Thank you.

Ramona.

I recognize Andrew White, myself, Bob, you, Lori, and Tom said he might join us, but he's in the car.

But let's go ahead with with the business.

Ramona, any uh sign of public comment?

Nobody's excited about our doings.

Well, I think people are excited, Andy, but there is there do not appear to be any members of the public here, and I haven't received any communications from such.

Thank you very much.

Uh the next item on the agenda is approval of the minutes.

Um, thank you for preparing them.

May I please have a motion to approve the minutes?

Anybody raise their hand?

Motion to approve.

Andrew, thank you very much.

And a second.

Oh, Robert seconded it.

Thank you very much.

Uh any discussion on the minutes.

Hearing none, then I'd like to ask for a vote, please.

All those in favor of approving the minutes is submitted, signify by saying aye or raise your right hand.

All right.

Laura, I got it all.

Okay.

Um unanimously approved.

Um moving to unfinished business item A is grant updates.

Brandy, anything new you want to bring to our attention?

I do not well, um, I don't really have any grant updates, but I did want to give an update about the library giving day fundraising campaign, which all told after fees.

We did come in just over $10,000.

Um, so I was pretty pleased with that given the current economic climate, and that is our second highest library giving day total so far.

That's incredible.

That really is an incredible number.

So special thanks to everybody who contributed.

Yeah, and Brandy, I think that was double last year's library.

I thought it was five last year, yeah.

Yep, it was amazing.

Nice job.

I have some money news as well.

Um so you may recall that last year um as part of the state budget deliberations.

Our um representative Brandon Chafey was able to uh earmark uh some funding for Russell Library to fund the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Um so that passed a year ago uh in last year's budget deliberations, and we actually received that funding at long last um today in our uh in our account through via ACH.

So very exciting.

Um so that's last year's money, but it appears that we've also been awarded that same amount in this year's budget go around.

So it could be a total of up to 100,000.

Um, which is really great.

Uh as you might know, um, we have been funding Dolly Parton's Imagination Library through American Rescue Plan Act funds, ARPA funds, but those all by federal law have to be expended.

Um, or you know, we can't spend any more of them after December 31st of this calendar year.

So um this is very welcome and will help us keep that program sustainable for years to come.

So thank you, Representative Chafee.

And um thanks for all of you to to all of you for your support of this program because it's uh making a huge impact here in Middletown for our littles.

Can they be spent on anything in particular?

So the funding is primarily to fund uh Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which is the it's a nationwide, actually it's a it's a around the world actually.

Um, but it's a program through the Dollywood Foundation where children in Middletown, who's where we we serve Middletown, can if they're under the age of five, they can sign up to have a book mailed to their home at no cost to their family every single month until they turn age five um and graduate.

Um and so it's uh it's a highly, highly discounted um uh program through the Dollywood Foundation.

It costs us about $2.50 roughly per child per month.

Um, and that's primarily what these state funds are going to be used for.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bob.

Um okay.

Uh I thank you both for that.

Um Ramona, can you update us on the status of our city budget and what's happening tonight?