The library board has tabled discussions of a vote on a new library for now due to the community’s concern about high taxes.
Earlier discussions had considered having another public vote this November. However, board President Kenny Massey said they were concerned about raising tax levels for a multi-year bond.
He said the library has had multiple meetings with the city about the potential of partnering on a shared building, but no new details have emerged from those meetings. The library board has previously expressed concerns over partnering with the city.
During Tuesday night’s board meeting, library Director Carol Wohlford said she was contacted as part of the library’s discussion on a new building about the former quilting store building on Main Street. She said she planned to visit the space.
Massey said Tuesday was the first he’d heard of the quilting space, and said he would need to investigate more before knowing whether it was a viable option.
“It kind of came up out of the blue,” he said Wednesday. “So, it is something we’ll need to dig into more.”
In other business Tuesday night, the library board reviewed a draft audit report for 2023. Massey said the audit from SSC CPAs was overall positive but identified a few changes that needed to be made.
“I think it was a great audit,” Board Treasurer Amy Jankowski said. “I think we really learned a lot, and I’m really glad that going forward we’re going to be having all these things in compliance.”
A few items needing fixing from the 2023 report had already been handled by the end of last year.
The report said the board had not designated a depository institution in 2023, but noted the board had since declared Kaw Valley State Bank its depository institution at the end of 2024. The library also had no official credit card policy until November 2024, according to the report.
The board said procedures were now in place for meeting minutes to be signed by the board president and uploaded to the website.
The board tabled further action until they could check a few items before approving a final report.
“I thought the audit came back very positive,” Massey said. “There were just a few things that we hadn’t done that should have been done.”
Board members also voted Tuesday night to leave board roles the same as the prior year with Massey as president, Eric Magette as vice president, Jankowski as treasurer, Tim Pringle as secretary and Mike Keltner as member.
The board also heard an update from Wohlford on a roof leak. She said she had inquired about two repair price points: one to fix the leak and one to replace the roof.
Board members also discussed a tree at the northwest corner of the library. The person who previously trimmed the library’s bushes noted the tree is hollow once it gets 5 feet above the ground. Massey said at some point the board should get an estimate for cutting the tree but recommended cutting it where it is hollow and leaving the bottom part of the tree for kids who enjoy playing with it.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
