Board of Library Trustees

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING AGENDA March 11, 2025 1. CALL TO ORDER Board President Carolyn Cadloni called meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Trustee Todd Hickey Secretary Lois Kazakoff Trustee Eric Ruchames President Carolyn Cadloni Staff Present: Jennifer Baker Helaine Bowles Alli Angell Absent: Trustee Ruth Workman 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. REFERENCE TO THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS 5. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA On a motion Trustee Ruchames, seconded by Trustee Hickey, the Benicia Board of Library Trustees unanimously approved the Adoption of the Agenda. 6. OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT NONE 7. INFORMATION AND PRESENTATIONS 7.A YOUTH SERVICES REPORT: Alli Angell presented the Youth Services Report, which is given twice a year, in October and March. Book purchases for young readers support both academic and recreational reading. One-third of the book budget is spent on e-books. Attendance at story times rose to 2,389 attendees, an increase from 2,121 from the year before. Monthly video game nights attract on average 27 people to each event. The gaming tournaments are now in their 15th year and some attendees have come from the beginning. City Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 East L Street, complete proceedings of which are recorded. These are action minutes; a full video is available online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agenda

Friends of the Benicia Library, community groups and volunteers support youth activities with funds, expertise and time. 28 teen volunteers gave 734.75 volunteer hours over the year. A state grant funded data visualization also showed that new books added to the collection are better aligned with Benicia demographics. 7.B REPORT FROM PRESIDENT RECOMMENDED ACTION: President Cadloni said the librarian has requested that the board advocate for more state funding and will present the board with an item stating so for the trustees to vote on next month. 7.C REPORT/UPDATE FROM CITY LIBRARIAN RECOMMENDED ACTION: 1. Financial Report 2. Update on Council items – The city librarian will request an increase in general funding from the City Council. She also will ask the City Council at the March 18 meeting for $10,500 to do a full mechanical and electrical report on the proposed library basement remodeling. 3. Arts and Culture Commission is looking for a site for the proposed diversity mural. 4. Facilities, staffing, policy and programs – Community concern about the number of days the library was closed over the December holidays has suggested the need for a different plan. The city librarian will recommend one to the board in coming weeks. 5. Correspondence/articles/other 7.D LITERACY REPORT 7.E REPORT FROM BOARD LIAISONS: 1. Art Gallery Advisory Committee Liaison -- The committee is developing criteria for inviting regional artists to submit their work for display. 2. Friends Liaison -- No report. 3. Library Foundation Liaison -- The foundation now has a full slate of officers, new bylaws and is looking for new members. 4. Poet Laureate Committee Liaison – The 20th anniversary Love Poetry contest is seeking submissions . 5. Historical Museum/Historical Society Liaison – The museum’s downtown facility is closed and the city is taking back the property to build apartments. The historic artifacts now are back in the main museum building. 8. CONSENT CALENDAR 8.A MINUTES: On a motion of Trustee Ruchames, seconded by Trustee Hickey, the Benicia Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Feb. 11, 2025, minutes as presented. 9. ACTION AND DISCUSSION 10. COMMUNICATIONS FROM STAFF AND MEMBERS NONE 11. ADJOURN TIME: 7:11 p.m. 12. NEXT MEETING

12.A CHANGE OF MEETING DATE RECOMMENDED: As the city librarian cannot attend the April 8 meeting, Helaine Bowles will poll the board to find an alternative date. Click or tap to enter a date.

BENICIA BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES AGENDA March 11, 2025 6:30 PM Benicia City Hall, Council Chambers 250 East L Street, Benicia, CA 9451 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. REFERENCE TO THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF PUBLIC The fundamental rights of each member of the public can be found in the municipal code posted on the City's website and on a plaque that is posted at the entrance to this meeting per section 4.04.030 of the City of Benicia's Open Government Ordinance. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA 6. OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the Board of Library Trustees on any matter not on the agenda that is within the subject jurisdiction of the Board of Library Trustees. State law prohibits the Board of Library Trustees from responding to or acting upon matters not listed on the agenda. Each Speaker has a maximum of three minutes for public comment. If others have already expressed your position, you may simply indicate that you agree with a previous speaker. If applicable, a spokesperson may present the views of your entire group. Speakers may not make personal attacks on the trustees, staff, or members of the public or make comments which are slanderous, or which may invade an individual's personal privacy. A. Public Comments B. Written 7. INFORMATION AND PRESENTATIONS 7.A YOUTH SERVICES REPORT RECOMMENDED ACTION: Alli Angell will present her annual Youth Services report COURTESY ZOOM PARTICIPATION Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85960297021? pwd=CEHpGD1BEoOFaTPHrPM973dxw4sOR3.1 Youth Services Report 1

7.B REPORT FROM PRESIDENT RECOMMENDED ACTION: President Cadloni will give her monthly report 7.C REPORT/UPDATE FROM CITY LIBRARIAN RECOMMENDED ACTION: 1. Financial Report 2. Update on Council items 3. Arts and Culture Commission 4. Facilities, staffing, policy and programs 5. Correspondence/articles/other 7.D LITERACY REPORT RECOMMENDED ACTION: The Board will review the February Literacy Report 7.E REPORT FROM BOARD LIAISONS RECOMMENDED ACTION: 1. Art Gallery Advisory Committee Liaison 2. Friends Liaison 3. Library Foundation Liaison 4. Poet Laureate Committee Liaison 5. Historical Museum/Historical Society Liaison 8. CONSENT CALENDAR 8.A MINUTES RECOMMENDED ACTION: The minutes of the February 11, 2025 will be reviewed and voted upon 9. ACTION AND DISCUSSION 10. COMMUNICATIONS FROM STAFF AND MEMBERS 11. ADJOURNMENT 12. NEXT MEETING 12.A CHANGE OF MEETING DATE RECOMMENDED ACTION: The next meeting is scheduled for April 8. The City Librarian will not be available. Would the Board like to change the meeting date or cancel the April meeting. Lib Board Financials Feb 2025.pdf FY25-26 26-27 Proposal Quilt Show Article Literacy Report for February.pdf February 11, 2025-Draft 2

Public Participation The City of Benicia welcomes your interest and involvement in the City's legislative process. Persons wishing to address the Council, Board, Commission or Committee (CBCC) are asked to voluntarily complete a speaker request form, available at the entrance of Council Chambers, and submit it to the meeting Secretary/City Clerk. Speakers, addressing the CBCC at the time the item is considered, are requested to restrict their comments to the item as it appears on the agenda and stay within the three-minute time limit. The Brown Act does not permit the CBCC to take action on items brought up during the Public Comment period. As a courtesy, and technology permitting, members of the public may participate remotely. Please be advised that those participating in the meeting remotely via Zoom do so at their own risk. Meetings will not be cancelled due to technical difficulties. The meeting can also be observed on Cable T.V. Broadcast - Check with your cable provider for your local government broadcast channel, or livestream online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas. Americans with Disabilities Acts The City of Benicia is committed to providing meeting facilities that are accessible to persons with disabilities. Meeting materials in alternative formats, a sign language interpreter, real-time captioning, assistive listening devices or other accommodations can be requested by calling (707) 746-4200 or by emailing ADACoordinator@ci.benicia.ca.us, at least four working days prior to a meeting. Assistive listening devices may be obtained at the meeting. Meeting Procedures Pursuant to Government Code Section 65009, if you challenge a decision of the CBCC in court, you may be limited to the issues raised during the meeting or in written correspondence delivered to the CBCC by the meeting. You may also be limited to a ninety (90) day statute of limitations when challenging certain administrative decisions, including any final decisions regarding planning or zoning. The decision of the CBCC is final as of the date of its decision unless judicial review is initiated pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.5. Any such petition for judicial review is subject to the provisions of Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6 Public Records and Writings Received After Agenda Posting A printed version of the agenda packet for this meeting is available at the Benicia Public Library during regular working hours. To the extent feasible, the agenda packet and any writing or documents related to an agenda item for this meeting provided to the CBCC, will be made available for public inspection on the City's web page at www.ci.benicia.ca.us under the heading "Agendas and Minutes." A complete recording of each meeting is available online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas. Contact Your Council Members Voicemail for Mayor and Council Members: (707) 746-4213 Mayor Steve Young: SYoung@ci.benicia.ca.us Vice Mayor Trevor Macenski: TMacenski@ci.benicia.ca.us Council Member Kari Birdseye: KBirdseye@ci.benicia.ca.us Council Member Lionel Largaespada: LLargaespada@ci.benicia.ca.us Council Member Terry Scott: TScott@ci.benicia.ca.us 3

2024-2025 Youth Services Update Staffing continues to be a challenge, especially after Alli took on the Head of Technical Services position in May 2025. However, Youth Services continues to be a priority for her. Collection  Continued to purchase new fiction and non-fiction appropriate for children and teens. Purchases support both academic and recreational reading. We continued to spend nearly a third of our usual book budget on e-books, including downloadable audio books. We weeded and replaced books in children’s nonfiction, children’s world languages and children’s paperbacks.  We added to the video game lending collection in the fall and will do another order next month. Those have been very popular, especially for the Nintendo Switch, and they give families a chance to try out games they might not afford otherwise. School and Community Outreach  There’s a report for this in October, so it’s enough to say that the number of tours continues to be steady, and that we continue to visit schools in the community during some of their special events.  We continue to get good attendance at evening and weekend storytimes, so those will continue as time and staffing allow. We have three Saturday storytimes in March: Melena did one on the 1st, Tri-City pageant winners will do one on the 22nd, and the Community Access and Empowerment group is doing an ASL storytime on March 29th. Programs  The total attendance at all the storytimes in this time period was 2389, which is an increase from the 2121 people who attended storytimes the year before. We are doing two storytimes per week now, three per week when Benicia schools are on vacation.  Alli continued the bi-monthly craft kits to help with kindergarten readiness, but made them simpler by just having a box of take-away crafts instead of kits. Families pick these up at the Desk, and they are popular in a low-key way.  1,000 Books Before Kindergarten has continued. Each child receives four books to keep and stickers as incentives to keep reading. Because we bought thousands of books with grant money, this can continue for years with no additional funding required.  Monthly video game tournaments have continued and still serve as a source of community: there are teens and people in their 20s who attend these, but no other Library events. Tournament attendance has averaged around 27 people at each event.  The After-School Zone is doing fine, and the average attendance is up from the year before. Many of the regular attendees are from St. Dominic, who use the room as a study space and social area. Others come from other schools for Lego or video games. 4

 We have also continued to do a range of events for children, from Teddy Bear Sleepover, to craft events, to coding logic workshops. We did 20 of these events, with 575 attendees. These events do not include regularly scheduled events (storytimes and book clubs), school outreach, or Summer Reading events.  Part-time librarian Melena continues to be excellent, and we have had two solid interns: Fredric in fall 2024 and Corrin this semester. Both have created programs on their own (a basketball sharpshooter program in the fall, Free Comic Book Day in the spring) and helped out with book clubs and tours. Speaking of book clubs, part- time librarian Anna has been doing many of the children’s book clubs, which is very helpful.  Book club is the one event we still do as an in-person/Zoom hybrid. Some children are in after-school care programs and the hybrid format allows them to attend. Middle School Book Club had been on hiatus for about eight months, we picked it up this school year, but it looks likely to go back on hiatus in May. The two children’s book clubs are still doing well. Alli is pleased that the book club choices are more closely aligned with Benicia demographics than they were in the past (see next page).  The Finals Café events that we do before AP exams and finals weeks at the high school continue to be popular and well-attended. We have also had a range of other events for teens: an escape room, a craft night, a Marvel trivia night, three Dungeons & Dragons sessions, and a monthly movie series from July-November 2024.  Teen volunteering continued: 28 volunteers worked for 734.75 hours between March 1st, 2024, and February 28th, 2025 (last year: 25 volunteers, 804 hours). As ever, they created displays, decorated for the holidays, helped with children’s and teen events (such as a coding logic event and the gift-making program) and prepared children’s crafts. They also gave feedback on collection development and program ideas. Alli Angell 5

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City of Benicia -- Library FY 2024/25: YTD February 2025 (8/12 = 66.7%) FUND ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION REVISED BUDGET YTD ACTUAL AVAILABLE % USED General Fund SALARIES-FULL TIME 894,102 573,858.27 320,244 64.20 General Fund SALARIES-PART TIME 385,000 222,376.14 162,624 57.80 General Fund DEFERRED COMPENSATION 39,724 15,911.31 23,813 40.10 General Fund EDUCATION PAY 9,000 1,916.67 7,083 21.30 General Fund LONGEVITY PAY 55,319 24,051.97 31,267 43.50 General Fund LEAVE ALLOWANCE 41,200 40,639.52 560 98.60 General Fund OVERTIME 0 266.76 -267 100.00 General Fund HEALTH INSURANCE 187,022 91,067.38 95,955 48.70 General Fund DENTAL INSURANCE 20,278 10,709.49 9,569 52.80 General Fund VISION INSURANCE 2,704 1,739.09 965 64.30 General Fund LIFE INSURANCE 845 595.98 249 70.50 General Fund PERS-EMPLOYER 101,259 78,791.17 22,468 77.80 General Fund PERS-UAL 181,803 181,802.16 1 100.00 General Fund PARS 2,884 2,214.23 670 76.80 General Fund MEDICARE 13,058 12,920.74 137 98.90 General Fund MISC PENSIONS OBLIGATION BOND 28,320 14,160.00 14,160 50.00 General Fund VACANCY FACTOR -66,130 0.00 -66,130 0.00 General Fund CONTRACT SERVICES 135,000 102,522.23 11,997 91.10 General Fund GENERAL MAINTENANCE SERVICE 3,000 1,758.99 1,241 58.60 General Fund PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 25,000 11,702.50 0 100.00 General Fund CONFERENCE/TRAINING/MEETING 5,000 4,196.43 804 83.90 General Fund SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE 17,500 16,721.58 778 95.60 General Fund COMPUTER MAINTENANCE 5,000 923.83 4,076 18.50 General Fund LIBRARY MATERIALS 130,000 94,401.48 35,599 72.60 General Fund MEMBERSHIP/DUES/SUBSCRIPTION 1,500 1,043.52 456 69.60 General Fund PCARD PROCESSING DEFAULT 0 -371.50 372 100.00 General Fund NONCAPITALIZED EQUIPMENT 6,500 381.88 6,118 5.90 General Fund OFFICE SUPPLIES 27,000 13,317.48 13,683 49.30 General Fund POSTAGE 3,500 1,671.02 1,829 47.70 General Fund TRAVEL AND MEALS 1,000 896.78 103 89.70 General Fund TELEPHONE 6,000 5,676.04 324 94.60 General Fund LIABILITY INSURANCE 27,800 28,273.71 -474 101.70 General Fund WORKERS COMPENSATION 33,485 0.00 33,485 0.00 General Fund FURNISHINGS & FIXTURES 4,000 515.63 3,484 12.90 Grants SALARIES-FULL TIME 53,964 32,957.72 21,006 61.10 Grants SALARIES-PART TIME 48,400 0.00 48,400 0.00 Grants DEFERRED COMPENSATION 210 136.50 74 65.00 Grants HEALTH INSURANCE 20,559 0.00 20,559 0.00 Grants DENTAL INSURANCE 1,706 406.44 1,300 23.80 Grants VISION INSURANCE 187 131.68 55 70.40 Grants LIFE INSURANCE 39 48.01 -9 123.10 Grants PERS-EMPLOYER 5,930 3,635.26 2,295 61.30 Grants PERS-UAL 10,882 10,881.38 1 100.00 Grants MEDICARE 765 477.86 287 62.50 7

Grants VACANCY FACTOR -2,420 0.00 -2,420 0.00 Grants ADVERTISING 500 0.00 500 0.00 Grants CONTRACT SERVICES 5,000 875.00 4,125 17.50 Grants CONFERENCE/TRAINING/MEETING 1,000 0.00 1,000 0.00 Grants LIBRARY MATERIALS 22,449 2,119.03 20,330 9.40 Grants OFFICE SUPPLIES 4,000 670.31 3,330 16.80 Grants TRAVEL AND MEALS 500 0.00 500 0.00 Grants WORKERS COMPENSATION 956 0.00 956 0.00 Grants FURNISHINGS & FIXTURES 0 19,273.61 -19,274 100.00 FOL & Donations SALARIES-FULL TIME 11,950 574.66 11,375 4.80 FOL & Donations SALARIES-PART TIME 15,000 15,114.19 -114 100.80 FOL & Donations DEFFERED COMPENSATION 46 0.00 46 0.00 FOL & Donations OVERTIME 0 45.24 -45 100.00 FOL & Donations HEALTH INSURANCE 4,553 0.00 4,553 0.00 FOL & Donations DENTAL INSURANCE 378 7.08 371 1.90 FOL & Donations VISION INSURANCE 41 2.30 39 5.60 FOL & Donations LIFE INSURANCE 9 0.84 8 9.30 FOL & Donations PERS-EMPLOYER 1,313 63.38 1,250 4.80 FOL & Donations PERS-UAL 2,410 2,409.51 0 100.00 FOL & Donations PARS 0 197.09 -197 100.00 FOL & Donations MEDICARE 169 228.15 -59 135.00 FOL & Donations VACANCY FACTOR -750 0.00 -750 0.00 FOL & Donations CONTRACT SERVICES 14,000 6,895.28 7,105 49.30 FOL & Donations LIBRARY MATERIALS 39,000 2,140.71 36,859 5.50 FOL & Donations OFFICE SUPPLIES 2,000 2,000.00 0 100.00 FOL & Donations WORKERS COMPENSATION 471 0.00 471 0.00 Expense Totals 2,502,300 1,608,992 858,574 64.30 8

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1 BENICIA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINUTES 230 East L Street, City Council Chambers Benicia, CA 94510 Feb. 11, 2025 6:30 p.m. 1. Call To Order Time: 6:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call Board Members Carolyn Cadloni, president -- present Todd Hickey, trustee -- absent Lois Kazakoff, secretary -- present Eric Ruchames, trustee -- present Ruth Workman, trustee -- present 3. Pledge Of Allegiance 4. Reference To The Fundamental Rights Of Public 5. Adoption of the Agenda Motion by: Secretary Kazakoff Second by: Trustee Workman Ayes: 4 Noes: 0 6. Opportunity For Public Comment A. Public -- none B. Written -- none 7. Announcements None 8. Information and Presentations 21

2 8.A Public Internet Computers and Circulation More library patrons are reading e-magazines, thus e-magazine subscription costs will rise next year. This year, patrons checked out 12,680 e-magazines as compared to 2,600 print magazines. Also, the library may no longer buy audio books on CDs or videos on DVD/BlueRay. Streamed audio and videos are more popular. Public internet use also declined last year in part because Solano County Library internet network was down for four months. 8.B. Law Enforcement Request Response Training (see item 10) 8.C. President Cadloni’s Report None 8.D. Report/Update by City Librarian Benicia Unified School District will curtail its contract with the Benicia Public Library for library techs and school library materials to address a district budget deficit. The half- time librarian working in the schools took another job. A temporary hire will work a third of that half-time job. 8.E. Literacy Report Literacy programs statewide are reporting lower attendance because of fears of increased federal immigration enforcement. At the Benicia Public Library, use of literacy training services is confidential. 8.F. Reports from Board Liaisons a. Art Gallery Advisory Committee Bodil Fox was elected committee chair. b. Friends of the Benicia Library none c. Library Foundation Foundation is seeking new board members. d. Poet Laureate Program none 22

3 e. Historical Museum/Historical Society The Camel Barn Museum has reopened 1 to 4 p.m on Fridays and Saturdays. The downtown museum remains closed. 9. Consent Calendar 9.A. Approval of Jan. 14, 2025, Meeting Minutes Motion by: Trustee Ruchames Second by: Trustee Workman Ayes: 4 Noes: 0 10.Action and Discussion 10.A. Policy to protect confidentiality and patrons’ information and records This updated policy for how library staff members should respond to law enforcement requests for records states: Staff members are to send subpoenas to the City Attorney. Staff members are to send judicial warrants to the City Attorney. Staff areas are off limits to law enforcement personnel The library does not keep information such as a patron’s address and never shares information about who has a library card or checks out library material. Motion by: Secretary Kazakoff Second by: Trustee Workman Ayes: 4 Noes: 0 11.Communications from Staff and Board Members None 12.Adjournment Time: 7:20 p.m. 13.Next Meeting March 11, 2025 23

4 Public Participation The Benicia City Council and its Boards and Commissions welcome public participation. Pursuant to the Brown Act, each public agency must provide the public with an opportunity to speak on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the agency and which is not on the agency's agenda for that meeting. The City Council allows speakers to speak on non-agendized matters under public comment, and on agendized items at the time the agenda item is addressed at the meeting. Comments are limited to no more than five minutes per speaker. By law, no action may be taken on any item raised during the public comment period although informational answers to questions may be given and matters may be referred to staff for placement on a future agenda of the City Council. Should you have material you wish to enter into the record, please submit it to the City Manager. Disabled Access or Special Needs In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to accommodate any special needs, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact Kim Imboden, the ADA Coordinator, at (707) 746-4200. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting. Meeting Procedures All items listed on this agenda are for Council discussion and/or action. In accordance with the Brown Act, each item is listed and includes, where appropriate, further description of the item and/or a recommended action. The posting of a recommended action does not limit, or necessarily indicate, what action may be taken by the City Council. 24

5 Pursuant to Government Code Section 65009, if you challenge a decision of the City Council in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing. You may also be limited by the ninety (90) day statute of limitations in which to challenge in court certain administrative decisions and orders (Code of Civil Procedure 1094.6) to file and serve a petition for administrative writ of mandate challenging any final City decisions regarding planning or zoning. The decision of the City Council is final as of the date of its decision unless judicial review is initiated pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedures Section 1094.5. Any such petition for judicial review is subject to the provisions of California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6. Public Records The agenda packet for this meeting is available at the City Manager's Office and the Benicia Public Library during regular working hours. To the extent feasible, the packet is also available on the City's web page at www.ci.benicia.ca.us under the heading "Agendas and Minutes." Public records related to an open session agenda item that are distributed after the agenda packet is prepared are available before the meeting at the City Manager's Office located at 250 East L Street, Benicia, or at the meeting held in the Council Chambers. If you wish to submit written information on an agenda item, please submit to the City Clerk as soon as possible so that it may be distributed to the City Council. A complete proceeding of each meeting is also recorded and available through the City Clerk’s Office. Contact Your Council Members If you would like to contact the Mayor or a Council Member, please call the number listed below to leave a voicemail message. Mayor Young: 707-746-4213 Vice Mayor Scott: 707-746-4213 Council Member Birdseye: 707-746-4213 Council Member Campbell: 707-746-4213 Council Member Macenski: 707-746-4213 25