2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 LIBRARY CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MINUTES
June 9, 2009
Room 278 City Hall
Tuesday June 9, 2009
City Hall: Room 278
One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, California 94102
ORDER OF BUSINESS
I. Call to Order, Roll Call/Introductions, Sue Cauthen, Chair 6:05 PM
Present: Sue Cauthen, Lucille Cuttler, Shanika Dismuke, Houston Garcia, Linda Guitron, Roger Kallen, Margaret Lee, Neil Mills, Clarice Moody, Jan Seeman, Stina Skewes-Cox, Gladys Soto, Peter Warfield, Dan Weaver
Absent: Ted Bamberger, Enne Braun, Mike Olinger
II. Select minutes-taker (Jean Barish)
III. The meeting was opened to public comment on items not on the agenda. There was none.
IV. SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY (SFPL) BUDGET FOR FY 2009-2010
Panelist Presentations:
Maureen Singleton, SFPL Budget Manager
Ms. Singleton presented Budget Comparison Data, comparing the FY 09-10 estimates (of revenue and expenses) as of 2/20/09, and 6/1/09. The estimated FY 09-10 budget is 0.23% less than that in FY 08-09. She pointed out that between February '09 and June '09, the estimated budget was increased by 1.35%. Additionally, there was a small increase in the Book Budget for FY 09-10. Although funding from the General Fund is less in FY 09-10, that decrease is offset by an increase in revenue from other sources. There is a 3.71% (or $3 million) decrease in set-aside money (the Library Preservation Fund).
Other highlights are: The Office of Public Finance estimates a second sale of BLIP revenue bonds in 2010; Capital & Debt Service will significantly increase in FY '01, and; costs for Services of Other Departments will increase by almost 4%.
Overall, Ms. Singleton feels the library budget is healthy, and did not decline nearly as much as originally anticipated.
Manish Goyal, Library Budget Analyst, Mayor's Office of Finance
With the Mayor's Office, the library worked hard to find efficiencies and strengthen core services. LCAC should attend the Board of Supervisor's meeting when the library budget is discussed. The budget is currently a work in progress.
Pending labor agreements will impact the budget, and will require technical adjustments depending on the outcome of the negotiations.
Projected is a cut in funds for closed circuit television (CCVT) and an increase in the Writers Corps fund. The Writer's Corps is a program that involves working with the Art Commission on literacy training. It targets teachers who are writers and partners them with youth to improve their skills. The project is currently budgeted at $170K, and is proposed to rise to $310K in FY 09-10. SFPL will absorb most of the cost previously paid by the Department of Children Youth and Their Families (DCYG). Mr. Goyal thanked Ms. Singleton for supporting the Writer's Corps.
Questions/Comments from LCAC:
P. Warfield: How much will the Art Commission spend on the Writer's Corps?
M. Singleton (MS): The Art Commission will budget $60K, the remainder will come from the SFPL budget.
N. Mills: Please provide more information about the bonds you are planning to offer.
MS: The first group of 25-year bonds totaled $34 million and was sold March 17 for 5.38% and was offered by Bank of New York/Mellon. Bond rating was AAA, The second series is planned for 2010 and will fund construction of North Beach and Bayview branches.
D. Weaver: Is there a hiring freeze, and how do you determine which jobs will not be filled.
MS: There has been a “slowdown” in hiring that has affected every department. The library has reprioritized jobs, which is a big job, including going to the Mayor's Office. Several librarian jobs are awaiting final approval, as are jobs for pages, technicians, and others.
S. Cauthen: How did the book, IT and A/V budget evolve from a $1.1 million increase to no increase to the current increase?
MS: A group within the library develops the budget based on needs for enhancements. One consideration when ordering new books is whether there is enough staff to catalogue the new books. The book budget for FY 09-10 increased by $556K. It is not likely to change.
L. Cuttler: What about HR?
MS: This can be maintained.
P. Warfield: Could you please clarify "Services of Other Departments?" Could this be a raid on the library's budget to support other departments?
M. Goyal agreed to provide a breakdown of this item. He said the Mayor wants SFPL to help the city.
C. Moody: The proposed budget looks good. The library has avoided draconian cuts.
S. Cauthen: Please explain the term "Debt Service."
MS: This is interest on borrowed money (or bond interest). Think of it as a mortgage payment. It cannot be adjusted.
MS would like the LCAC to pass a resolution supporting the proposed budget. She is unsure if there will be an opportunity for public comment at the Board of Supervisor's meeting.
FIVE MINUTE RECESS AT 7:05
Meeting Called Back to Order 7:10pm
S. Cauthen presented the letter she sent on behalf of the LCAC to Bill Wycko, Planning Department environmental review officer, regarding the North Beach Library Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
Motion: D. Weaver moved to support the SFPL budget as presented for FY 09 -10. The motion was seconded by L. Guitron.
Discussion of Motion:
Budget Issues:
· It appears that other departments might be getting subsidized by the library's budget, and library monies may be going to non-library functions.
· LCAC should support retaining the increase in the collection budget and the increase in hours of operation.
· There is a need to know more about "Labor" expenditures. Who is under this section, and what are they doing?
· What does the PR portion of the budget cover? This should be discussed at a future meeting.
· Staffing is an important issue that should be discussed in the future.
· LCAC should ask for a presentation or more information about Staffing, "Other Departments," and PR.
Final Motion for Vote: "LCAC supports the SFPL 2009-2010 Budget, and is pleased that it retains an increase in collection funds and money for additional open hours."
Aye: Cauthen, Cuttler, Dismuke, Garcia, Guitron, Kallen, Lee, Mills, Moody, Seeman, Skewes-Cox, Soto, Weaver
Nay: Warfield
Motion Passed
V. OLD BUSINESS
Flyer (L. Guitron):
The final flyer was presented for approval. It is in the form of a multi-lingual (English, Spanish, Chinese) bookmark that will be given to city librarian Luis Herrera for distribution to all the public libraries.
LCAC unanimously approved the flyer/bookmark
Haight Ashbury (Park) Library
D. Weaver presented a motion commending the SFPL for its response to Park Branch Library neighbors’ concerns. L. Cuttler seconded the motion.
Discussion:
Discussion focused on whether this motion accurately reflects ongoing problems with both the product and the process of this renovation. e.g., The SF Preservation Consortium expressed concerns about renovations. Additionally, hundreds of people are concerned about the process and the design.
Final Motion for Vote: "LCAC commends the San Francisco Public Library for its prompt and effective responses to branch renovation concerns of Park Branch Library neighbors."
Aye: Cauthen, Cuttler, Dismuke, Garcia, Guitron, Kallen, Lee, Mills, Moody, Skewes-Cox, Weaver
Nay: J. Seeman, G. Soto, P. Warfield
Motion Passed
VI. OFFICER REPORTS
Election:
S. Cauthen is running for another term as Chair. Vice Chair Cuttler also wants to retain her position.
Annual Report:
The Executive Summary of the LCAC Annual Report was presented for review.
The following changes were recommended:
Delete Par. 5, Page 1
· Revise the last paragraph, page 2 as follows: "...Aided by the talented DTIS official Jennifer Schuler..."
· Include the new LCAC bookmark with each report
· Review the accuracy of listing Dan Weaver as an "Ex-Officio" member of the LCAC
· The report cover will be green
Approval of the Executive Summary of the LCAC Annual Report was unanimous.
City Budget Reform:
Supervisor Avalos is working on a Budget Reform proposal Supervisor Dufty has proposed a Charter Amendment. LCAC will consider a resolution on the subject.
VII. APPROVAL OF MAY MINUTES
R. Kallen moved to approve the May, 2009, Minutes as amended ; seconded by G. Soto.
A vote was taken to approve the May 2009 Minutes
Aye: Cauthen, Cuttler, Dismuke, Garcia, Guitron, Kallen, Lee, Mills, Moody, Soto, Warfield, Weaver
Nay: Seeman
Motion to Approve Minutes Passed.
VIII. ADJOURNMENT 8:25pm
