Employee Compensation is Key to Responsible Budgeting, Library Style.

Between this article and all the time I have recently spent on the budget, I've been thinking about employee compensation. On the local level, the Library has struggled with equitable pay and keeping up with demand for services. With personnel as the largest expense for Library, and indeed for any service organization, it is critical to keep employment costs under control. Increasing demand for services makes that a difficult proposition.

While the Library's circulation has quadrupled in the last decade, the number of staff has doubled. Each employee is asked to do more every year. As we find innovative ways to use technology to help relieve workload, management and oversight of those technologies continues to add to employees' duties. Just as in the private sector, as companies downsize, maintaining employee productivity is not an option - productivity must increase to meet demand. Unfortunately for the Library, increased productivity does not mean increased revenue. Only voter support of a referendum can do that. Increased revenue from new homes and businesses coming onto the property tax rolls only works only during a boom economy. Eventually, as now, the boom ends, the revenue stream becomes flat while employer costs continue to rise. But for libraries, the boom in use begins when economic crisis hits.

A few years ago, the Library was hemorrhaging employees to the school district and private sector because base pay had not kept pace with the job market. When this was addressed by the Library's Board of Trustees, they examined both public and private sector jobs to help them determine an equitable base pay structure and benefits package for the Library. Creation of a compensation system that benchmarks base pay to a community standard and recognizes employee merit in alternating years, the Board of Trustees struck a balance in employee compensation that helps control cost while allowing the Library to attract and retain good employees.

While federal and state government operate with deficit spending, local governments like the Library do not. Today, the Library has no debt since the 1990 building bonds were paid off earlier this year. When building bonds are issued on the local level, voter-supported referenda ensure the revenue stream to fulfill those obligations. Pension obligations are met every year through a pension fund that operates responsibly. Your locally-elected Board of Trustees would not tolerate a deficit budget. The Library operates within its means, given to the Library by you, the taxpayer. For this Library, employee compensation that is fair to both the employee and the taxpayer is the basis of responsible budgeting, meeting today's demand for service without spending tomorrow's tax dollar.

Terry Cottrell Appointed to the Library Board

I am pleased to announce that at the March 17 regular Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees appointed Terry Cottrell to serve until April 2011. Terry was sworn in at the same meeting. As the Director of the University of St. Francis Library and active member of the library profession, Terry brings a unique perspective as both a librarian and a resident.

Over the past week, the Board Development Committee interviewed four candidates for the vacant Trustee position, left by resignation of Rick Martin. In appointing a Trustees, those already on the Board have an opportunity to determine the character of the Board for a set amount of time that they do not have during a regular election. Choosing among the four excellent candidates, the Committee deliberated over the best fit for the Board today. They unanimously agreed to recommend Terry Cottrell to the full Board for the appointment.

From last night's Library Board meeting

For personal reasons, I was unable to attend last night's Board meeting. Lisa Pappas, our fabulous Assistant Library Director who keeps day-to-day operations running smoothly, filled in for me.

The Board discussed doing a comprehensive community survey. The concept of a PC-based survey, with postcard, newsletter, and press release notification to residents of the URL for the survey, was the favored approach. They are carefully considering what information they want to gather before moving forward.

In response to the change in the requirements for notary public services from Public Act 095-0988, the library will no longer offer notary services for real estate transactions, including but not limited to refinancing or other types of real estate loans, purchases, sales, beneficial interest in land trusts and deeds. Notary public services will continue for documents such as tax forms, passport applications, and petitions for political office.

The proposed Downtown Plainfield Historic District's possible effect on the Library's future expansion at its present location was discussed. The original 1941 library building would be the focus for the Library's inclusion in the Historic District. The process for review of plans and demolition permits for future library expansion would remain the same, regardless of the creation of the Historic District. As a tax-exempt entity, there would be no tax advantages for inclusion in the Historic District for the Library.

I was grateful to receive feedback from Library Trustee Dr. Pat Miller that I was mentioned by name by the speaker at a recent Library Trustee training event she attended on technology privacy issues and record keeping, as an example of a forward-thinking library director.

Question of the Day: Can the Library Board scale the project back? Can't you wait?

The short answer: they already did both.

The long answer: Generally, libraries use a 20-year planning horizon, as set forth in Serving Our Public: Standards for Illinois Libraries. Most building bonds are 20 year duration and that's about how often libraries propose referenda to their constituency. Despite outstripping all population projections for the Library District's service area by 2003, the Library's Board of Trustees chose to wait while the school and fire districts ran referenda to ensure they could keep up with the demand for service. They examined the existing building and made renovations in 2004 within it to get by for several more years.

From the beginning of the expansion planning process in 2006, the Library Board targeted 2010, the year the 1990 building bonds are paid off and the Library District is contracted to purchase a piece of property owned by the Village of Plainfield adjacent to the downtown Library. One of the first activities of the planning process was development of a Space Needs Analysis, based on population projections and Illinois library standards.

When the Space Needs Analysis showed a need of 135,000 square feet of library space to serve a population of over 124,000 by 2030, the Library Board considered both the potential impact to the taxpayers and the fulfillment of the need for library service. They chose to scale back the project to 100,000 square feet of library space that would serve a population of up to 95,000. Anticipating 2 years from groundbreaking to opening day, a significant wait is included in this timeline even if the referendum passes in April.

The Library Board waited from 2003, when the Library was only 35% too small, until 2009, when the building is now 60% too small according to Illinois library standards and local demand for service. The Library Board scaled back from the 20-year planning standard and 135,000 square feet of space to a 12-15 year planning horizon and 100,000 square feet of space.