a formal statement of prepared unlike some of my other community members, so I'll try to keep my comments brief and to the point.

I've been a lifelong Indianapolis resident.

I've been a lifelong library patron.

Um right now, the Lawrence branch is my home branch.

I go there, gosh, at least once a week.

Um, I love the library, I'm there all the time.

My comment tonight is uh about the proposed increase to the CEO's compensation.

From my understanding, the reason the board has given for this proposed increase is that we want to maintain a competitive salary for this composite for this position.

We want to maintain competitive compensation, and we want to maintain the retention of our CEO.

And from my perspective, I've been going to this library or the Indianapolis Public Library for 30 years.

I've been here the whole time, and uh quite frankly, if that is the mark that we need for our CEO to stay.

If that is where we have to place our value in saying we don't have a CEO that is so driven by our mission or so driven by our love for the community that they'd be willing to stay without that raise, then I'd say let them quit.

If we need to have that increase to compensation to stay competitive or to maintain retention, then I don't think that is should be a priority for the board at this time.

Thank you for listening to my comments, and I hope you all have a great evening.

Okay, now we'll have Marissa and then we'll have Philip Green.

Good evening, members of the board.

My name is Marissa Cohen.

I am an NDPL staff worker.

I have been served at Martindale Brightwood, and I'm currently serving at the Pike branch.

I will keep my statement short, but in the three years that I've worked in the system as a frontline circulation staff member, I have both witnessed and experienced traumas and stressors like verbal and sexual harassment, stalking, assault, both verbal or both physical and sexual, overdosing and shootings.

These are not rare occurrences, I might add.

Many are seen on a weekly, if not a daily basis.

I've dealt with delays on maintenance of safe working environments.

I am privy to know that multiple branches have issues with HBAC problems in the staff areas, which are deprioritized because we are told they are not public areas, thus they do not get the same priority as staff areas.

I have witnessed the staff faint from heat stroke because we had inadequate HVAC.

That is the only time that I saw intervention from maintenance.

At the end of last year, we were told that the cost of living increases are not in the budget.

And it has me wondering where the money for several raises for the CEO have come from.

I do not have the luxury of having enough money for car repairs or for hospital bills or for other medical expenses.

And I ask if the board wants to focus so much on competitive rates for the CEO, what are competitive rates for staff?

We have not heard that in a conversation.

I consider what act um the board's actions communicate about their values for staff well being, as most of us, myself included, are working poverty level wages.

Currently, the library is represented by depleted and disenfranchised workers.

And I'm sure the board is more than aware that the library is represented by our frontline staff, myself included, who cannot continue to adequately serve the community with the levels of strain occurring.

And I ask if the board wants to continue to retain top-level staff, they need to show competitive wage concerns for the staff and not merely the person at the top.

Thank you for your time.

Okay, now I'll have Philip Green, and then we'll have Austin Gil Leaves.

And the service of the library workers always meant a lot to me.

And I was a teenager growing up at the Lawrence Branch, and the care of the library workers there always meant a lot to me.

And now, you know, I'm at the central branch uh downtown, and um the workers there, the workers all over the Indianapolis public library system deserve more than that 3% and the $60,000 could easily go to improving all the branches.

So for the love of books, for the love of the community, that's where the investment should be.

Thank you.

Okay, we want honesty, and then we'll have Stephen Line.

Um my name is Honesty, and I'm a resident of Lawrence.

And today I'm here to talk about just the fact that I disagree with the raises to the CEO's salary.

So as a society, we often speak about how libraries are deserving of our appreciation, if not reverence.

They're much more than just institutions that provide access to books.

They're summer hangouts for kids who want to explore fictional worlds.

They're meetup spots for college students trying to keep their grades up and connect with their classmates.

There are places where our elders can go to get out of the house and find conversation and community.

As a college student and resident of Lawrence, I've come to this public library and others around Indianapolis many times myself to study and have meetings.

I've watched children run through the doors and race to get a spot on the computers.

I've seen teenagers hang around the sitting areas making conversation about what they're reading and what they plan to read next.

We always say libraries are pillaged by communities, but if that's true, then surely our library workers deserve the same level of respect that we claim to place on the institutions themselves.

Greg Hill, the anointed CEO of Indianapolis Public Libraries, who currently makes over $200,000 a year, is scheduled to receive a nearly 30% pay increase this year.

Meanwhile, our public library workers who currently make around $54,000 per year are looking at 3% pay increases, which don't even keep up with the cost of inflation, let alone come close to that of Hills.

And it might be one thing if Hill was doing great work for our libraries.

But instead, we have libraries that have too few staff, poor working conditions for the staff they do have, and branches that close for months at a time due to poor upkeep and a need for repairs.

Surely the $60,000 going to Greg Hill could solve these problems, or at least go a long way in towards helping them.

The people of Indianapolis reject the corrupt library board that prioritizes Greg Hill's wealth over just the compensation over the compensation of frontline workers who do the real work of making sure our libraries are safe, comfortable, accessible, and welcoming for the public.

Thank you.

Okay, now we'll have Steven and then we'll have Cecilia Gomez.

Um happy Pride Month to everybody.

Go John.

Wait, pause my time, please.

We can pay pictures of circulation.

We've got to be information yet.

Yes.

Thank you to John Barnes.

Thank you.

Reclaiming my time.

Okay.

Um so happy Pride month.

My name is Stephen Lane.

I am a librarian, an archivist, a former worker at the Indianapolis Public Library, a member of Ask Me 3395, and Treasurer of the Indiana Black Librarians Network, and a former board member of the library board of trustees serving from 2023 to 2024.

I sat through the budget briefings.

I saw the books.

I'm not speculating, I'm testifying from a direct experience.

I come with a clear ask that we table this increase for Greg Hill until an independent compensation review is conducted, publish the performance metrics used to justify this raise, and commit to matching the CEO's raise with a minimum of 5% cost of living increase for all frontline staff.

Greg Hill is set to receive a 40% raise, which is roughly $60,000 more than many full-time library assistants earn in the entire year.

Meanwhile, you are offering workers 3%.

That means a staff member making $40,000 a year gets a $1,200 raise while the CEO gets a bump that could cover the workers' rent for 18 months.

If Greg is doing such a great job, then show us the metrics.

If you can't, then great job is just a blank check with public money.

The board majority is organized for Greg Hill and other executives, not for the staff who serve the community.

When I served in the minority position, I watched as consultants like Anita Harden wasted nearly 200,000 invoicing the library for learning how the library system worked.

If this library had hired Nichelle Hayes, that money would never have been wasted.

And let's talk about the extra policing at board meetings paid with by our money, because community members came out in droves just like they did tonight to support Nichelle Hayes.

The board refused to hire her, never justified why, and later handed the CEO job to Greg Hill, a man who never applied for the job, never interviewed for it, and had little reputation in the city.

Now contrast that with Nichelle.

As interim CEO, she worked tirelessly to fund uh fine funds for a 5% pay increase for library workers.

Unmatched in library history.

She understood the system from the ground up.

She was respected across the city.

And as a former union member, she knew pay increases should benefit the many on the front lines, not the few at the top.

And during my board service, former president Hope Tribble and Greg both admitted their leadership style was transactional.

Meaning they don't lead unless there's a big benefit for them.

Greg's benefit, new office furniture, and a 40% raise.

Meanwhile, branches have worn out furniture, broken AC as summer approaches, and Central Library was closed for months over a broken window.

Here is the truth.

Library workers are the ones doing the real work day in and day out, and they're the ones best fit to lead this institution.

If this board majority is organized to benefit the few at the top, then the workers must organize themselves to get what is rightfully theirs.

We only get what we're organized to take.

Let me show you that you already have that power.

Imagine every worker at Fort Bend Branch or Spades Park branch suddenly got sick and couldn't come in and the library closed.

The whole community would notice immediately because they are, they love and rely on that library and the staff.

Now imagine CEO Greg Hill took a month-long vacation in Aruba.

Who would notice?

What would fall apart?

Nothing.

That is the impact libraries workers like library workers have.

That is your power as a worker, and the library union is how you organize that power.

Ask me 3395 is in contract negotiations right now.

Every dollar you give Greg Hill is a dollar you are signaling you won't give to workers in this cycle.

The two are not unrelated.

They are the same pot of money, and you are choosing who gets it.

Our workers are struggling in this economy.

Greg, who already earns more than enough, should be prioritizing their needs over his own.

I would say his leadership isn't really transactional at all.

Since workers do all the hard work and get little in return, I would call it the leadership style more parasitic.

And parasites must be removed for the body to truly thrive.

Imagine a library where the people who check out your books, run your story times, and keep your branches open can actually afford to live in this city they serve.

That library is possible.

It is not radical, it is fair.

And it starts by saying no to this raise and yes to the people who are this library.

The people of Indianapolis have the backs of library workers.

We stand by their side until they receive the pay they deserve, and then some all power to the library workers.

Thank you.

Okay, now we'll have Cecilia.

And then we'll have Derek Ford.

Hello, everybody.

Hi.

My name's Cecilia.

I'm a patron at the library.

My local is Central Library.

Um I'm here because I'd heard about the raise for the CEO, and it had been a minute since I went to my local library because of the window that got broken.

Um and so I went, right, trying to figure out like what what was what was so great that he was getting 30%.

And I kind of wanted to share what I saw.

Um so I went to my central library and I was greeted by the people at the info desk.

And then it had been the first time that I had been there since the teen and the kids' place was there.

So I went up the stairs.

I got to enjoy um all like the families that were there.

I saw grandparents who are taking their young child right through the library, and she's like, Can we stay?

And they said, Oh, we'll come back next week.

Um I went to the teen center because I needed a book.

Um, I'm trying to keep up with my brother and read manga.

So um I was taught by a librarian there to find that book.

And then I went up to the fifth floor for like the beating section.

That's like my new hobby.

So I picked up like five books.

I went down with all my books, and then I wanted to sign up for the reading program, and so I had two other library workers help me with that.

And so I left, right, saving like twenty dollars and seventy-one cents from the seven books that I picked up um with information on how to sign up for the summer reading program.

And when I left the library, um I was kind of reminded that it wasn't really Greg Hill that I felt most appreciative for, but it was the library workers and librarians who would help me find all my things and had kind of made such a welcoming environment.

Um and then I was reminded too, back when the library closed and I kind of stopped going because the window was broken.

Um how the my entire neighborhood, because I live in St.

Joseph's neighborhood, um, had felt that loss.

Like for a weeks we were like, Well, I can't get any books, like I can't hang out with the library.

The programming that they have there, um I joined their um Premier Pro, like Adobe program, which is a really awesome feat like a really awesome program that the central library is putting on.

Um, but things like that were not available for that week.

Um, but it wasn't because Greg Hill wasn't clocked in, it was because the library workers and the library was shut.

And so I think in this time where we're hearing so many testaments about what value library workers and librarians bring to that public space and the fact that negotiations are coming up for their contract, I don't think 3% is enough.

I think that if we have sixty-two thousand dollars to give to anyone, spread it among the workers.

You know, meet the needs that they're bringing to the table today.

Um, because as someone who goes to the library and loves it there, I think they deserve more.

Thank you.

Okay, now we'll have Derek and then we'll have uh William Wagner.

Thank you very much.

Uh yeah, my name is Dr.

Derek Ford.

It's a quite an honor to be here without Hope Triple.

Uh I can feel her absence, just I mean, honestly, I feel so comfortable.

Um, and without the cops lining the the the walls behind us um and to see friendly faces, you know, that uh very beaterman.

Last time I saw you, you got me a piece of pizza, and it was good.

Um, so you know, none of this is personal, I wanna say first of all, right?

Um this is about our city, our public.

Um, and so you know, nothing should be read as a personal attack on any individual.

Um, you know, the people who screwed royally, um, would not hire Nachelle Hayes, most of them are gone.

Um and it seems like the uh head of this library knows uh why the um the family tree house books are in Spanish.

So that's good.

I'm getting the church right now.

Pause.

If you mean how to represent them, we can come to the information now.

All right.

So glad to hear that there are bi bilingual programs here.

Um and you know, let's be real.

Like $60,000 is not gonna fix the public library system, right?

Um I do think that one of the jobs of a leader is to fight for resources for their institution, right?

Uh at my university where, you know, the the same thing, the people who do the most work get paid the least.

That includes professors, the people who get paid the most, you know, do the least work.

Um, you know, if you're in a position of leadership, you're supposed to fight for resources for your institution.

And so I think that that is like if you know that is a metric by which I would say like how much more money did you get for the library this year?

You know, that's that's the metric.

And I was looking up some um uh in particular uh the executive director and CEO which is language we shouldn't use for this right because it's not a corporation um of the Cleveland public library Felton time as junior now this is a renewal of his five year contract right uh two hundred and ninety seven thousand dollars so um he's already worked there for five years uh he applied for the job he was part of a national search he wanted the job he was interviewed for the job um and then you know he gets a 3.25 uh percent salary increase um from the board of trustees and it was a negotiated with the renewal of his contract for another five years so I think um you know where we are looking at for the standards and also considering that Hill didn't I mean he was anointed behind closed doors I was at that meeting um because there were um usually what happens in every single uh search process ever is that if the uh first person turns you down you go to the second person um but what we got instead was a um uh series of convoluted and contradictory lies about why they wouldn't hire Nichelle Hayes um and then they said we're gonna do another national search and we said no national search just hire the second person don't waste more money and then they said okay we won't do national search we'll just huddle up behind closed doors and anoint Greg Hill who never indicated any interest in the position um so I'd also be curious to know whether or not these other library let's call them directors right leaders leaders um applied for the position were they interviewed for it um you know did they express at all any interest in the position um I think these are pertinent questions when we are considering you know uh like pay increases uh the central Indiana library is the central branch is my library and it wasn't so much that it was closed it was that I had no idea what the um like what the game plan was in in between right uh I you know it's closed and then I was like okay so how does what do I do now right?

Um and that to me speaks of a lack of leadership um because you know if it close like if if the liberate if the liberation center that make people run on their volunteer time if that's closed there's immediately you know I know what where I can you know uh get the service that I need right um so you know and and to echo I think what Stephen Lane said at best like if the janitors didn't show up to work here for one day we would all notice and if you know the CEO didn't we wouldn't wouldn't notice you know it's the same thing at my university and um this is the like this is a problem where all of a sudden all these institutions are gonna become so top heavy that they just crumble over and there's nothing left to administer right um so I would just like to echo yeah I stand with the library workers and I think that like um you know if you're dedicated to library I think you'd be fine with uh you know a freezing your wage for this year um if you if you add up the inflation over the last three years that the library workers have gotten like three percent raises basically they've gotten like 0.07% raise um so I think that you know uh fair is fair right and um yeah yeah thank you yes thank you I respect it thank you okay now we have William Wagner.

Hello members of the board my name is William Wagner I'm a graduate student at IUND and I'm a frequenter of the Nora and Michigan Road branches of the Indianapolis public library.

I figured I'd just uh back up all of the qualitative analysis that you've heard tonight with some quantitative analysis some numbers if you will um Dr.

Palacio you uh asked me outside this branch, like why uh we were opposed to a sixty thousand dollar raise proposed raise for CEO Greg Hill.

And to extrapolate further, that comes in the context of a total increase uh salary increase of one hundred and eighty-nine thousand seven hundred dollars since twenty twenty-one, which is a hundred and forty-six percent uh salary increase in contrast that with the uh staff increase of just sixteen percent since twenty twenty-one.

Meanwhile, inflation, the annual inflation rate since twenty twenty has been four point two percent year over year.

So I guess since twenty twenty-one.

That's an annual inflation increase of prices, you know, increase of prices of twenty-four percent, and uh the library workers' salaries have only increased by sixteen percent, and the median income in Indianapolis is just sixty-six thousand dollars.

So you're basically proposing in one year to increase the CEO's salary by as much as the median Indianapolis worker makes in a single year.

Um I'll keep it brief.

I I just want to implore you, the members of the board that in an era of unchecked corporate greed, where the average CEO to worker salary ratio is like two hundred and eighty to one.

You have the opportunity to show that the public sector is one of the last bastions where you know the the US believes that workers are as important, if not more important, than the executives that run these institutions.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Mr.

Bayman, that is our last speaker.

Okay.

Uh well, um, I don't usually make any comment after, but I wanted to thank everybody.

It takes a lot of courage to come out here and talk to us.

Um it's really meaningful, and your comments don't go unnoticed or undiscussed or unrepresented.

Um, so we are this is all it's it's uh contrary to to some of the comments, it's not zero sum, right?

There's opportunity and discussion for a lot of things, and those are continuing, even as Mr.

Torres talked about.

So it it doesn't go unnoticed what you guys say, and we really appreciate it.

Uh, appreciate you guys all coming out here today.

Um, it's very meaningful um to see how passionate people are about the library and all the good things that the library is doing.

So please know that.

All right, uh continuing on to approval of minutes.

Um, we had a regular meeting on May 18th, 2026.

Is there a motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held May 18th, 2026?

So is there a second?

Second.

Any discussion?

Hearing none, we'll have a call of roll.

Ms.

Johnson, approved.

Dr.

Matada, approved.

Dr.

Calasio.

Approved.

Dr.

Riobo.

Abstain, I wasn't there.

Miss Woodard?

Approved.

And Mr.

Bitterman.

Approved.

A motion's carried.

All right, we'll move on to the finance committee.

Um, welcome back.

Is Miss Rinkin here with us today?

Oh, no, I'm sorry.

See, it's on PTO.

Okay.

Um welcome to our monthly finance update.

My presentation's gonna be brief and high level.

We'll review our uh organizational financial performance um up to May of 2026.

Our year to date amount for uh revenue is five million one hundred thirty-two thousand, one hundred and sixty-nine dollars.

This is nine percent of our overall budget.

Um, this is consistent as we have had in the previous years.

Or um for the five twelfths of the month, it would be forty-two percent.

But again, like I said, it's nine percent.

I and this is consistent.

Um, for the property taxes as of June, which is not on here, we have received eighteen million.

So we will catch up and be right on right on spot for our budget.

Um, the printing public printing, we um received forty thousand dollars in revenue, and then for the interest for this month of May, we received um, sorry, I didn't bring my readers, but ninety six thousand dollars, nine hundred and forty nine dollars.

So uh this is consistent.

The yield, the interest yield has been consistent month to month.

Um it has decreased less than a tenth percent, but not much.

So um see on this next slide.

Um the one to the left is the revenue for the month, and um the gray is the budget, and the blue is the May of 2026 and the orange is 2025.

Um our current month for this current year is a lot less, but as you can see on the gray, um, the budget is lower because this is um consistent like from um year to year.

So um we knew that we wouldn't receive as much revenue, but if you look at the blue, it's just a tad bit more than we um budgeted for the for the month of 2026.

If you look to the right, it's the year to date amount, and what I want to point out is um the far right is the miscellaneous revenue, where um in 2025 it seems the bar is much larger, and that is because we received a um insurance um insurance uh reimbursement medical insurance reimbursement, that's uh due to discounts for our negotiation with uh uh insurance provider.

Um, everything else looks consistent for the revenue.

You'll see are quite difference in the month of June and July when you see most of the property taxes come through.

Um this is our expenditure um slide, and here you'll see that we're 33%, which is under our budget amount of 42%, which makes it favorable because we're under budget.

Um the percentage of each category is consistent month to month.

Um that's about it that really stands out for this um expenditure slide, and then um on this slide on the expenses for the month.

Um, the gray again is our budget amount, and uh you as you can see our spending expenses are much lower than the gray bar, which is good.

Again, this is favorable.

Um the personnel bar for the budget is a little bit higher, and which it wouldn't which what is including the personnel is our medical insurance, and when we made our budget last year, we were in a negotiation part, and I um was very conservative, it budgeted like eight percent more, but now we um was able to get into a to be fully self-insured, which receives that we pay all the claims for our insurance and which brings a great discount for our staff.

So that's that's one of the reasons why that budget is uh still kind of high, as well as we still have some open positions that we haven't filled.

Um if you look to your right, the year-to-date amount, you can see that the budget amount that again shows that um for the personnel service is um higher, and then we're up under budget, and our supplies we write on on key with that along with the capital outlays.

Okay, questions about um treasury report.

Just a comment, and I think that we're under budget.

Great.

Thank you.

Very good.

All right, uh, is there a motion to accept the report of the treasurer?

Um, so move second, second.

Any discussion?

Hearing none, we'll have a call of the rule.

Ms.

Johnson, approved.

Dr.

Batada, approved.

Dr.

Cosio, approved.

Dr.

Rio, approved.

Ms.

Woodard, approved.

And Mr.

Bitterman.

Approved.

The motion's carried.

Here's a few updates.

We're currently completing our audit.

Um, we just have some minor revisions and the presentation to the board should be like July or August board meeting, and then um, of course, you know that we're going through the 2026 board and buying funds for the Urban 10 renovation.

And that's it for the thank you very much.

Thank you, Louie, for your work on the finance committee.

Thank you.

I'm gonna say it off for finance committee.

Okay, very good.

I will move on to the DPHR committee.

Dr.

Classio, anything to report?

We don't have any uh resolutions this month, but we started discussions on other great topics that affect our stuff.

Great.

Okay.

Looking forward to hearing more about that uh next month.

Okay, facilities committee.

Dr.

Yolo.

Yes, we've got three resolutions today.

And I ask Adam Parsons who tries to give me a heart attack all the time because he's like outside and I have no idea if he's really here until it's time to come, so I'm always like, where is he?

But of course he's here.

Always.

Uh okay.

Uh rely on him to do that.

Apologies for my absence in the room.

Alright, we do have uh three resolutions before us.

Uh first one is resolution 22-2026.

This is approval to award a construction services contract for the East Washington branch concrete steps replacement project.

So the uh East Washington branch is one of our uh two existing Carnegie branches.

The concrete front steps uh have been there for quite a while, but they have reached the end of their useful life.

Uh repairs have been made several times over the past many decades, but they're not a viable option at this point, so we need a direct replacement.

So this was a standard invitation to quote.

Uh the work was estimated to be less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

We sent it directly to six vendors, two of which were XPEs.

We posted it on the website, and we held a pre-co quote conference um with zero attendees.

So again, it was an ITQ.

We received one quote.

Uh the lowest responsive and responsible should be quoter.

Uh is Mattingley concrete out of Carmel.

So they quoted $74,000 $74,962.30 cents, which is below the project estimate of $100,000.

Um the entire project railings are not included in the concrete portion.

Railings are estimated to cost between additional $10 and $15,000.

So the entire project should come under budget.

And this will be funded through bond fund $488.

As I've mentioned, um manually is based in Carmel.

Uh they're city certified uh DOBE and will perform 100% of the work.

This did receive approval from the committee to bring to the entire board.

So resolution 22-2026 regarding approval of a construction services contract for the East Washington branch concrete steps replacement project received a positive recommendation from the facilities committee, so the chair would request a second to such recommendation.

Uh any discussion.

I just wanted to raise one thing that came up in committee.

I was a little concerned that there was only one quote, but it was understood that there was limited interest because it requires a lot of securing information and approval from the city, and it was not a very large project for a lot of companies, so it seemed reasonable that this was the only bit that we had.

Uh uh disabled-owned business enterprise.

Got it.

It's one of our four uh categories of XPE vendors.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

Please.

I just want additional comment.

I do want um to put on record that we did talk about the downtime as well.

We wanted to minimize the impact.

And so I think there is discussion to ensure that the downtime or impact to hours of operation will be uh reviewed carefully.

So yes, um, uh, spoken to Mattingley about their overall schedule.

Um we're looking for right after Labor Day.

Uh so definitely after summer reading, definitely once uh schools have started um, you know, minimizing impacts to access to the branch period, but definitely um after peak usage if there is any downtime.

So then any other questions?

Dr.

Classio.

I'm not as familiar with with that branch as I should be.

But is that the only access point or is there um no what's the effect uh and is there gonna be a closure?

Is there gonna be other access points?

Um there is uh an elevator that has exterior access similar to Spades Park both the Carnegie's needed to be upgraded to have elevator access uh so we will be using exclusively the elevator uh to get in and out um we've reviewed the elevator we'll have it you know any maintenance done make sure it's in good working order absolutely before any work starts um we did discuss the possibility of using uh the staff entrance around the back uh the logistics and logistics and also the safety and security of that uh just did not work out they don't have the RFID gates etc so um elevator access only um with a backup if something were to happen with the backup of the staff entrance thank you okay any other discussion here none we'll have a call for role miss johnson approved doctor matata approved doctor Palacio approved doctor riallo approved Miss Witter approved and Mr Mayman approved the motions carry all right uh the next resolution is approval to award a purchase order for the Eagle Branch early literacy furniture project so our program and developing uh programming and development area uh is piloting a project uh about the impact of physical interaction physical play on early literacy and some of our youngest patrons uh two sites were chosen Eagle branch on the west side and East 38th Street on the east side uh selected furniture was uh manufactured by TMC which we have used uh before they're not a a vendor a direct vendor but they are quality manufacturer uh of these particular items uh notice was sent to 17 vendors three of whom are XPEs uh this is a standard invitation to quote we also put it on the website uh we held a pre-quote conference and one vendor did attend that so again ITQ lowest responsive and responsible quota was commercial office environments so the awarded cost of $58,356 and twelve cents was significantly less than the one hundred thousand dollars for this branch and this will be funded via bond fund for eighty nine uh commercial office environment COE is based in Indianapolis they are city certified WBE and they will provide 100% of the work um not only is this just a sale of a product but it also involves delivery installation making sure that the the product is um delivered and assembled properly okay this one did receive favorable recommendation from committee and suggested it go forward to the full board for approval great uh resolution 23-2026 regarding the approval of a purchase order for early literacy furniture at Eagle Branch uh project received a positive recommendation from the facilities committee so the chair would request a second to such recommendation alright then um recommended and seconded uh any discussion yes I would just like to explain for the public what W E B what that resembles for the sure uh that is a uh woman owned business enterprise so that's another one of the four.

Thank you.

Great any other qu please not a question just a comment I'm very glad that we are finally getting some new furniture in some places because that's what some of the public comments were about as well how do we make sure that our libraries have the kind of furniture that's well deserved at all of the branches and I'm glad that that is being approved and it's long overdue.

Alright thank you.

Any other?

All right, hearing none, we'll have a call of the rule.

Ms.

Johnson, approved.

Dr.

Matada.

Approved.

Dr.

Plassio.

Approved.

Dr.

Riello.

Approved.

Miss Whitter approved.

And Mr.

Bigan.

Approved.

And motions carried.

Right.

The final resolution is approval to award a services contract for the Michigan Road, Southport, and Warren Branch furniture Fixtures and equipment replacement project.

So F F and E.

So every year we plan to replace the patron furniture for two to four branches.

That's approximately a 10-year cycle for patron-facing furniture before it starts breaking down and is basically reached its end of life.

The three branches we chose were Michigan Road, Southport, and Warren branches, those dates.

Michigan Road was a new branch that opened in 2018, which is only eight years old.

However, with the Norrin Pike closures, they saw a mass influx of patrons.

So that furniture has aged to about 10 years.

Southport and Warren have reached 10 years proper.

We sent out a public notice.

This was expected to be one above 150,000, so this was an invitation to bid, which required a public notice on in the weeks of uh April and May.

Notice was sent directly to 12 vendors and business development organizations, three of whom were XBE vendors.

It was also posted on the NDPL website, and the bid documents were available at Reprographics.

And they send out to their own list.

So again, invitation to bid process.

Uh we received four bids, which was great.

Again, the lowest responsive and responsible bidder was RJE Interiors.

So the total awarded cost of 251,272.23 cents is below the project estimate of $300,000, which is fantastic.

This also does include delivery assembly and make sure that everything is installed properly.

And this will be funded out of bond fund 490.

RJE is based in Indianapolis.

They are also a city certified WBE and will self-perform 100% of the work.

This recommendation did come out of committee favorably and suggests full approval from the board.

Excellent.

Resolution 24-2026 regarding the approval of a purchase order for the Michigan Road Branch, Southport Ranch, MYN Branch.

Furniture Refresh Project received a positive recommendation from the facilities committee, so the chair would request a second to such recommendation.

Second.

Any discussion.

Hearing none, we'll have a call of the roll.

Ms.

Johnson, approved.

Dr.

Matada.

Approved.

Dr.

Placio.

Approved.

Dr.

Riolo.

Approved.

Ms.

Woodard?

Approved.

And Mr.

Bitterman.

Approved.

The motion is carried.

That's all we've got.

All right.

Thank you.

I have a question.

Who do I thank for this little package?

That would be helpful for the committee.

Well, thank you to them.

Okay.

Oh okay.

Great.

I will do that.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Alright.

Thank you, Adam.

Alright, now we're moving on to the next agenda item, which is the Found Library Foundation update.

Yes.

This is my monthly opportunities.

Just highlight how wonderful our um staff is over at the foundation.

This past month, the library foundation staff attended an international public library fundraising conference, where not only did they get to network with and learn from other um foundation staff, they actually led a session on strategic planning.

So they represented us quite well at an international stage.

Also remember circulate night at the library if you have your tickets.

Yay.

If you do not go to the website and purchase them now.

They support the foundation and all of the programming that we get to offer through our all our branches to our patrons.

Um we the foundation thanks 216 donors who made gift this past month.

And some of the top corporate foundation donors include American Honda Motor Company, Apex Benefit Group, Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, B RJE Business Interiors, and the Glick Family Foundation.

And this past month, the foundation provided more than $80,000 to the library to support some initiatives, including book club kits, East 38th Street Zine Collection, and Fallfest.

So we are very fortunate to have a very active foundation.

Okay, moving on to the report of the CEO, Mr.

Hill.

Alright, thank you.

Good evening, Board President.

Uh Indianopolis Public Library Board of Trustees.

The first thing I have is the confirmatory resolution 25-2026 related to financial travel and personal matters that occurs between each board member.

The resolution is in its typical format, and I would ask for your approval of resolution 25 2026.

All right, is there a motion to approve resolution 25-2026 regarding finances, personnel, and travel?

So move.

Is there a second?

Second.

The resolution 25-2026 has been moved and seconded.

Any discussion.

Hearing none will have a call to roll.

Ms.

Johnson.

Approved.

Dr.

Matada.

No.

Dr.

Paul Cier.

Approved.

Dr.

Riolo.

Approved.

Miss Woodard?

Approved.

And Mr.

Batman.

Approved.

The motions carried.

All right.

The next item on the agenda is going to cover the month of May.

We'll talk about engagement data.

We'll do a 90 seconds of impact.

We'll do growth strategy.

We'll recognize staff, upcoming events, and the chief strategy and analytics officer, Miss Mary McKenzie, will give a strategic plan development update for the 2028-2030 plan.

First thing is the output measurements.

For visitors, we had 197,660 visitors.

That was down about 3% from May of 2025.

But it was their second highest month in the past four months.

Circulation, 3.5% decrease from May 2025, an increase of about 2.5% from last month.

Our top circulating branches included Glendale, Franklin Road, and the Lawrence Branch.

About a 2% decrease from May of 2025.

But a 1% increase from last year.

That shows some healthy attachment, broad inclusive service, and a variety of programs.

Some key engagement metrics.

First was the Martindale Brightwood 125th anniversary.

I want to say thank you to Teresa Coleman and Jessica Rinker.

They did an amazing job with the 125th anniversary.

It brought a lot of members of the community.

They came in and had a chance to uh to talk as well.

We had a quite a few of our former uh managers or supervisors at the branch who had a chance to speak as well.

And I also want to thank uh the board members who uh attended the 125th anniversary.

Next item is the Center for Black Literature Culture, the Book Fest and Juneteenth celebration.

Uh the theme was Empowered to Speak, Freedom Dreams.

Our featured author was Tommy Adayimi.

She was amazing.

Uh, it took place from 10 a.m.

to 1 30 was the actual bookfest, and then uh the headliner again was Miss Adayime, she was the author of Children of Blood and Bone, and she headlined the celebration.

Uh she was very interactive, um, had a chance to let the uh some of the patrons uh ask questions, and I really appreciated how she uh instead of having a staff member read the question from the card.

Uh, uh the staff member was able to or the patron was able to take the microphone, give their name, and uh she was into uh zodiac sign, so they got a chance to say their zodiac sign, and uh we really appreciate uh Miss Ad Yime.

She was amazing.

Uh there were some activities that was included with that as well, which was uh some drop-in uh children's activities, music, and a 360 degree uh photo booth.

Next was uh Kid and Ting Central.

Uh thanks for everyone who came out, and a special thank you to Chris Hogsett, who is the manager of Kid and Teen Central, and Liz Shutley for their work, and also thank you to Operational Services.

Uh Adam, thank you for your work, and thanks to uh Diane for her work as well.

Uh it was amazing, great turnout.

And with that, I want to show just a quickly a brief video that's about a minute and 30 seconds.

Today we celebrate not just a beautifully renovated space, we celebrate an investment in our community and in the children, families, and caregivers who will learn and discover here for many years to come.

Kids Central now spans the entire third floor of Central Library.

Every child who walks through these stores will find something that sparks their imagination.

So my favorite is like sitting at the desk and just watching kids come in, and they're literally like, like just that like gasp of like awe and like splendor and excitement.

We're just really excited to get to use the new space to spend time in our community and to enjoy the program's library offers.

Three, two, one.

Kid Central is officially open.

But we're not finished yet because we still have Teen Central to open.

The space was shaped by teen input and designed to reflect how young people learn, create, and connect.

The teenage years are a time of discovery.

We want them to know they are welcomed here.

It gives them a place where they can be themselves.

Teen Central is officially open.

So again, that was a really great event, and I want to say over the past uh I don't know, 30 days or so, the events that we've held, we've had a lot of community engagement, uh, a lot of participation from the board members coming out to these events.

Well, again, I greatly appreciate that.

And then the last one on the list here is the heart of every neighborhood.

Lawrence Branch was the third stop so far this year.

Uh we have two remaining left for the year, which is Hallville in August, and then Southport in September.

I want to thank Monica Taboda.

She is the manager of the Lawrence Branch.

She did a really amazing job of having our compute our uh community partners uh and uh really promoting the event.

Uh we had a really good turnout, so thank you to everyone who came out.

Uh we also was able to do one of the main uh purposes of the event is get testimonials from some of our patrons on about what the library means to them.

So we were able to get quite a few of those testimonials, so we appreciate that again as well.

Uh the next thing I want to talk about is it's uh this is the 90 second uh story.

It's uh one story, it impacts multiple lives, and it has a lasting impact.

And it's uh a human-centered storytelling, human-centered storytelling is a narrative framework that places real people, their lives and their experiences and their emotional journeys, and it also focuses on the human stakes, the motivation, and the obstacles that a person may face.

Um this is a story that came from one of the branches, and uh again, it'll just be a quick uh brief story.

Uh the first thing the situation of family with young children experiencing homelessness was living in a tent in a flood uh born area near the branch.

The staff recognized that, made contact with them.

Uh staff action staff approached the family and ensure that they were safe, that they were welcome inside the branch during operating hours, and the staff were able to connect them to food resources, including uh community garden and food as well.

The outcome over time, the family secured stable housing, they secured employment and education for their children.

They were unrolled in school.

They are now thriving and remain actively connected to the library.

And then the board level meeting is consistent access to safe space, food, and trusted relationships, that allowed the family to stabilize and pursue long-term solutions.

Library staff and partnerships accelerated that progress and demonstrated community impact.

Again, I want to say thank you to the branch, and the meaning of making sure that we have meaningful partnerships that way when we have families or individuals in need that the branches are able to take care of that.

So congratulations and thank you to the branch for submitting this story.

The next thing is a growth strategy or our goals for quarter three.

The first one is a customer service philosophy.

It is a clearly articulated customer service philosophy that establishes a shared foundation for how all of our staff will engage with patrons, and this is basically our exceptional experiences portion of our values.

This is the foundation.

How staff will greet our patrons, how they will solve problems and make patrons feel welcome and valued.

John Helling, the chief public services officer, is managing this project.

The second one is the front door experiences.

The physical entry experience is often the patron's first and most lasting impression of the library.

So with this project, what we want to do is we're going around, and one of the staff members of the marketing communications department, he went around and took photos of every single door.

We found out that we did have three different uh entryways, and we just want to make sure that our messaging is consistent and people know what services we provide.

Uh Mary Barr, our Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, is the project manager for that.

And then the last one is Library Card Day.

This is an activation event.

Uh we want to turn our non-patrons into card holders and then our casual visitors into engaged community members.

This project is being managed by Kim Ewers, our Access Belonging and Culture Officer, and Deb Lambert, our uh chief uh collections management officer.

Um again, library day card day is going to be in September towards the end of the month for three days.

Um, everybody will all branches will be involved.

There will be some community work, and mostly it's when we get the patrons to come in to make sure that they understand the services that we provide, how to use the Libby app, how holds work, and that type of information.

Again, these are all independent of each other.

Um they do form a pipeline, which is Library Car Day brings them in.

Uh, the front door experiences make them fill it, and then the customer service philosophy keeps our patrons coming back.

And then next is staff recognition.

These are our staff uh members who were recognized by their peers for the month of May.

Uh, patron services is Mikaia Winkle from Beach Grove, Stresska, Nathaniel from Glendale.

Community involvement was Cat Hill from the Children's Museum and Sydney Joseph from the Children's Museum.

Uh, next was Page Excellence is Dallas Delaney from right here at Fort Bend.

Uh, volunteering partnerships was Richard Lopez Electrical, and the committee's choice is Amber Scott, who is a bookmobile driver for operational services.

So, uh, big round of applause for our staff.

And some upcoming events we have is the low impact exercise, and I wanted to emphasize this because this is really a huge program uh for the adult population, so uh that's going to be taking place on Thursday, June 25th.

And then uh President Bieterman mentioned the day of play in his opening, but the uh arms wanted me to make sure that uh we mentioned this repeatedly.

Uh Day of Play is going to be on Saturday, June 27th.

It's the first time that they've done this.

So we're really looking forward to having families come out and take advantage of that.

And then on July 1st there's the sixth annual Black Photography Exhibit at Central, and I believe that runs from July the first to August the first.

And then the reception is going to be on July 7th from 5 30 to 7 45 in the Simon Reading Room.

And also right here at Fort Bend, they have free notary services that will be Saturday, July 11th from 11 to 1 p.m.

And then lastly the Indiana the Indy Cinema series and Central Library.

They will be showing uh Buffalo sixty-six on Tuesday, July 31st.

Um that concludes uh the information that's included in your PowerPoint, but there is additional information uh for the previous 30 days that's in your board packet and uh I am open for any questions that you may have.

Alright, any questions for Mr.

Help?

Please.

I was wondering if you have any sense of the presence uh of NDPL at ALA this coming week in Chicago.

Um do you I don't know exactly how many people we have going right now uh but Brad just raised his hand, he's going in the back.

But uh I can make sure that I can provide those those numbers to you.

I don't know the exact count.

Thanks.

Not a comment but a question.

I I think it's always so good to thank our communications team.

I was at three of the different events.

Mary and Katie, um, and the whole communications team have done a a tremendous job at Lawrence, you know, at the opening of the centers.

I mean it's just amazing.

And the opportunity to thank them along with the other staff who are just uh incredibly important as you pointed out in that very first goal, uh, really does make a difference.

But um Katie, you work hard to to greet us when we get there.

Mary, you make sure we have every sign that we can take out the door with us.

I'm very hopeful that uh we can continue to be appreciative of the communication because it makes a difference.

Community and communication.

It makes all the difference.

I also want to thank you, Greg, for taking out the stu making sure that we have a story that captures the situation, the staff action, the outcome, and what does it mean for the board as well.

When you broke it down that way, it just says a lot about how important it is, and just as we heard from all of the c comments from the staff, how important the staff engagement is.

And when you brought that out, it was like it just underlined all the comments that were made earlier today that our staff uh make all the difference to everything.

They make up this institution.

So thank you for sharing it and and breaking it down as situation staff action outcome.

I'd like to ask Mary, um, as you're looking at the entrances, um, how are you thinking about the differences in the ways those entrances are?

Because I go to the several of the branches regularly, and the Hallville branch entrance just ain't happening.

Um it looks so different from some of the others.

What is what's your thinking there?

It's just knowing that it is a um first impression.

And so we did audit of all the brain situations, um, and we are trying to organize first that people know where they are.

Um branding as the library, uh the hours, and then triaging welcoming messages, for example.

So making sure that those are all labeled pretty clearly, as well as um uh just uh all the rules, etc.

Um, no smoking, etc.

So just trying to have some consistency with that at all locations.

So we're gonna be back.

Thank you again.

Thank you so very much.

Makes a difference.

Thank you, Greg.

Any any other comments?

Yeah, Dr.

Plessia.

Oh, I was just curious about the Indy cinema.

Is that um something new or?

I'll let Liz answer that, but I don't think it's I don't think it's something new they've been doing.

I think they've been doing indie uh cinema for for a minute.

Um, yeah, the Indy Cinema series is um run by one of our librarians at Central.

Um, and he's just interested in film and cinema, so um he runs it.

How does it work?

Um, it's it's a week.

Pardon me.

What dates?

Um it's usually on a Sunday.

Um I don't know the dates off the top of my head, but I can I will be happy to get them to you.

And um, so yeah, he picks movies.

Um he has a lot of knowledge, it's just an interest of his so um.

Is it throughout the year?

Yes.

Okay.

Yeah.

Thanks.

That's what to know.

You're welcome.

And before we move on, if we could, I just want to say uh Dr.

Bertada, uh thank you for your question.

Um I do wanna say Mary, uh Mary Barn, uh Katie, the rest of the communications team, you guys do amazing work, and I know I ask a lot of you sometimes.

Uh so uh I know you probably want to say, hey, great, quit asking.

But you guys do amazing work, and I and I truly, truly appreciate it.

It's since uh the last couple years you guys have made uh a really big difference in how the library is portrayed and what people see as so again thank you.

And then also Dr.

Matada, um, thank you for your words about uh staff and the the human center story.

Staff do amazing work, you know.

They they I hear stories and I get stories all the time um how staff uh make meaningful contributions to our patrons that come in.

And I try to make sure that I recognize people on a regular basis.

So uh thank you uh for that and thank you to the staff uh sincerely for uh all the work that you do.

You got you got another you're only on.

Maybe a point of privilege or um but I do want to um command leadership or how they handle the broken window at Central.

I went there when it was closed, I checked it.

I did ask Adam Parson to speed it up or open partially or something, so I thanks for entertaining my comments on that.

Um but I think we all agree the safety is most important.

We don't want to have patrons and staff in a place that is not deemed safe.

You know, we'd we didn't know structurally if the whole library was settling in a different way, if the if the glass was, you know, if another glass was gonna break and all that kind of stuff.

So as an engineer, I I understand safety is a top priority for for any engineer, so um just want to make that clear.

I know there were frustrations about the closure, but luckily and and thankfully nobody got hurt, and I think that's a message to they that we we handle it in a safe way.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, Dr.

F on that.

I think that communicate back to communications having done such a good job explaining to everyone what was happening.

They can still pick up their books, this is how to do that.

These are the things that are programs that have had to change dates or place, and I think that communication was really strong to tell people this is what's happening along the way.

With a little bit of humor.

Alright, great.

Have we broken that glass?

That's a bad joke, you know.

Bad joke.

Not all of them are home runs.

Some of them are singles.

Yeah.

If we want to continue on, uh Miss Mary Ann McKenzie, our chief strategy and analytics officer will give a strategic plan update for the coming strategic plan.

Thank you.

I love to go last, you know.

Everybody's minds are open and ready for more information.

Um I have a long presentation per usual.

What I actually need to present to is relatively short.

Um, when it comes to the board, one of your responsibilities per Indiana State code is what they call a long-range plan of service.

That long-range plan of service can be from three to five years, and there are some requirements about what must be contained in it.

We are currently under a three-year plan and are about halfway through it, which means it's a great time to start thinking about the next plan.

Um, I know that's gonna seem fast and it is a little bit faster than we've done in the past, but what we're trying to do is to time our communication and our planning about this so that it aligns better with decisions about the library's budget and our programming, so that we have a plan in place before those begin for the year the plan launches, which would be 2028.

So essentially our goal is to try and have the big pieces of the plan in place by August of next year.

Um, so it's soon.

If we need time to discuss, we have some wiggle room there, but the ultimate ask is that we try and have this one planned out a little sooner than we have in the past, just to make sure we can have the full force of all of our resources behind it when we launch it.

Now, in terms of what we're at being asked to do, I changed the diagram because I figured everyone loves a little variety.

But the structure is essentially the same as what we have in our current strategic plan.

We have our mission and our values, which are our foundations.

So, under the last strategic plan, we did make some minor adjustments to our mission, and we adopted the acronym Access for our values.

Those have been resonating really well with all of us and our staff.

They've really been baked into our branding recently.

And then we also set a vision, and so you'll see the visions up there in the top right.

So, our goal is going to be to fill in everything that gets us from that foundation up to that vision.

We also did rewrite the vision under the last strategic plan.

So the very first thing that we have to do during strategic planning is review mission, vision, and values and decide do these still have life in them?

Would we like to move forward with them, or would we want to refresh or revamp in some way?

And then we have to fill in everything in between.

So we have our priorities, which are our pillars, those areas of focus in the community.

We have content required by Indiana State Code, such as statements about partnership and professional development.

Then we have goals, which are essentially us describing where we want to be at the end of the strategic plan, and that tends to be heavily informed by the community.

So we see a lot of community engagement around that.

And then we have the things in red, which are the implementation, which is you all have finished your work, you hand it to the CEO, and he gets the task of turning it into reality.

Um, this is a kind of an abstract way of thinking about this.

I'm gonna show you a confusing diagram and then a simple diagram to make sense of these two things.

Um, this is sort of a rough mapping of all the people who are gonna need to be involved in planning the strategic plan.

If we follow the structure similar to what we did last time, the board will form a committee of three members.

Um they will meet approximately monthly from now until about August of next year.

There would be a community steering committee that would be heavily involved while we're writing the goals, and then the executive leadership team would be sort of working both with the community committee and the board of trustees throughout the process, and then we'd have a staff strategic plan committee, which the executive leadership team usually leads, and we're suggesting that John Hellinger, Director of Public Service, serve as chair of this time, and they basically take everything that we hear from the board from the executive leadership team and from the community, and they say how do we make this idea make sense in the context of operations?

So they're crucial, but they tend to be receiving the vision, receiving the content, and then turning it into operations rather than directly involved.

And then over on the right hand, or sorry, the left-hand side you'll see I'm off to the side as coordinator.

I basically make sure everybody has the same information and then is communicating and reaching deliverables on time.

Now, again, I understand this diagram is a little bit convoluted.

If you want to map this on to how the strategic plan is actually developed, this diagram is what we used last time and hasn't changed much.

The framework of the plan, the mission, the vision, the values, those are set by the board in collaboration with the executive leadership team and the CEO.

The priorities, you start to involve staff more and start talking about what needs are you seeing in the community.

When you get down to goals, that's where you really start to engage the community heavily, and you'd engage your community steering committee.

And then from there, you start to get into those objectives and to those operations.

Those are heavily informed by the community as well, but mostly driven by staff, and at that point you're getting into operations.

So we tend to hand over the drafting of those over to the CEO.

So this is the structure that we're hoping to use to develop the long-range plan of services.

And you have the option again of choosing between three to five years.

So one of the things that we'll want to think about is do we want to continue with a three-year plan, or would it make sense because of a variety of factors to consider a four-year or a five-year plan?

So all those discussions need to happen in a committee.

So I'll be asking that our board president make a recommendation for a committee to form, and then the timeline I have here was based off of us talking to you in May.

So I think probably it makes maybe more sense to have that committee begin its communications and meeting probably in August, and that shouldn't throw anything off.

The big conversations around what we want to do really start in November.

The early conversations this year are around how do we engage the community?

Again, things like mission, vision, values, what sort of refresh might we want to do, and then the real work begins January, February, and March.

That's where we pull in the community committee and start talking about those goals.

One thing that's different this time than last time is we're proposing that the community committee end in a joint meeting with the board where you work together to talk about impact and capabilities of the library along with the executive leadership team, and that would sort of wind down that community's commitment and then hand over to the staff to turn it into operations into communicatable language with our comms department and so on.

And so then later in next year, May through August, it's really that drafting that refining, bringing back to you getting that final input with the goal of having a design and adopted plan for August, which would be in time for presenting the budget and so on to community and city county council.

So that's the meat of what I have to present to you today.

There's additional information in your packet.

If you want to think about the various phases, they're pretty much color-coded, similar to this diagram.

We're currently in phase one, you know.

When you get to phase four, you start to see things in red.

So I'd just like to open it up to all of you for questions or feedback or comments before we dive into the real work of this.

Any questions?

I have one question.

I couldn't remember, and that is just chalk it up to so much was going on.

What consultants did we use in the past as we would doing the work of really getting that kind of expert support of the work?

I don't recall that.

So it's varied.

The last strategic plan, we had a consultant who engaged for community outreach, and then they didn't, we didn't have a consultant to lead like community conversations.

The one before that, there was an attempt to engage a consultant that was during pandemic year era.

And again, eventually they ended up helping with community outreach in the survey, but didn't do much more beyond that.

And then the one before that, it was I think pretty much heavily led by a consultant because it had many subcommittees for the community groups.

So there's been a range in the past.

This time around, I we did set aside a consultant budget this year and next year that we can focus in where we think that there's need.

For this year, I was proposing that we think about using that funding to reach communities that we struggle to reach, so individuals who may speak another language, teens where we know it's harder to break into their social group, um thinking about really focusing in on where can we use that to reach people who we're not going to reach through outreach in the branches.

And then next year, um, if there was still more work to do in that area, we would focus the budget on that at the beginning of the year, and if not, we might consider using them as scribes or people to be in that big community meeting to make sure the people who are brainstorming can focus on the work rather than um having to take notes and so on.

Um but we definitely have some flexibility there in total for this year and next year.

Um I think there's about $50,000 per year that we could potentially use.

Um that sounds like a lot, but you know, if you think about focus groups, yep, that's only gonna give you a certain amount.

So we are depending on myself, our public service staff, um, and then John and his folks to really lean in and help us do some work for that community outreach and feedback.

Um that worked well for us under the last strategic plan.

It worked well for us in the one before.

So I think that that's a model that we'd like to continue to use when other um community organizations make their plans, the first place they turn is to the library.

Because we have folks very deeply embedded in the community.

Um that's unusual.

Um, so it's really about finding out where we have those blind spots, figuring out where we have maybe a bias or a misunderstanding and trying to connect with individuals who can help correct those.

Thank you.

All right, any other discussion questions?

No, okay.

Thank you very much.

All right, we've got no further questions, then uh conclude the CEO's report.

Okay, excellent, thank you.

Okay, uh no unfinished business, no new business.

Excuse me.

Sorry about that.

Uh future agenda items.

This time's made available for discussions of items not on the agenda which are of interest to library board members and the opportunities given to suggest items to be included on future library board meeting agendas.

Do any board members have something to suggest for the July 2026 board meeting?

Oh, please.

Not necessarily for July.

So I want to be very careful.

Um we received a lot of feedback today.

I want to be sure that the board has an opportunity to digest that feedback and that we actually come back.

Um I think we are doing the work that has been expressed today, um, but it is not um number one an agenda topic or ready for public presentation, nor maybe does it fall within our purview.

But I do think it's important for us to acknowledge what we've heard and to demonstrate that these conversations do not number one fall on deaf ears, um, and two that we have proactively been having these conversations.

So wherever that fits in this year is what I'm asking.

Great.

Thank you.

Simply like to second that comment only because it displays transparency amongst how we move within the board.

And I think that that's that's definitely something that's worth demonstrate.

Excellent, excellent.

All right, Dr.

Plassian.

Um I echo that and I wanted to get this conversation started during committee, but I um agree that maybe we need to find what the actual mechanics of that is.

I don't know what the mechanics of those conversations are, but um I'm always wanting to listen and I'm glad others are as well.

Um, so I'm glad that's that's moving.

Separate point.

This is just uh general for Mr.

Parson.

If there's uh opportunity to bring pictures to the text that will illustrate the project, that would be great.

Sometimes I don't I can't picture the stairs or you know the conditions of a certain project, and I know you bring pictures sometimes, but um I I do like to see more pictures.

Just just um, yeah, brings a a good visual of the project we're talking about.

All right.

Pictures kind of anything else?

No.

Okay, alright.

Um the next meeting of the Library Board will be July twenty-seventh, twenty twenty-six at the East Washington Branch Library, twenty twenty-two East Washington Street at 6 30 p.m.

This meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you.