The Regular Meeting of the Eisenhower Public Library District Board of Trustees May 15, 2025.
CALL TO ORDER
Vice President Magnelli called the meeting to order at 7:31 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Magnelli, Magnuson, Ross, Ringelstein, Krebs.
Absent: Braun, Parent.
Also Present: McPhillips, Bacarella, Bitters V., Stam, Lewis, Williams.
Also Present Electronically: Clark.
Absent: Wittmann.
RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
Joe Ringelstein was in attendance.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Trustee Krebs moved, seconded by Trustee Ross, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD APRIL 17, 2025 BE APPROVED. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried.
ELECTION REPORT
Consolidated Election—
The Cook County Clerk canvassed and posted the Official Certificate of Results for the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election as follows: Elizabeth Ringelstein 52.13% with 893 of the votes, Scott Parent 47.87% with 820 of the votes.
ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Ringelstein moved, seconded by Trustee Ross, THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED SINE DIE. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned sine die at 7:32 P.M.
The Reorganization Meeting of the Eisenhower Public Library District Board of Trustees. May 15, 2025
CALL TO ORDER
Trustee Magnelli, serving as Vice President Pro Tem, called the meeting to order at 7:33 P.M.
OATHS OF OFFICE
Trustee Magnuson, serving as Secretary Pro Tem administered the Oath of Office to newly reelected Trustee Ringelstein. The Board extended their congratulations to her.
ROLL CALL
Present: Magnelli, Ross, Magnuson, Ringelstein, Krebs.
Absent: Braun, Parent.
Also Present: Bacarella, Stam, Lewis, McPhillips, V. Bitters, Williams.
Present Electronically: Clark.
Absent: Wittmann
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
President—
Trustee Ross NOMINATED TRUSTEE BRAUN TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT. Trustee Magnuson. seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations, the nominations were closed.
Vice President—
Trustee Magnuson NOMINATED TRUSTEE MAGNELLI TO SERVE AS VICE PRESIDENT. Trustee Ringelstein seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations, the nominations were closed.
Treasurer—
Trustee Krebs NOMINATED TRUSTEE RINGELSTEIN TO SERVE AS TREASURER. Trustee Magnelli seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations, the nominations were closed.
Secretary—
Trustee Ringelstein NOMINATED TRUSTEE MAGNUSON TO SERVE AS SECRETARY. Trustee Ross, seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations, the nominations were closed.
Trustee Ross moved, seconded by Trustee Magnuson, THAT THE NOMINATED SLATE BECOME THE ELECTED SLATE. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried. Congratulations to our new officers.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Dan McPhillips advised that per Director Wittmann’s report the financials look good. There were a couple of line items that may go over the budgeted amount. We received a chunk of property tax money in April and we received another $24,000 in interest in the Illinois Funds account.
APPROVAL OF CURRENT BILLS
Trustee Krebs seconded by Trustee Magnuson, THAT REGULAR PARKWAY CHECKS 31741 THROUGH 31797 TOTALING $783,576.49 FOR THE MONTH OF MAY; MANUAL PAYMENTS TOTALING $19,628.98 FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL; CHECKS 31634 31666 VOID; APRIL NET WAGES TOTALING $152,836.05; APRIL PAYROLL TAXES IN THE AMOUNT OF $63,824.29; AND APRIL IMRF GOV ONE DEBIT IN THE AMOUNT OF $25,291.15 AND GENERAL OBLIGATION LIMITED TAX DEBT CERTIFICATE– SERIES 2016 IN THE AMOUNT OF $652,072. A Roll Call Vote on the Motion was taken and the results were as follows: AYES Magnelli, Ross, Ringelstein, Magnuson, Krebs. NAYS None. ABSENT Parent, Braun. The motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Island Within a City Committee Meeting—
The committee met this evening and they are going to vote on the Editor’s proposal in June.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Editor Proposal—Jennifer Storelli—
The Board will vote on the proposal at the June 26, 2025 Board meeting. Dan reported that Director Wittmann was waiting to hear back from Jennifer to discuss the timeline.
NEW BUSINESS
Schedule of Board Meeting Dates—
Due to the posting requirements for the tentative budget the August meeting needs to take place August 14 which is the second Thursday of the month. The proposed schedule for 2025-2026 will continue to start at 7:30 P.M. in the Conference room at the Library. Trustee Krebs moved, seconded by Trustee Ross, TO APPROVE THE SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEETING DATES FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR WITH THE AUGUST 14, 2025 DATE. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried.
By Laws Review—
The board plans to review the Bylaws and discuss them in June. Trustee Ringelstein raised a concern about electronic voting being included in the current Bylaws, stating she believes it may not be permitted. Ellen Bacarella said she would investigate the issue and make any necessary changes to ensure compliance with the Open Meetings Act (OMA).
ILLINET/OCLC Services Agreement—
ILLINET/OCLC Services provides group pricing for cataloging and resource sharing for all Illinois libraries as negotiated with OCLC by the Illinois State Library. This service allows the library to add our holdings to the ILLINET/OCLC database, which makes them discoverable to Libraries throughout the country, to request items for Interlibrary Loan from Libraries outside of SWAN, and to draw from the information contained in the database for our own records. This member renewal agreement is for FY2026. Trustee Magnuson moved, seconded by Trustee Ross, TO AUTHORIZE DIRECTOR WITTMANN TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH THE ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY RENEWING THE ILLINET/OCLC SERVICES PROGRAM AGREEMENT FOR FY2026. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried.
Disposal of Library Surplus Property—
Trustee Krebs moved, seconded by Trustee Ross, TO APPROVE THE DISPOSAL OF LIBRARY SURPLUS PROPERTY. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried.
REthink Owner Solutions, LLC. Proposal—
Dan reported that the library plans to replace all door swipe systems and recommends working with Justin Pathmann from REthink as an advisor throughout the pre-construction phase, including the bidding process. Both Dan and Director Wittmann recommended to the board that the library contract with Justin for this role. Trustee Krebs moved, seconded by Trustee Magnuson, TO APPROVE THE PROPOSAL FROM RETHINK OWNER SOLUTIONS LLC. A Roll Call Vote on the Motion was taken and the results were as follows: AYES Magnelli, Ross, Ringelstein, Magnuson, Krebs. NAYS None. ABSENT Parent, Braun. The motion carried.
Social Services Assistant Job Description—
The Board will review the Social Services Assistant Job Description and vote on it in June.
Six Month Raise—
Trustee Krebs moved, seconded by Trustee Ross, THAT JASON VONGERICHTEN’S ANNUAL SALARY BE INCREASED FROM $52,500 A YEAR TO $54,075 EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2025. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried.
Annual Raise—Valerie Pazos—
Trustee Magnuson moved, seconded by Trustee Krebs VALERIE PAZOS’ ANNUAL RATE BE INCREASED FROM $38,259 TO $39,407 EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2025. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried.
Personnel Changes—
Aseel Hussein has been hired as an Adult Page, with her first day scheduled for Saturday, May 17, 2025. She previously worked as an Adult Tech Clerk.
Any Other Business—
There was no other business.
Joe Ringelstein left the meeting at 7:43 P.M.
LIBRARY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Dan McPhillips reviewed Director Wittmann’s report with the board. He reported that Kindness Day was a success, with over 200 attendees, and included a puzzle and craft swap. Dixie and Natalie led a neighborhood clean-up with several volunteers. The team received 48 survey responses. Dixie also reported on the Wellness Fair, which hosted 27 vendors and had a steady turnout with positive feedback.
The current Social Work Interns are leaving, but Natalie will remain on temporarily. The Staff In-Service Day is scheduled for May 16, to be led by RJM, covering security training and emergency procedures with Director Wittmann. Lastly, Trustee Magnelli noted that the west side of the parking lot needs cleanup. On June 20, 2025 the Library staff will be attending a Dogs baseball game.
COMMUNICATIONS
There were no communications.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements.
ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Ross moved, seconded by Trustee Krebs, THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED. A voice vote was taken and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 P.M.
