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OKAY.TODAY IS TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2026.
THE CITY OF DALLAS MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD, REGULAR MEETING FOR AUGUST HAS BEEN CALLED TO ORDER.
AT 5:00 PM WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT.
EAGLE NOTICE HAS BEEN POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, AND THIS MEETING HAS BEEN DULY CALLED.
UM, BUT THAT ITEM TWO ON TODAY'S AGENDA WILL BE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
DO WE HAVE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE REGISTERED TO SPEAK? WE DO NOT.
ITEM THREE IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MEETING ON JUNE 30TH, 2026.
IS THERE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? WAIT A SECOND.
UHHUH ON, UH, THE JUNE 30TH MEETING.
AND IT ALSO SAYS THAT IT WAS ENT ILLINOIS JUNE 30TH.
BUT THERE WASN'T A GIANT STORM.
I MEAN, YOU WANNA, I THOUGHT THERE WAS ANOTHER MISTAKE.
I THOUGHT THAT, UM, DEBBIE WAS THERE, BUT MAYBE I'M JUST THINKING OF DEBBIE WAS AT HAMPTON.
I REMEMBER SITTING FIVE THERE.
SO WE JUST NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK.
SO WE NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK ATTENDANCE BECAUSE THIS MAY BE, SO I THINK YOU CAN PROBABLY MOVE TO APPROVE WITH THOSE CORRECTIONS, ATTENDANCE, ATTENDANCE AND LOCATION.
THE, THE BIG ONE IS LAYING NEXT TO MY PURSE.
SO CAN WE MOVE TO, UH, IS THERE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL AMENDING TO CORRECT ATTENDANCE AND LOCATION OF THE MEETING TO APPROVE WITH CORRECTIONS.
THERE'S A MOTION BY, UH, COMMISSIONER HARDING IN A SECOND.
AFTER, AFTER OUR TWO MONTH SUMMER BREAK, I KNOW THIS IS A DIFFICULT TIME FOR THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
AS THE SYSTEM FACES SIGNIFICANT BUDGET, PROPOSED BUDGET REDUCTION AND LAYOFFS.
DESPITE THOSE CHALLENGES, OUR LIBRARY CONTINUES TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO RESIDENTS.
AND I WENT TO BEGIN BY COMMENDING LIBRARY STAFF FOR A FANTASTIC SMART SUMMER READING PROGRAM.
MY CHILDREN ENJOYED THE KICKOFF AT LOCKWOOD BRANCH AND ALSO SELECTED THEIR BOOK PRIZES HERE AT PLEASANTER GROVE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
UM, LIBRARY SERVES AS AN IMPORTANT THIRD SPACE IN THE SUMMER, PARTICULARLY DURING HOT DAYS, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO SEE EQUEST HORSES.
I GREW UP BYLER PARKS, SAW MOANA PERFORM AT BOOKMARKS, MET ANIMALS AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY NATURE EXPO.
AND I SAW SO MANY FAMILIES AND KIDS ENJOYING THAT WAS FREE RESOURCES THIS, SO THAT'S JUST A SAMPLING.
UM, ALSO WENT TO PRE PRAISE THE AMERICA TWO 50 PROGRAMMING.
I, WE HAD A BIG CELEBRATION WELCOMING THE DALLAS COPY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE BACK TO CENTRAL.
UM, ALSO WENT TO THANK RETIRED LIBRARIANS, MARVIN STONE AND CAROL ROE, WHO CURATED, UM, A BOOK DISPLAY ON REVOLUTION BOOKS.
LAST WEEK, I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE TO ATTEND CONGRESSMAN YEEZY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF $250,000 IN COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING AT THE WEST BRANCH.
UM, AND HARDING ALSO DISTRICT SIX BOARD MEMBER DEB ARMSTRONG AT THAT EVENT.
AND FINALLY, THE BUDGET HALLS CONCLUDE TONIGHT.
I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD FROM RESIDENTS ADVOCATING FOR THE LIBRARY, UM, THEREFORE TONIGHT INCLUDING ONE IN PLEASANT GROVE.
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AND ALSO I WANT TO WELCOME YOU BOARD MEMBER JOSE KRUGER, REP REPRESENTING DISTRICT FOUR.JOSE, DO YOU HAVE ANY INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS TO ME? HE'S A DIRECTOR.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR YOU, YES.
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS UP, THIS LINK AVAILABLE.
I, I APPRECIATE IT AND I'M HAPPY TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE MEETINGS AND LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A CONTRIBUTOR MEMBER OF THE BOARD.
UM, AND FINALLY, IN LIGHT OF THE, YESTERDAY OF E PARTONS PASSING, I WENT TO CLOSE WITH A QUOTE FROM HER.
SHE ONCE SAID, YOU CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH BOOKS INTO THE HANDS OF ENOUGH CHILDREN.
AND SO DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY, OF COURSE, SEEKS TO DO THAT.
WELCOME TO THE PLEASANT GROVE BRANCH LIBRARY.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL BRANCH I VISITED WITH MY CHILDREN.
I KNOW IT WILL BE A FANTASTIC FLAGSHIP.
UM, WENT TO INTRODUCE, UM, BRANCH MANAGER PATRICK, WHO'S WITH US HERE.
HE'S WORKED HERE SINCE 2015, ORIGINALLY FROM OMAHA, NEBRASKA.
HE'S BEEN A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN SINCE 1999.
FIRST JOINED THE SYSTEM IN 2013 AT PARK FOREST BEFORE MOVING HERE IN 2015.
HE JUST GAVE US A LOVELY TOUR BEFOREHAND.
AND PATRICK, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE US SOME MORE INFORMATION? SURE.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE IN BODY YOUR SPIRIT.
UM, WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT TODAY ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD WE'RE IN, THE PATRONS WE SEE, AND SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE TRY TO SERVE THEM.
UM, SO THE PLEASANT GROVE BRANCH LIBRARY COVERS PLEASANT GROVE.
UH, BUT WE ALSO COVER THE TON HILL AREA, UM, NER TERRACE, PIEDMONT ADDITION.
UM, WHEN YOU SAY PLEASANT GROVE, THAT ACTUALLY GOES A LITTLE FURTHER THAN WHAT WE ACTUALLY SERVE.
THE SERVICE AREA OF THIS BUILDING THAT MY HANDS ARE DOING.
UM, SO OUR SERVICE AREA IS BORDERED ON THE WEST AND THE SOUTH WITH THE GREAT TRINITY FOREST.
UM, UP ON THE NORTH IS AND ACROSS SAE EUROPE THERE.
UM, HERE, UH, BUCKNER BOULEVARD LOOP 12 IS GONNA BE OUR EASTERN BOUNDARY.
UM, THAT'S KIND OF A SEMI POR KIND OF THING BETWEEN US, THE PRAIRIE CREEK BRANCH LIBRARY.
UM, SO ORIGINALLY THERE WAS THE PLEASANT GROVE BRANCH LIBRARY, WHICH WAS ON BUCKNER BOULEVARD IN 2010.
IT BECAME TWO LIBRARIES ON THE SAME EXACT DAY.
UM, AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GETTING THE TWO CONFUSED PRETTY MUCH EVER SINCE
UH, SO THERE'S A LOT OF COLLABORATION THAT GOES ON WITH THE PRAIRIE CREEK BRANCH, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF OUTREACH.
UM, THEY DO THINGS AT SCHOOLS AND REC CENTERS ON THIS SIDE OF BUCKNER.
WE DO THINGS AT SCHOOLS AND REC CENTERS ON THAT SIDE OF BUCKNER.
UM, WE JUST KIND OF TALK IT OUT AND FIGURE OUT WHO'S GOT STAFF AND WHO CAN GO THERE AND HELP 'EM OUT ON WHATEVER DAY.
UM, SO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE, UM, PREDOMINANTLY HISPANIC.
THERE'S ALSO LARGE, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN AND BLACK COMMUNITIES.
UM, FAMILY ORIENTED, OFTEN BILINGUAL, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 58 AND 78% OF THE HOUSEHOLDS IN OUR SERVICE AREA REPORT THAT SPANISH IS A LANGUAGE THAT'S SPOKEN QUITE A BIT.
UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TRY TO REFLECT IN OUR SERVICE.
UM, ON THE TOUR YOU SAW THAT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF SPANISH LANGUAGE MATERIALS, UM, STAFF, NEARLY HALF OF THE STAFF IS FULLY FLUENT IN SPANISH.
SO WE DO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE IN WHATEVER LANGUAGE THEY'RE MOST COMFORTABLE IN INTERACTING WITH US IN, WHETHER THAT BE THROUGH PROGRAMS OR THROUGH, UH, ONE-ON-ONE COMPUTER HEALTH SESSIONS, PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UM, HISTORICALLY WE TEND NOT TO BE A SUPER HIGH CIRCULATING COLLECTION COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHERS.
HOWEVER, OUR BUSYNESS DOES MANIFEST ITSELF IN THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE COMING INTO PROGRAMS. UM, OUR PATRONS SHOW UP, YOU KNOW, FOR FAMILY PROGRAMS. THE PARKING LOT OUT THERE WILL BE COMPLETELY FULL.
IT WAS FULL FOR THE, UH, SMART SUMMER KICKOFF PARTY THAT WE HAD AT THE END OF MAY, BEGINNING OF JUNE.
I FORGET EXACTLY WHEN THAT WAS.
UH, BUT WE HAD PEOPLE PARKING ON THE SIDE STREETS IN ORDER TO COME INTO THAT.
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SUCCESSFUL EVENT.UM, TAX PREPARATION IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO IN THE SPRING THAT ALWAYS HAS A VERY BIG CROWD.
UM, DURING THE SUMMERTIME, ON THURSDAY MORNINGS, WE'D HAVE 70 TO 90 PEOPLE SHOW UP FOR BILINGUAL STORY TIME THAT ALWAYS PACKED IN THE PARKING LOT.
THE ENTIRE CHILDREN'S AREA WAS FULL OF PEOPLE RUNNING AROUND HAVING FUN LEARNING STUFF.
UM, WE'VE GOT A BLACK BOX THEATER IS ONE OF THE NOTABLE FEATURES OF THIS BUILDING, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TRY TO KEEP BUSY WITH CULTURAL PROGRAMMING RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S A GROUP SETTING UP IN THERE, UH, THE BIG HEART THEATER.
AND THEY DO, UH, PLAYS PUT ON BY AND FOR ADULTS AND TEENS WITH INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT DISORDER.
UM, AND SO THE PLAY THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS GOING TO BE ON SEPTEMBER 12TH IS THE PERFORMANCE.
IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT BRANDON AND ICE CREAM.
UM, AND I'M SURE IT'S GONNA BE ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC AND THE BUILDING WILL BE SO FULL OF ACTIVITY THAT DAY.
UM, OTHERWISE EVERY SUNDAY OR EVERY SATURDAY MORNING, WE'VE GOT A GED CLASS TAUGHT BY THE WILKINSON CENTER THAT MEETS IN THIS ROOM.
UM, THEY'VE GOT 30 PEOPLE SHOWING UP FOR THAT ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
UM, WE PARTNER WITH THE OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE TO BRING IN PERFORMANCES, UM, FROM DIFFERENT ARTISTS PERFORMING GROUPS.
WE'VE GOT HARVEY A THEATER IS GONNA BE DOING, DOING A PRESENTATION COMING UP FOR HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
UM, WE PARTNER WITH ANIMAL SERVICES COME OUT AND THEY DO, UH, ANIMAL ADOPTION EVENTS, WHICH IS ALWAYS REALLY NICE.
PEOPLE COME TO THE LIBRARY, WIND UP LEAVING WITH A DOG OR A CAT.
IT, IT IS, IT'S A FAIRLY BUSY BUILDING.
UM, BUT PEOPLE ARE GLAD TO COME IN AND, UH, WE'RE GLAD TO SEE.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, A QUESTION.
JUST BEING SO CLOSE TO THE TRINITY RIVER AON CENTER, DO YOU EVER GET TO PARTNER WITH THEM? WE DO.
WE HAVE THEM OUT HERE, UM, COUPLE TIMES OVER THE SUMMER FOR, UH, BIRD WATCHING.
UM, SOMETIMES THEY COME OUT AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY GOT ANIMALS THAT THEY DO DEMONSTRATIONS FOR, UM,
UM, SO YEAH, WE DO LIKE TO PARTNER WITH THEM.
WE GO DOWN THERE AND WE SET UP TABLES WHEN THEY'RE HAVING EVENTS, COMMUNITY RESOURCES.
WHEN WE HAD OUR KICKOFF PARTY, THEY WERE HERE, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT THEIR SERVICES.
'CAUSE THE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S, IT'S THERE AND IT'S SO CLOSE AND IT'S A GREAT RESOURCE.
AND I, I LOVE THAT IT'S IN OUR SERVICE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
I KNOW MONICA IS GOING TO BE PRESENTING ON THE BUDGET.
UH, BEFORE I PLUNGE INTO BUDGET, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL KNOW THIS, BUT CATHERINE AND I, ANN, CATHERINE, ANN AND I MEET BEFORE EVERY MEETING AND WE PREP THE AGENDA AND WE SORT OF THOUGHT THIS MONTH WOULD BE BUDGET THAT YOU ALL MIGHT HAVE A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS.
SO WE'RE GONNA LEAVE A LOT OF TIME AND SPACE MM-HMM
FOR, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUDGET.
BEFORE WE GET THERE, I WANTED TO, IF YOU DON'T MIND A POINT OF PRIVILEGE, TURN IT OVER TO SEAN.
WE CAN DO THE FACILITY AND BOND REPORT FIRST, AND THEN WE WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TRYING TO, TO PUSH THAT IN RIGHT AT, AT THE END.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE REER BRANCH, LAKEWOOD BRANCH STILL HAS SOME WORK TO BE DONE.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET THEM OPEN FOR THE TOWN HALLS BY PUTTING IN SOME TEMPORARY PARTITIONS.
THAT SEEMED TO WORK PRETTY WELL CONSIDERING, UH, THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
UM, BUT THAT SAID, THE FINAL PARTITIONS ARE EXPECTED BY THE 27TH.
WE HAVE A VENDOR OUT OUT EAST PENNSYLVANIA THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, AND THEY'VE JUST BEEN DELAYED AND DELAYED AND WE'VE BEEN DOING EVERYTH WE CAN TO GET THEM OUT HERE.
AS SOON AS THOSE GET IN, THAT'S REALLY ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO GET THOSE PARTITIONS INSTALLED.
WHERE FOR BOTH BRANCHES AT LAKEWOOD.
AND RENTER GOAL IS TO HAVE EVERYTHING PROBABLY GO OUT SEPTEMBER.
NOW, THE SINK THAT'S IN THE, THE WOMEN'S RESTROOM, IS THAT THE PERMANENT SINK? YES.
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THE SINK.IT JUST, THE ONLY THING NOT PERMANENT ABOUT THE BATHROOMS AT LAKEWOOD ARE THE PARTITIONS.
DID YOU SEE THE BOTTLE DISPENSER THOUGH? YEAH.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE COOLEST BOTTLE.
YES, THOSE ARE ONE, WELL, IT'S BOTTLE.
OH, FILL YOUR, BUT IT'S LIKE A FUTURISTIC, LIKE BEER BOTTLES.
THAT'S NOT, THAT'S OUR NEW REVENUE PLAN.
MARIA
AND IT WILL BE, WE HAVE HOPEFULLY, FINGERS CROSSED BY NEXT WEEK, HAVE COMPLETED ALL THE BATHROOM RENOVATION PROJECTS THAT WE HAD GOING ON.
UM, AND THEN WE WANT TO OTHER, SO WE ALSO HAVE THE, UH, THE
SO OF COURSE WE KNOW THERE IS A BATHROOM PROJECT OUT THERE AS WELL THAT'S WORKING MOVING FORWARD AND COINCIDING WITH THE BUILD BACK.
THAT'S HAPPENING OVER AT, UM, THE BRANCH ITSELF.
THE FRM DEPARTMENT HAS BEGUN DOING THEIR BUILD BACK WORK.
THERE WAS A MEMO THAT WENT OUT BY THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO DESCRIBE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE THERE.
WE'RE ALSO STILL WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE RISK DEPARTMENT ON THE REPORT OR GETTING AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S SALVAGEABLE, ET CETERA, SO THAT WE CAN BE IN OUR ASPECT OF PUTTING BACK INTO THE BRANCH.
WE'RE STILL ENTIRELY UNCLEAR ON A TIMELINE FOR THAT, BUT, UM, WE WILL LET, LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE HAVE, HOPEFULLY AS FAR AS TON ROYAL, THE RENOVATION.
SO IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS SINCE WE MET BOND, THE OFFICE OF BOND AND THE ARCHITECT LPA, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY ON THE BUDGET ASPECT OF THE DESIGN.
AND WE'VE RECENTLY REENGAGED WITH THEM IN THE LAST WEEK.
AND WE'VE STARTED UP OUR MEETINGS THAT ARE MORE REGULAR NOW.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S A NORMAL PART OF THE PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, THEY SHOW US THE, THE SCENES AND THE DESIGNS THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH, AND THEN WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY FIND OUT WHAT WE CAN AFFORD.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH AND WE'VE HAD PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS AND WE SHOULD HAVE MORE UPDATES IN THE NEXT MONTH IN TERMS OF TIMELINES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE, UH, OTHER THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT, OF COURSE, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME ACTION IN THE WORLD,
I'M GONNA PASS A PHOTO AROUND.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SEE IT.
THE ARTIST FROM POLAND, WE EXTRUSIVE CAME OUT AND WORKED ON IT HIMSELF TO HAVE THAT INSTALLED FOR US.
AND IT IS A LIGHTED SCULPTURE THAT WE CAN DO ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS WITH OVER TIME.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE THE VICKERY PARK BRANCH THAT'S GONNA GET A MURAL, AND THAT'S SOON TO GET STARTED HERE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
WE'RE WORKING ON THE FINE TUNINGS OF THAT BECAUSE THERE'S SOME 3D ELEMENTS THAT WE NEED TO INCORPORATE FOR THAT.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE GOING UP IN LATE SEPTEMBER, MONDAY OUTSIDE.
AND THEN DID, DOES SOUND GO AWAY? YES.
CAN YOU ALL HEAR? YOU ARE BACK.
WHY DON'T YOU START THE OAK LAWN.
SO, YES, JUST TO, FOR THOSE WE DIDN'T HEAR, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE OAK LAWN BRANCH AND THE PUBLIC GUARD, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAD INSTALLED THE, THE RAINBOW STEPS THERE RECENTLY.
WE HAD SOME CHALLENGES WITH THE PAINT BECAUSE OF THE HEAT.
SO YOU MIGHT NOTICE SOME BARRICADES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AS OF RIGHT NOW, THAT'S TEMPORARY.
WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH THE ELEMENTS TO GET THAT HEAT REPAIRED AND, AND PROPERLY INSTALLED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT BE EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECT BE.
BUT WE'RE ALSO EXCITED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'VE STARTED THE WORK ON THE COLUMNS.
THERE ARE, THERE IS A MURAL THAT'S BEING INSTALLED ON THE FOURTH COLUMN
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OUTSIDE BRANCH.AND THAT WORK IS STARTED AS OF TODAY.
AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THAT ARTIST.
UM, START, I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT TIMELINE WHEN THE EXPECT TO FINISH PRETTY QUICK.
THIS, I HAD THE SEPTEMBER 20TH, UH, IS THE GOAL.
UM, AND YEAH, THOSE ARE MY MAJOR UPDATES FROM THIS MEETING.
AND YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'M AFTER AND WE HAVE LOST THE OWL VIDEO AND AUDIO, SO IF YOU ALL CAN'T HEAR US, UH, LET US KNOW AND WE WILL REPEAT.
UH, SANDRA, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? SHE UNMUTE.
FELICIA, CAN YOU UNMUTE HER? OH, I'M SORRY.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO SAY I COULD HEAR.
UM, SEAN, I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE OUT THE OUTDOOR AREA THAT'S NOW FENCED AT CENTRAL IS, IS, ARE THERE MORE? YEAH.
PROJECT, THAT PROJECT THERE, THERE'S MORE TO COME.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE DID THE FENCE PROJECT.
WE ALSO HAVE ALL OF THE FURNITURE.
WE'RE GONNA PULL THAT FURNITURE OUT WHEN IT POOLS OFF.
WE, WE KNOW IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE WELL USED THIS TIME RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'LL GET IT OUT HERE REAL SOON.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE INSTALLED SOME LANDSCAPING OVER THERE TO GET STARTED WITH, BUT OF COURSE THERE'S MUCH MORE PLANNED FOR THE ACTUAL GARDEN ONCE PROGRAMING GETS GOING.
I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE EXPECTING THE FALL OR WHEN THAT MAY HAPPEN, BUT SOON.
UM, ANOTHER PROJECT THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE TOO IS WE'RE, WE'RE REPLACING THE EXTERIOR DOORS ON THE FOUR CORNERS THAT HAVE BEEN PROBLEMATIC IN THE PAST YEARS.
AND WE HOPE TO HAVE THOSE REPLACED BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.
AND, UH, THAT WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO
THEY'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE REMOVAL OF THE PORTA POTTY, ET CETERA.
I HAVE QUESTION AS FAR AS THE MURALS ON THE PORT COLUMNS AT
WE DID A SOLICITATION PROCESS TO SELECT NEW HARVEST AND ULTIMATELY THEY HAVE SIGN THAT, THAT WE WENT TO SEE THAT HERE
SO AS SOON AS WE KNOW WHEN THAT IS, WE'LL SHARE IT WITH THE GROUP.
ANY MOVEMENT AT ALL ON PARK FOREST? NOTHING TO REPORT NO.
I HAVE TO ASK ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR SEAN.
UM, REAL QUICK, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, THAT EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON, I SENT YOU THE SMART SUMMER REPORT.
I HAVEN'T REALLY HAD A CHANCE TO ABSORB IT MYSELF.
I CAN TRY TO ANSWER BETWEEN MELISSA AND I.
WE CAN TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE OR WE CAN, I'LL TAKE QUESTIONS BY EMAIL OR WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT AT A, AT A FUTURE MEETING.
BUT I WANTED TO GET THIS OUT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ASSUMING, UH, DONNA HAD A CHANCE TO PRINT IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE ANYONE ELSE HAD A CHANCE TO, IT DIDN'T WORK ON MY
BUT IF ANYTHING, ONCE YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT, UM, LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS.
WE HAD A, ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR, OUR NUMBERS ARE UP, SO ON A HIGH LEVEL THAT IS A VERY GOOD THING.
BUT THIS IS A, IT'S A DEEP REPORT, SO TAKE YOUR TIME AND LET ME, LET ME KNOW.
SO, UH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
SO ON THE REPORT ON THE BRANCHES OF PEOPLE REGISTERED FOR EACH BRANCH, IS THAT WHERE THEY ORIGINALLY GOT THEIR LIBRARY CARD OR NO, THAT'S WHERE THEY REGISTERED FOR SMART SUMMER, RIGHT? THEY INDICATE THE BRANCH, IS THAT RIGHT, MELISSA? THEY INDICATE THE BRANCH OR THEY WERE THE STAFF FROM A PARTICULAR BRANCH VISITED THEIR CAMP AND SIGNED 'EM ALL UP.
DO YOU KNOW, MELISSA, DOES IT DEFAULT TO THE LOCATION? THEY DON'T ENTER THEIR LIBRARY CARD AT A DEFAULTS TO THEIR HOME LOCATION.
SO THEY'RE ACTUALLY ENTERING A LOCATION? YES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, READY FOR BUDGET? SO WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD DO IS GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW.
THIS IS NOT GONNA BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I SHARED IN MY EMAIL THAT I SENT TO YOU ON AUGUST 7TH, BUT I
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JUST WANTED, UH, TO REMIND YOU ALL SORT OF THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH.SO THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT THE CITY HEARD THE COMMUNITY AND THE COUNCIL HEARD THE COMMUNITY AND NO LIBRARIES WILL BE CLOSING.
HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL, UH, WE WERE STILL ASKED TO FIND NOT ONLY THE $2.6 MILLION IN BUDGET SAVINGS, WE WERE ASKED TO FIND ADDITIONAL CUTS OF APPROXIMATELY $700,000.
SO THAT BRINGS OUR TOTAL FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET TO $3.3 MILLION.
AND IN A MOMENT, I WILL BREAK DOWN, UH, WHERE WE'RE FINDING THOSE BUDGET SAVINGS.
BEFORE I DO THAT, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION TO THE BOARD THAT IF YOU TAKE LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR, THOSE THREE YEARS COMBINED, WE WILL HAVE EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION OF $6.5 MILLION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN SAYING AT BUDGET TOWN HALLS IS THAT WE'VE REALLY REACHED THE LEVEL OF FUNDING AT THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY WHERE WE REALLY CAN OFFER CORE LIBRARY SERVICES.
CORE LIBRARY SERVICES TO ME ARE BOOKS, BUILDINGS, AND BRANCH PROGRAMMING.
SO WHEN WE GET INTO WHERE SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS WERE FOUND, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY I AM, WHY I AM SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT IN A POSITION ANYMORE TO REALLY OFFER MUCH BEYOND CORE SERVICES.
SO HERE'S HOW WE'RE FINDING THAT 3.3 MILLION MILLION.
YOU MAY RECALL THAT THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDINGS CLOSING, I TOLD THE BOARD SEVERAL TIMES THAT CLOSING LIBRARIES SAVED OUR WOULD'VE SAVED HOURS AND IT WOULD'VE SAVED STAFF BECAUSE THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS TO BE FOUND IN THE CLOSURE, THE OPERATION NOT HAVING TO OPERATE THOSE FOUR BUILDINGS ANYMORE.
SO WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO SAVE THOSE DOLLARS THROUGH CLOSING THE LIBRARIES, WE HAD TO FIND THEM IN WHAT IS OUR LARGEST BUDGET BUCKET AT THE LIBRARY, WHICH ARE PEOPLE.
SO TO MEET THE REQUIRED SAVINGS, WE ARE ELIMINATING 72 POSITIONS ACROSS THE LIBRARY SYSTEM.
NOW, WE WERE HOLDING VACANCIES PARTLY FOR THE 32 POSITIONS THAT WE WOULD'VE ELIMINATED IF WE HAD CLOSED THE FOUR LIBRARIES.
AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY, UH, HAS A HIRING FREEZE IN PLACE.
SO ANYONE WHO LEFT DURING THE HIRING, UH, THE HIRING FREEZE, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FILL.
SO WE HAVE 37 VACANCIES THAT WE ARE ELIMINATING OF THE 72.
HOWEVER, THAT LEAVES 35 EMPLOYEES, ACTUAL PEOPLE SITTING IN JOBS WHO RECEIVED REDUCTION IN FORCE NOTICES ON AUGUST 8TH AND NINTH.
THOSE PEOPLE HAVE GUARANTEED EMPLOYMENT THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, AND THEN THEIR POSITIONS WILL NO LONGER EXIST.
I DO WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, POST OTHER VACANCIES THAT WE HAD THAT WE WERE, WE DID NOT ELIMINATE.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE BRANCH MANAGER POSITIONS THAT WE SIMPLY, WE NEED THOSE TO OPERATE THE LIBRARY.
SO WE HAVE POSTED THOSE POSITIONS INTERNAL TO THE CITY AND ENCOURAGE THOSE RIFT EMPLOYEES TO APPLY FOR THOSE.
WE WILL ALSO BE REDUCING HOURS AT ALL LOCATIONS EXCEPT FOR BOOKMARKS AND THE FUTURE FLAGSHIP LIBRARIES.
THE FLAGSHIP LOCATIONS WILL INCLUDE THE SAME ONES YOU'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT FOR A YEAR.
HAMPTON, ILLINOIS, VICKERY PARK, FRET PARK, BACHMAN LAKE, AND PLEASANT GROVE.
AND PLANNING CONTINUES AS BUDGET ALLOWS IN FUTURE YEARS TO OPEN LOCKWOOD AND HIGHLAND HILLS AS, UH, AS FLAGSHIP LIBRARIES WITH THE FIRST FIVE.
OF COURSE, YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY THIS BEFORE, 87% OF DALLAS RESIDENTS WILL BE WITHIN A 15 MINUTE DRIVE OF A FLAGSHIP LIBRARY.
ONCE WE OPEN ALL SEVEN, THAT'LL BE PRETTY CLOSE TO A HUNDRED PERCENT.
I DO WANNA SAY THAT BECAUSE THIS COMES UP, PEOPLE ASK, IF YOU DIDN'T OPEN THE FLAGSHIPS, WOULD YOU STILL HAVE TO REDUCE HOURS? AND THE ANSWER IS YES.
THE HOURS REDUCTION IS DUE TO THE BUDGET SAVINGS.
IF WE DID NOT OPEN THE FLAGSHIP LIBRARIES, IT WOULD ONLY RETURN TWO HOURS PER WEEK PER NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY, NOT INCLUDING CENTRAL.
IT'D ONLY BRING BACK TWO HOURS.
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WHAT WE WOULD LOSE BY NOT OPENING THE FLAGSHIPS.THE FLAGSHIPS ARE A CRITICAL PART OF THE, THE FUTURE VISION OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SO THAT WAS THE 2.6 MILLION YOU'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THE WHOLE YEAR, THAT ADDITIONAL 700,000 WE ARE FINDING IN THE SUN SETTING OF THE ADULT LEARNING DEPARTMENT.
WE ARE WORKING WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS OF GREATER DALLAS AND DALLAS COLLEGE AND THE WILKINSON CENTER AS PARTNERS TO OFFER GED AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING CLASSES IN SOME OF OUR LOCATIONS, NAMELY THE FLAGSHIPS AND THEN, UM, PRAIRIE CREEK.
BECAUSE BETWEEN PLEASANT GROVE AND PRAIRIE CREEK, THESE ARE OUR BUSIEST LOCATIONS FOR ADULT LEARNING.
NOW, IN NO WAY DO I WANT TO IMPLY THAT THAT WILL BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR WHAT WE OFFER NOW.
IT IS NOT, IT WILL NOT BE AT THE SAME LEVEL.
IT WILL NOT BE AT THE SAME DEPTH AND BREADTH.
AND IT WILL AND IT WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO MANY OF OUR CURRENT STUDENTS.
WE HAVE A VERY LOW BARRIER TO ACCESS PROGRAM RIGHT NOW WHERE WE DON'T EVEN ASK FOR PEOPLE'S NAMES.
AND THESE PARTNERS RECEIVE FEDERAL AND STATE MONEY, WHICH REQUIRES THEM TO HAVE STUDENTS PROVE THAT THEY HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO WORK IN THE UNITED STATES.
THERE ARE SOME SMALL NONPROFITS IN DALLAS THAT DO OFFER LOW BARRIER TO ACCESS PROGRAMS. AGAIN, NOT AT THE SAME LEVEL AS US, BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE BRANCHES HAVE THAT INFORMATION SO THEY CAN REFER STUDENTS TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE WILL BE REDUCING HOURS AT THE ARCADIA PARK LIBRARY.
THIS IS A VERY SPECIFIC MOVE BECAUSE IN LOOKING AT DATA, IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT ARCADIA PARK IS VERY WELL USED BY THE DISD SCHOOL THAT IT'S CONNECTED TO, BUT IT IS NOT VERY WELL USED BY THE COMMUNITY AT ALL.
IT IS UNDERPERFORMING AS A PUBLIC LIBRARY.
TO GIVE YOU A COMPARISON, HAMPTON ILLINOIS IS ALSO A-D-I-S-D CO-LOCATION AND THEY CHECK OUT 900% MORE ITEMS TO THE COMMUNITY THAN ARCADIA PARK CHECKS OUT.
THE COMMUNITY IS NOT USING ARCADIA PARK.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO RE WE ARE GOING TO REDUCE THE HOURS DOWN, UM, SO THAT THEY ARE ONLY OPEN NINE TO FIVE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
SO REALLY JUST TO SERVE THE SCHOOL AND THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
AND THAT ALLOWED US TO, UH, ELIMINATE ANOTHER FOUR POSITIONS.
SO THAT IS HOW WE GOT TO $3.3 MILLION IN SAVINGS.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARIES, UM, WILL BE OPEN TUESDAYS THROUGH SATURDAYS AND THEY WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 8:00 PM TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
SO THAT IS ONE ADDITIONAL EVENING THAN THEY OFFER NOW, AND THEY WILL HAVE CONSISTENT HOURS.
SO THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARIES WILL BE CLOSED SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS.
BUT REMEMBER, YES, START, THIS ALL STARTS OCTOBER 5TH.
BUT EVEN THOUGH THOSE BRANCHES WILL BE CLOSED SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS, REMEMBER EVERYONE IS WITHIN A 15 MINUTE DRIVE OF A FLAGSHIP THAT'S OPEN THOSE DAYS.
AND NOT ABOUT ALL OF OUR LOCATIONS ARE OPEN SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS NOW.
IT IS JUST A SMALL HANDFUL BY STANDARDIZING THE HOURS, I THINK THAT IT WILL MAKE IT MUCH EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW WHEN WE WERE OPENED, WHEN WE ARE OPEN AND WHEN WE CAN, THEY CAN EXPECT THEIR LIBRARY TO BE AVAILABLE.
AS DENISE ALWAYS SAYS, SHE NEVER KNOWS WHEN THE LIBRARIES ARE OPEN.
SHE JUST DRIVES BY AND LOOKS FOR THE LIGHTS THAT ARE OPEN
SO WE ARE STANDARDIZING THE BRANCHES, WE ARE OPENING THE FLAGSHIPS CENTRAL WILL ALSO REDUCE HOURS, UM, NOT BY A DAY.
THEY WILL STILL BE OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK, BUT THEY WILL NO LONGER BE OPEN IN THE EVENINGS.
CENTRAL WILL CLOSE AT SIX O'CLOCK DURING THE WEEK.
THEY ARE NOT CENTRAL, IF NOT WELL USED IN THE EVENINGS TO BEGIN WITH.
SO WE, WE THINK THAT THIS WILL, UM, WILL NOT BE MUCH OF AN IMPACT.
AND THEN CENTRAL WILL BE OPEN SUNDAY AFTERNOONS AND I'LL SEND YOU THE HOURS.
THEY'RE ALSO ON OUR WEBSITE AT DALLAS LIBRARY DOT ORGS SLASH REIMAGINE.
THE HOURS ARE THERE IF YOU WANNA LOOK AT THEM.
AND THEN BOOKMARKS IS GOING TO OPEN ON SUNDAYS.
SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE THE, THE BIG MOVES.
AND, AND THAT IS WHAT IS BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL RIGHT NOW AS PART OF THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
AND FOR THE ADULT LEARNING DEPARTMENT MM-HMM
[00:35:01]
NOW OR WON'T BE SHUT DOWN UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER? IS THERE GONNA BE ANY OVERLAP AT ALL BETWEEN THE TRANSITION? SO THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO START THEIR FALL SEMESTER ON SEPTEMBER SOMETHING, THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER.I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE.
IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE FOR THEM TO START THAT SEMESTER.
SO THEY JUST SORT OF FINISHED THE LAST SEMESTER AND WILL NOT START A NEW ONE.
THE STAFF RIGHT NOW ARE WORKING ON THAT REFERENCE LIST SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT OUT THE NONPROFIT LIST, ALL OF THE PLACES WE CAN REFER PEOPLE TO.
UM, BUT AT THIS, AT THIS POINT, THE GED TESTING CENTER IS STILL OPEN AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY.
I BELIEVE MELISSA, UM, ONLINE CLASSES, THEY'RE NOT HAPPENING.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT IS STILL BEING OFFERED AS PART OF THE ADULT LEARNING CLASS BEFORE SEPTEMBER ACADEMY? THAT'S THE ONLINE GET BOARD.
IT'S THE SELF PACE SELF-PACED SOUTHWEST.
AND THAT ONE WILL CON CONTINUE BECAUSE OUR CONTRACT, WE STILL HAVE A CONTRACT AND IT'S, IT DOESN'T REALLY TAKE, UM, MUCH STAFF INTERVENTION, IF ANY, FOR, FOR THAT TOO OCCUR.
HOW MANY DO WE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE THIS IMPACTS BY ELIMINATING THESE PROGRAMS? SO WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS HOW MANY ATTENDEES WE HAD IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.
BUT THAT DOES NOT EQUATE TO PEOPLE BECAUSE WE KNOW WE HAVE REPEAT STUDENTS.
SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A NUMBER OF 21,000, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, UH, DISCREET PEOPLE THAT IS.
WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T KEEP, KEEP TRACK OF THAT.
AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS, DO WE KNOW HOW MANY OF THAT 21,000 WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS IN DALLAS COLLEGE PROGRAMS? WE DON'T BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KEEP TRACK OF THAT, UNFORTUNATELY.
WHO WAS THAT? WAS THAT DEVON? YEAH.
UH, CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT LOUDER? JEVON? YES.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? THAT'S BETTER.
THANKS FOR, UH, THE UPDATE ON THE BUDGET.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HEARD CORRECTLY FOR ARCADIA PARK, UM, WE ARE ALIGNING TO THE DALLAS ISD SCHOOL HOURS.
AND YOU SAID THAT STEIN OF NINE TO FIVE, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
AND ESSENTIALLY, UM, SATURDAY WILL BE CLOSED NOW, CORRECT.
AND NO MORE EVENINGS? IT'S NOT AN EXACT ALIGNMENT WITH THE SCHOOL HOURS BECAUSE THEY OBVIOUSLY KIDS GET OUT BEFORE FIVE O'CLOCK, BUT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO, TO SERVE THE KIDS RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE STAYING OPEN UNTIL THEN.
AND, UM, ONE LESS, CAN YOU TELL ME, UM, HOW MANY POSITIONS WERE ELIMINATED OVERALL? OVERALL, 72 POSITIONS ARE PROPOSED TO BE ELIMINATED.
SO ARCADIA PARK NOW WHEN SCHOOL CLOSES FOR THE SUMMER ARE NOW WHAT, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE WE HAVE THE ANSWER OKAY.
THEN THE OTHER ONE IS, UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER IN, UM, POSITIONS THAT YOU'RE GONNA ADVERTISE INTERNALLY FOR THE, HOW MANY DO YOU THINK WE HAVE AVAILABLE? WE CAN GIVE YOU THAT.
YEAH, THE QUESTION WAS HOW MANY POSITIONS DID WE POST INTERNALLY? THE OTHER THING, AND, AND AS THEY'RE LOOKING THAT UP, THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT THERE ARE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS DOING THE SAME THING.
AND OUR RIFT EMPLOYEES ARE, IF THEY'RE ELIGIBLE, I MEAN, IF THEY QUALIFY FOR A JOB, THEY CAN APPLY FOR A JOB IN ANOTHER DEPARTMENT.
THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED AND EITHER 106 OR 108 CITY EMPLOYEES WHO, UM, WHO ARE RIFT.
AND THE CITY ELIMINATED, I BELIEVE 296 POSITIONS.
I CAN SEE THAT SEAN'S LOOKING IT UP.
WE, WE HAD DONE A REQUISITION FOR 2121 WORK IN THE, IN LIBRARY SYSTEM, CORRECT? CORRECT.
UH, WE ALSO WORKED WITH DALLAS COLLEGE AND WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS.
UH, THEY HAD SOME OPENINGS AND THEY POSTED THEM WITH THE THOUGHT THAT, UH, SOME OF OUR ADULT LEARNING STAFF COULD APPLY AS AS WELL.
SO AS, AS YOU PROBABLY HEARD DONNA, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH POSITIONS FOR ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE'RE RIFFING.
SO 71 BUT 41 OF THOSE, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE RIGHT WORD,
[00:40:01]
RECOUPED INTERNALLY, LIKE WILL BE REPOSTED INTERNALLY.SO DOES THAT MEAN IT'S LIKE 30 SOMETHING THAT ULTIMATELY ARE GOING TO LOSE THEIR JOBS? AM I THINKING ABOUT THAT CORRECTLY OR IS THAT WELL, UM, YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK BUT NOT, SO WE HAVE 21 POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE POSTED AND WE HAVE 35 EMPLOYEES WHO ARE BEING RIFED.
SO THE IDEA IS THAT WE WOULD HOPEFULLY FILL THE 21 POSITIONS WITH 21 OF THE 35.
BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEE BECAUSE WE MAY HAVE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED FOR SOME OF THESE OPENINGS.
I MEAN, WE HAVE MANAGER POSITIONS OPEN AND THE QUALIFICATION WE HAVE, WE HAVE OTHER STAFF WHO ARE BEING LET GO WHO MAY NOT QUALIFY TO EVEN APPLY TO BE A MANAGER.
SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A ONE-TO-ONE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
ON THE CHANGE IN HOURS, I WANTED TO ASK, 'CAUSE I KNOW I'VE RACED TO YOU.
I LIKE OPENING AT NINE, ESPECIALLY WITH ON THE WEEKEND WITH YOUNG KIDS GETTING THERE AT NINE.
SO, SO WHY 10 TO 10? I WOULD SAY IT'S A, IT'S A PHILOSOPHICAL DECISION.
EVERY HOUR THAT YOU PUT IN THE MORNING IS AN HOUR YOU CAN'T USE IN THE EVENING.
AND THIS IS JUST MY LONG HISTORY IN LIBRARIES.
IN, IN THAT 10 IS A PRETTY STANDARD TIME FOR A LOT OF LIBRARIES AROUND THE COUNTRY TO OPEN.
IT'S A GOOD, IT'S RIGHT, IT'S BEFORE NAP, SO IT'S ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE NAP TIME.
SO YOU COME AT 10, YOU CAN DO A STORY TIME, YOU GET YOUR BOOKS, YOU GO HOME AND YOU NAP.
AND EIGHT O'CLOCK IS SO VALUABLE FOR PEOPLE AFTER WORK FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GATHER AND STUDY FOR TUTORING.
THAT I WOULD HATE TO GIVE UP THAT HOUR JUST TO OPEN AT NINE.
WE ALSO FIND A LOT OF OUR LOCATIONS ARE VERY, VERY QUIET FROM NINE TO 10.
OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? HAVE YOU HEARD FROM ANY OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ON POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS BEING PROPOSED OR ANY CHANGES TO THIS AT SAVINGS? SAVINGS SUPPOSED TO SAY? UH, SO I THINK MAYBE, YES, THERE HAVE BEEN PUBLIC STATEMENTS MADE BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT TRYING TO FIND MONEY TO RESTORE TO THE LIBRARY'S BUDGET.
UM, I'LL REMIND THE BOARD, AND ESPECIALLY FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS, HOW THIS, HOW THIS WORKS.
SO THE CITY MANAGER RELEASES HER PROPOSED BUDGET TO COUNCIL AND IT IS A BALANCED BUDGET.
AND THEN COUNCIL GOES THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED AN AMENDMENT PROCESS WHERE THEY PROPOSE CHANGES TO THAT BUDGET.
BUT IF THEY, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO RESTORE $3.3 MILLION TO THE LIBRARY'S BUDGET, THEY HAVE TO FIND IT SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE BUDGET.
AND THAT IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR CITY COUNCIL IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN RESTORING THE MONEY.
UM, AND IN A YEAR AS TIGHT AS THIS ONE WHERE THE IMPACT IS BEING FELT REALLY ACROSS THE BOARD, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG CHALLENGE, UH, FOR THEM.
I WILL SAY THAT THE CITY, CITY MANAGER, TOLBERT, IS TRYING A DIFFERENT APPROACH THIS YEAR.
SHE ASKED CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SUBMIT BY NOON YESTERDAY, PROGRAMS THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE RESTORED OR TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING GIVEN TO.
AND TOMORROW AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT SHE'S GOING TO PRESENT, UM, POSSIBLE WAYS FOR THAT TO HAPPEN WHERE SHE FINDS THOSE DOLLARS ELSEWHERE IN THE BUDGET RATHER THAN THEM HAVING TO FIND IT.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE AMENDMENT PROCESS.
AND SO WE'RE LIKELY TO SEE AMENDMENTS AT, AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS UNTIL THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED.
SOMETIMES ON ADOPTION DAYS IT, IT HAPPENS, RIGHT.
YOU SAW THIS HAPPEN WITH SKILLMAN WHERE IN YEAR ONE, COUNCIL MEMBER BLACKMAN WAS ABLE TO FIND SOME MONEY TO KEEP IT OPEN ON A REDUCED SCHEDULE, BUT THAT WAS ONE TIME MONEY AND THEN LAST YEAR SHE SIMPLY COULD NOT FIND THE SUPPORT, UH, AMONGST HER PEERS FOR AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD'VE KEPT IT OPEN FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR ACTUAL QUESTION, ANN, YES, THERE HAVE BEEN PUBLIC STATEMENTS MADE.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT.
[00:45:01]
BEING ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS, SO I'VE ONLY HEARD ABOUT THE CLOSURES AS A BLOG.IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT CLOSING LIKE ONE BRANCH OR IS THAT NOBODY HAS ANY APPETITE? I THINK THERE'S NO APP.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S NO APPETITE FOR CLOSING CURRENTLY FOR CLOSING, FOR CURRENTLY FOR CLOSING LIBRARIES.
I, I, THIS IS A TOUGH SUBJECT OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS THIS MANY TIMES AND IF WE WANT TO BE A WORLD CLASS 21ST CENTURY LIBRARY, UM, IT'S, IT'S HARD AT THIS LEVEL OF FUNDING.
AND SO I THINK THAT, I HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE WE CAN FIND, UM, IDEAS THAT CAN HELP US TRANSITION OUT OF LARGE STANDALONE BUILDINGS THAT ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN.
AND WHETHER THAT'S A RETAIL MODEL THAT REQUIRES FEWER STAFF AND LESS OPERATING DOLLARS, WHERE THEN WE CAN SUNSET A BRANCH BEHIND THAT.
UM, I THINK WE'RE ALL OPEN TO THAT CONVERSATION IN THE FUTURE.
THE, THE, IT'S JUST RIGHT NOW WITH NO PLAN TO FILL BEHIND THOSE BRANCHES, THERE WAS NO APPETITE FOR IT.
YOU, YOU'VE MENTIONED THE PASSPORT OFFICE OF A REVENUE GENERATOR.
IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING, IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE HOW THAT WORKS AND ALSO WOULD THAT MONEY COME BACK TO THE LIBRARY OR WOULD IT JUST GO TO THE CITY? APRIL? SO, YES, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UM, ANY REVENUE THAT THE LIBRARY RAISES GOES INTO THE CITY GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS WHAT FUNDS THE LIBRARY.
SO IT'S NOT THAT IT DOESN'T COME BACK TO THE LIBRARY, IT DOES IN THE FORM OF OUR BUDGET, BUT IT DOESN'T COME BACK TO US TO DO THINGS LIKE KEEP RESTORE HOURS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, WE MAKE REVENUE, UH, IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLACES NOW.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEONE LOSES A BOOK AND THEY PAY FOR IT, THAT'S REVENUE TO THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND TO RENT MEETING ROOMS. THAT'S ALSO REVENUE.
UH, THERE WAS, THERE'S BEEN DESIRE EXPRESSED FOR THE LIBRARY TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO RAISE MORE REVENUE.
AND TO ME, OPENING SOME PASSPORT OFFICES IS THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT.
THERE ARE LIBRARIES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT MAKE A LOT OF MONEY OPENING PASSPORT OFFICES BECAUSE, AND I'M, I DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS, BUT WHEN YOU GET A PASSPORT, YOU PAY TWO DIFFERENT FEES.
ONE FEE GOES TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT, THE OTHER FEE GOES TO WHEREVER YOU GOT THE PASSPORT.
IT'S IN THAT IT CAN ADD UP VERY QUICKLY.
WE CAN, I CAN GET YOU THE EXACT NUMBERS, BUT IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE 25 TO $35 RANGE PER PASSPORT AND THAT CAN ADD UP OVER, OVER TIME.
SO TO BE CLEAR, THAT WOULD BE RUN BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT IN THE LIBRARY? NO, NO, IT WOULD BE RUN BY THE LIBRARY.
AND THIS IS THE MODEL THAT LIBRARIES AROUND THE COUNTRY USE.
UM, WE DO NOTARY SERVICES RIGHT NOW, SIMILAR TO, TO THAT SORT OF THING.
IT CAN TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS OF WORKING WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO STAND UP A PASSPORT OFFICE.
THEY HAVE TO APPROVE EVERY LOCATION.
THEY DON'T JUST LET YOU OPEN ONE.
UH, THEY HAVE RULES AROUND HOW FAR YOU CAN BE FROM PA, OTHER PASSPORT CENTERS.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE FIGURING OUT HOW TO ACTUALLY STAFF IT AND TRAIN STAFF AND WHAT THAT'LL LOOK LIKE.
BUT WE'RE A COUPLE YEARS AWAY FROM THAT.
THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THEM, UH, IN THE FLAGSHIPS BECAUSE THOSE WILL BE THE LOCATIONS WITH THE LONGEST HOURS AND THE MOST OPPORTUNITY.
I WILL SAY, AS AN ASIDE, WHEN THE FRIEND SPONSORED A BUS TOUR AND WE WENT UP TO FRISCO, THEY HAVE A PASSPORT OFFICE, NOT IN THEIR LIBRARY, BUT IN THE, THE MALL.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE MALL IS CALLED.
AND THE DIRECTOR THERE, SHE WAS RELUCTANT TO TELL US THIS, BUT SHE DID END US UP TELLING US THAT, THAT SHE MAKES A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR ON THAT ONE PASSPORT OFFICE.
AND PARTLY THAT'S BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE HAS ONE.
SO SHE SAID SHE HAS PEOPLE COMING FROM WAXAHATCHEE.
SO IMAGINE IF THEY COULD JUST DRIVE UP TO HIGHLAND HILLS FROM WAXAHATCHEE INSTEAD OF DRIVING TO PLANO FOR THEIR EVENING PASSPORT APPOINTMENT OR THEIR SUNDAY PASSPORT APPOINTMENT.
THERE IS, THIS AREA IS RICH WITH OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE REVENUE OFF OF PASSPORT OFFICES.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE DRIVING, UM, AS, AS A, AS AN IDEA TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF, OF THE DIRECTIVE TO FIND, UH, TO MAKE REVENUE.
SO EVERY FLAGSHIP STARTING, WELL, THE ONES THAT ARE, THAT WILL BE FLAGSHIPS OCTOBER 1ST.
EVERY THINK EVERY ONE OF THOSE WILL HAVE,
[00:50:01]
I DON'T KNOW, A PASSPORT OFFICER.I CAN'T SAY BECAUSE THE PA, THE STATE DEPARTMENT DECIDES AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
BUT THAT'S THE GOAL BECAUSE THEY'RE OPEN THE MOST NUMBER OF HOURS.
AND THEN I'M, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.
SO IF THE, THE MONEY THAT, THE REVENUE THAT, THAT THE LIBRARY EARNS, DO THEY KEEP THAT OR DOES THAT GO GENERALLY? NO, IT GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND.
ALL REVENUE THAT WE RAISE GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS WHAT FUNDS OUR BUDGET.
SO WE TAKE MORE FROM THE GENERAL FUND THAN WE GIVE TO THE GENERAL FUND.
SO THAT'S WHY WE DON'T KEEP THAT MONEY BECAUSE WE'RE FUNDING THE FUND THAT FUNDS US.
IT'S WHY I THINK THE WATER DEPARTMENT IS THE ONLY WATER AND SANITATION IS THE ONLY DEPARTMENT THAT JUST IS COMPLETE
YEAH, THOSE ARE CALLED ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
DALLAS LOVE FIELD IS IN THERE.
SANITATION, DALLAS WATER UTILITY.
SO SO THEIR, THEIR FEES COME BACK TO THEM BECAUSE THOSE FEES FUND THEIR DEPARTMENT.
WERE FUNDED THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND, BUT WE DO NOT WANT TO BE AN ENTERPRISE FUND BECAUSE THEN WE'D HAVE TO COME UP WITH ALL OF OUR BUDGET.
IF WE WERE AN ENTERPRISE FUND, LIKE DALLAS LOVE FIELD, WE WOULD HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO RAISE $43 MILLION.
THAT DOESN'T SOUND VERY FUN OR POSSIBLE.
I THINK THERE SHOULD HAVE COFFEE IN THE WORLD FOR THAT
THAT'S, I WANTED TO ASK THE ABOUT FING THE LIBRARY.
'CAUSE YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT PART-TIME BEFORE YES.
DO YOU THINK THAT WILL CHANGE PART-TIME VERSUS FULL-TIME? WE WOULD LOVE THAT.
UM, OUR GOAL WAS TO USE VACANCIES BECAUSE WE WE'RE NOT GONNA CONVERT A FILLED POSITION INTO TWO PART-TIME POSITIONS BECAUSE SOMEONE'S IN THAT ROLE.
SO WE WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE LEAVES AND THEN WE CONVERT THAT VACANCY INTO TWO PART-TIME POSITIONS.
HOWEVER, AS PART OF THIS, THIS BUDGET SAVINGS, WE HAD TO ELIMINATE ALL OF THOSE VACANCIES.
SO IN THE NEW FISCAL YEAR, AS WE HAVE VACANCIES THAT WE WANT TO CONVERT TO PART-TIME, WE WILL WORK WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE TO DO THAT AS, AS, AS IS POSSIBLE.
BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT WITH EVERY POSITION.
LIKE WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE PART-TIME MANAGERS OR WHATEVER.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A PART-TIME ME EITHER.
PART-TIME FACILITIES DEALING WITH ALL THE BATHROOMS. NO, NO, NO, NO.
IT'S, IT'S MOSTLY WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE SPECIALIST PHYSICIANS AS THE POTENTIAL PARTTIME PHYSICIANS.
SO THOSE WILL BE VERY HELPFUL, UH, WITH THOSE SUNDAY HOURS, SOME WITH THE EVENING HOURS.
UM, RIGHT NOW, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, UM, 10 TO EIGHT, THAT'S A TWO SHIFT DAY.
AND SO SOME PEOPLE START IN THE MORNING AND THEN END MID-AFTERNOON IN THE EARLY EVENING, EV OTHER PEOPLE COME LATE MORNING AND THEN END IN THE EVENING.
SO THERE IS A CRUSH OF EMPLOYEES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY THAT YOU DON'T NEED ALL THOSE PEOPLE.
NOW YOU CAN SEND THEM OUT TO OUTREACH, YOU CAN HAVE THEM DO PROGRAMMING, BUT YOU STILL HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAN YOU NEED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.
PART-TIME HELPS SOLVE THOSE KIND OF PROBLEMS. SOMEBODY ANSWER DEBBIE? I THINK? DEBBIE.
UM, EARLIER, UH, THIS YEAR, POSSIBLY, I THINK IT WAS IN THE SPRING, I MET A PERSON NAMED JAN, UH, DANNY CHENEY FROM TEXAS WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS.
AND I HEARD YOU SAY THAT YOU ALL HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM.
THE, THE INFORMATION THAT HE HAD, HE WANTED TO MAKE A PARTNERSHIP WITH A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION OR A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION HERE IN THE, IN THE CITY WHERE SOME OF THEIR, UH, PEOPLE COULD COME AND HOLD THE POSITION, FILL A WORK SITE, UH, WELL WORK AT A WORK SITE, BUT THEY WOULD PAY THE SALARY FOR THAT PERSON.
AND HE IS THE COORDINATOR OF THE SEAL PROGRAM.
AND THE SEAL PROGRAM WAS SUMMER EARNING AND LEARNING, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT I'M WONDERING IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR LATER ON IN THE YEAR.
IT'S, UM, LIKE AN INTERNSHIP FOR PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE HELPING TO FIND, UH, POSITIONS.
AND IT'S DIRECTED MAINLY AT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT DISABILITIES, MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT
[00:55:01]
SOMEONE, UM, THAT IS PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.'CAUSE MY DAUGHTER WAS, UM, IN THE, IN A PROGRAM AT TEXAS WORKFORCE SOLUTION BECAUSE SHE WAS DEAF.
AND SO THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE WITH ALL KINDS OF SKILLS THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH.
BUT I JUST WONDERED IF YOU HAD HEARD OF DONNIE AND HIS PROGRAMS AND WE HAVEN'T HEARD OF HIM, BUT YOU KNOW, DEBBIE, I'M HAPPY TO TALK TO ANYONE YOU WANT ME TO TALK TO.
IF YOU WANNA PUT IT, IF YOU WANNA CONNECT US, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I KNOW I CONNECTED HIM WITH THE SENIOR SOURCE AND SOME OTHER, UM, AGENCIES AROUND HERE, BUT I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO FORWARD YOU AN INTRODUCTORY EMAIL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? HAND IS UP AGAIN.
SANDRA, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR IS THAT THE OLD HAND RAISED
OH, DID SHE BRING HERSELF OFF MUTE? OKAY.
I DON'T KNOW IF FELICIA, FELICIA, CAN YOU UNMUTE? SANDRA, DO YOU HAVE THE POWER? I WAS, I WAS TRYING TO UNMUTE HER, BUT FOR SOME REASON I CAN'T.
BUT SHE DID SEND HER QUESTION TO ME DIRECTLY AND I WILL FORWARD IT TO YOU.
CAN YOU JUST, CAN YOU JUST READ IT? YES.
SHE'S WANTING TO KNOW THE TITLES OF EACH POSITION.
LIBRARIAN CIRC SPECIALIST CATALOGING.
SHE WANTS TO KNOW THE TITLE OF POSITIONS THAT WERE RIF.
UH, I DON'T HAVE THAT ON HAND.
THE, THE TITLES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE RIFED? YES.
LITERACY INSTRUCTOR, LIBRARY MANAGER, OFFICE ASSISTANT.
UM, PUBLIC SERVICE
YOU CAN TELL WE'VE BEEN LIVING AND BREATHING THIS.
DID YOU CATCH ALL OF THAT, SANDRA? OKAY, GREAT.
HAVE THEY ALL BEEN INFORMED? OF COURSE.
THEY WERE INFORMED ON AUGUST, UH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH, THAT'S IT.
I THINK I SAID EIGHTH AND NINTH EARLIER.
BUT IT WAS THE SEVENTH AND THE EIGHTH WHEN THE BUDGET WAS RELEASED.
WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO INFORM STAFF BEFORE THE BUDGET WAS RELEASED.
AND SO ON THOSE TWO DAYS, UM, LEADERSHIP STAFF TRAVELED TO EVERY LOCATION AND SAT DOWN WITH EACH STAFF PERSON AND, AND TOLD THEM.
MELISSA AND I MET WITH THE ADULT LEARNING STAFF, THE ARCADIA PARK STAFF.
UH, IT WAS A TOUGH COUPLE OF DAYS.
SO CAN YOU REMIND ME HOW MANY TOTAL POSITIONS THERE WERE BEFORE THE RING? SEAN? NO.
DON'T ASK LIBRARIAN TO DO MATH.
WHAT WAS IT? SO UNDER 300 0 1, I KNOW YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT KIND OF WHAT YOU SEE AS A BASE NUMBER OF DAYS TO BE OPEN FOR A LIBRARY TO REALLY BE SERVING ITS COMMUNITY.
WHERE, WHERE DO YOU THINK WE'RE AT CURRENTLY? IS THIS YEAH, THAT'S SUCH A GOOD QUESTION.
I I THINK THAT WHAT I HAVE ASKED PEOPLE TO CONSIDER IS WHAT IS THAT BASE? UM, I MEAN I-I-I-I-I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ALL THE PATIENTS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
UM, I THINK FOR ME PERSONALLY, FIVE, FIVE IS, IS SORT OF THE FLOOR.
UM, ONCE YOU GET DOWN TO FOUR AND THREE AND TWO, IF THAT'S, THAT'S HARD.
IT'S HARD TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S HARD TO OFFER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT ARE VALUABLE.
UM, PEOPLE NEED COMPUTERS EVERY DAY.
THEY DON'T JUST NEED THEM ON WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS OR WHATEVER THOSE, THOSE DAYS ARE.
UM, THE ONLY LIBRARIES IN THE COUNTRY THAT I KNOW THAT ARE OPEN TWO OR THREE DAYS A WEEK ARE VERY SMALL,
[01:00:01]
VERY RURAL, AND IS THE NINTH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY.I WOULD EXPECT US TO BE OPEN MANY, MANY MORE THAN THAT.
I WILL SAY I LOOK FORWARD TO THE TIME WHEN WE GET TO TALK ABOUT THINGS OTHER THAN THE BUDGET.
I WOULD REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MM-HMM
AND YOU ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND IN-PERSON IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS OR WATCH ON YOUR COMPUTER.
AND IT IS VERY INTERESTING TO HEAR WHAT IS SAID AND WHAT IS DISCUSSED.
AND, UH, THE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS WILL START TOMORROW AT 9:00 AM MM-HMM
THAT IS THE FIRST BUDGET WORKSHOP.
THE NEXT BUDGET WORKSHOP IS, EXCUSE ME WHILE I LOOK THIS UP FOR YOU.
UH, SEPTEMBER 2ND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
NO, YEAH, YOU DON'T HAVE 'EM ON YOUR CALENDAR.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WILL FOLLOW.
WELL, THERE'S A COUNCIL MEETING EVERY WEEK, BUT THERE'S SOME DESIGNATED BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
DO YOU HAVE THAT IN HAND? THEY GOT A PICTURE ON MY WALL.
UM, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT LIKE THE CHANGED, OH, THE 16TH, SEPTEMBER 16TH IS ANOTHER BUDGET WORKSHOP, AND I THINK THAT'S BUDGET ADOPTION DAY.
THAT'S THE DAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO ADOPT THE BUDGET.
ALTHOUGH MY EXPERIENCE LAST YEAR WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T ADOPT THE BUDGET AND THEY PUSHED IT TO THE LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR.
AND LIKE I SAID, AMENDMENTS CAN BE PROPOSED AT ANY POINT IN THIS PROCESS.
SO, UM, WHAT WE SAID TO THE RIFT EMPLOYEES IS WHAT I'LL SAY TO YOU, WHICH IS THAT A LOT CAN CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND SEPTEMBER 30TH, IF YOU'VE BEEN ATTENDING ANY TOWN HALLS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, THE RED SHIRTS ARE COMING OUT FOR THE LIBRARY.
THERE IS STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE ADULT LEARNING DEPARTMENT.
UH, AND, AND IT IS IN THE HANDS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AT THIS POINT.
AND WITH THAT, UH, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.
ANY ASK QUESTIONS OR NO, UH, DENISE TALK.
AND I ALSO, I TALKED ABOUT THE SMART SUMMER AT THE OPENING AND I MEANT TO ALSO THANK THE BRANDS FOR THE WONDERFUL PROGRAMMING COURSE DURING SMART SUMMER.
OH, WE UPDATE ON LIKE EMAIL ADDRESSES WE TALKED ABOUT IN JUNE.
OH, CAN YOU GET TO MAYBE WE ADDRESS THAT? THE LAST SECTION, THE ANSWER IS, I THOUGHT SHE WAS THE LAST SECTION.
MAKE SURE THEY I KNOW I'M GONNA COME YES HERE.
UM, FOR THE BEST, FOR THE BEST WAY TO DO IT.
SO AS YOU KNOW, THE FRIENDS, UM, SORT OF HAVE TWO SIDES TO WHAT WE DO REGULARLY.
UM, ONE BEING FUNDRAISE AND PROVIDE, UM, SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS AND THE OTHER SIDE BEING ADVOCATE.
AND AS THE YEAR GOES ON, WE SWITCH BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THOSE TWO, UM, DUTIES.
AND WE ARE FULL TILT ON ADVOCACY SIDE OF THINGS.
AND SO I'VE SEEN A NUMBER OF YOU AT TOWN HALLS.
I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE SUPPORT, ALL OF THE RED SHIRTS AS YOU'RE ABLE TO BE OUT.
AND I KNOW THAT ALL OF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT LIBRARIES, UM, OUTSIDE OF TOWN HALLS, UM, SIMILAR SIMILARLY TO WHAT, UM, I HEAR, I HEAR A LOT OF THE COUNCIL PEOPLE BEING SUPPORTIVE OF LIBRARIES AND WANTING TO, UM, TO SUPPORT THEM, BUT THAT'S NOT REAL UNTIL IT'S REAL.
UM, AND SO RIGHT NOW OUR, OUR GOAL IN GENERAL IS TO ASK VERY SPECIFICALLY TO THIS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO RESTORE $3.3 MILLION BACK INTO THE BUDGET.
AND SO THAT'S THE SIMPLEST ASK THAT WE'RE MAKING.
WE'RE NOT CUTTING IT, WE'RE NOT SLICING IT, WE'RE NOT ASKING ANYTHING TO BE DONE EXCEPT PUTTING THAT BACK INTO THE SPACE.
UM, I WANT TO, I JUST WANNA SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE SORT OF HITTING B AND HITTING US AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF THIS.
UM, MANA HAD ALLUDED TO THIS EARLIER, THAT THE LIBRARY HAS SEEN $6.5 MILLION TO, I WAS 200,000.
I TOLD YOU,
THAT IS A VERY, VERY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, NUMBER OF MONEY THAT'S BEING DONE.
UM, THE BUDGET OF THE LIBRARY IS ABOUT 44 MILLION, THREE 40 MILLION.
THAT'S MORE THAN 10% OF A BUDGET THAT'S GONE OVER THIS LAST TIME, WHICH MEANS THAT IT'S, IT'S CONSISTENTLY BEING LOOKED AT.
AND THEN THE, UM, THE PERCENTAGE OF POSITIONS THAT ARE BEING ELIMINATED THAT ARE COMING FROM THE LIBRARY.
I THINK IT'S 24% THE ELIMINATED POSITIONS.
CAN YOU SAY THAT AGAIN? DO THE SECOND OF THE FILLED
[01:05:01]
POSITIONS.SO OF THE POSITIONS THAT ARE BEING ELIMINATED IN GLOBAL OF THE, OF THE RISKS THAT ARE BEING DONE, I'M SORRY.
THE RISKS THAT ARE BEING DONE, PERCENT OF THOSE WERE FROM THE RIF, THE CITYWIDE CITY CITYWIDE.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF, SO WHEN WE, WHEN WE'RE GOING TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL OF THIS, THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WE WANNA SHARE.
AND IN A ROOM LIKE THIS, I, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU CAN BE AND ALWAYS KEEPS ME, KEEPS ME CLOSER ON RULES OF WHAT THE LIBRARY WORK AND CAN'T DO.
BUT, UM, I DO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL THE SUPPORTERS.
YOU COMING, YOU WILL SEE US A LOT.
UM, I CAN'T CONTROL A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SCHEDULE.
I CAN TELL THEM WHERE TO GO AND I KNOW WHERE I CAN BE.
AND YOU PRETTY MUCH STAND AT SAME HALL OR IN THE
I WILL TELL YOU HOW THE MEETING WITH THE CITY MANAGER FRIENDS DID, WHICH WAS, UM, VERY LOVELY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND MEET HER.
AND OUR, UM, OUR, OUR, UM, MESSAGE TO HER WAS HELP US.
UM, WE, LET US HELP YOU USE THE LIBRARY AS A TOOL AS THE CITY IS BUILDING, UM, ALL OF DALLAS, BECAUSE WE HEAR A LOT OF THINGS COMING OUT OF THE CITY ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT.
AND MY ARGUMENT BACK IS YOU HAVE 29 BUILDINGS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY OF DALLAS ALREADY BUILT, READY TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN MAKE, UM, MAKE A REAL IMPACT.
SO, UM, WE'RE SEEING A LOT, SUCH A HARD YEAR.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING.
UM, AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, SMART NUMBER IS REALLY GREAT.
MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT THE REPORT.
THERE'S, UM, PAGES ON THE BACK OF, UM, OF LIKE TESTIMONIAL AND PARENT FEEDBACK AND PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY FANTASTIC TO HEAR THE DETAILS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING, UM, AND HOW PEOPLE ARE USING THE LIBRARY.
I THINK SUMMER IS THE WAY THAT CRYSTALLIZES EVERYTHING FOR US TO SHOW ALL OF THE THINGS THAT A LIBRARY DOES IN A VERY, VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
SO WE'RE REALLY LUCKY
SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME LISTEN CHAT, JAMES.
SO, AS DENISE ALLUDED TO, THERE ARE SOME LIMITATIONS TO WHAT WE CAN ALL DO AS A MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER.
SO WE ARE ALL CITY OFFICIALS AND AS A CITY OFFICIAL, WE CANNOT ADVOCATE OPENLY ON ANYTHING.
AND THAT'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, THAT'S THE BUDGET, THAT'S ALL THE THINGS.
SO I CANNOT GO INTO THE WORLD AND SAY I AM THE VICE CHAIR OF THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD AND HERE'S WHAT I WANT TO SEE.
HOWEVER, WE ARE ALL ALSO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF DALLAS AND HAVE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS AS INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO I CAN GO TO A BUDGET TOWN HALL IN THE RED SHIRT I GOT FOR FREE FROM DENISE THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO GIVE YOU ONE.
AND I CAN ADVOCATE AS A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT 13 AND SAY AS A RESIDENT AND A PERSON WHO LIVES IN DALLAS AND A PERSON WHO USES THE LIBRARY, HERE'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE.
IT'S A VERY FINE LINE AND ONE THAT WE NEED TO WALK PRETTY CAREFULLY, BUT BASICALLY DON'T USE YOUR TITLE AND DON'T USE YOUR OFFICIAL POSITION AS YOUR FOUNDATION FOR YOUR ADVOCACY IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND MANIA CAN ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THAT AND WE CAN GET CLARIFICATION FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE IF YOU NEED THAT.
BUT WE DID, UH, CATHERINE DID SEND OUT SOME CLARIFICATION ABOUT THAT TO EVERYONE ABOUT A WEEK OR SO AGO.
UM, AND SO IF WE WRITE A LETTER TO OUR CITY COUNCIL PERSON WHO APPOINTED IT, BUT WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, I GIVE MY REPORTS, I SAY THIS APPOINTEE DISTRICT 14 AND, BUT WHEN I CONTACTING, SUPPORTING THE LIBRARY, I JUST SIGN MY NAME AND NOT CORRECT.
UM, NEXT, WANTED TO MOVE TO THE PROPOSED MEETING CALENDAR FOR 20 26, 20 27 FOR DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE'VE STARTED ROTATING MEETINGS ACROSS DIFFERENT BRANCHES TO GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND I THINK WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY FEEDBACK ABOUT THE DATES OR THE ROTATING MEETING LOCATIONS? WE JUST NEED TO ADOPT THE DATES.
UM, JUST HAVE WE NOTICED ANY ATTENDANCE PATTERNS? I HAVEN'T
[01:10:01]
BEEN ON THE BOARD VERY LONG BEFORE I STARTED.UM, THAT MIGHT BE A QUESTION FOR FELICIA.
THE QUESTION WAS, HAVE WE NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCE IN ATTENDANCE PATTERNS SINCE WE STARTED MEETING OUTSIDE OF CENTRAL? I THINK NO, NO.
ABOUT THE SAME ABORTION IN PERSON VERSUS YEAH.
I I DO WANNA TAKE A, A POINT OF PRIVILEGE C IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO START COMING IN PERSON.
I, I KNOW THAT IT, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE A, A DRIVE TO DO IT AND OTHER TIMES IT'LL BE REALLY CLOSE TO YOU AND NOT BE A DRIVE.
BUT I DROVE 52 MINUTES TODAY TO GET HERE, SO NO EXCUSES.
BUT IT IS MAGICAL TO SEE ALL OF THE, THE LOCATIONS AND UNDERSTAND HOW BIG WE TRULY ARE.
I MOVE APPROVAL OF THE MLB CALENDAR FOR 20 26, 20 27.
IT'S, WE ARE NOT, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE LOCATIONS AT THIS POINT.
WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE DATES.
ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY, HEARING NONE.
THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
WE HAVE, UM, NEW BUSINESS, OTHER DISCUSSION.
I, UM, ROBIN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO RAISE THE QUESTION.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE ASKING IF YOU HAD ANY MORE QUESTIONS IN GENERAL.
UM, NO, I JUST WAS CURIOUS IF LIKE, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE USING A DIFFERENT EMAIL TRANSCRIPT, RIGHT? I HAD TOTALLY.
SO THE QUESTION WAS, UM, YOU ALL WERE TOLD YOU WERE TO RECEIVE CITY EMAILS AND TO USE THOSE COMPLETELY DROPPED OFF OF MY RADAR.
SO I'VE ALREADY SENT AN EMAIL TO FELICIA AND TO SALLY, UH, ASKING FOR AN UPDATE ON THAT AND WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU.
AND WE'RE GOOD TO USE OUR PERSONAL BILLS.
I MEAN, I THINK YOU HAVE TO FOR THE TIME BEING.
WE
SO YOU CAN CONTINUE USING YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL.
WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY ADDITIONAL UPDATES ON I THINK MAYBE TWO OR THREE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE RECEIVED, BUT AS SOON AS WE GET THEM, WE FORWARD THEM TO YOU.
SO WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY NEW ADDITIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING.
WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO, TO BRING UP ANY OTHER ITEMS? I'M SORRY, VERY TECHNICAL.
SO WHEN WE GET THIS NEW EMAIL ADDRESS, I MEAN I'VE GOT MY EMAIL TWO, TWO EMAIL BOXES AND TWO ADDRESSES COME TO ONE BOX AND ANOTHER.
HOW DO I GET YOU'LL HAVE A THIRD
I DON'T, WE'LL GET DIRECTIONS.
I'LL, I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE IN PERSON DIRECTIONS.
YOU CAN
JUST ORDER TO MAKE SURE WE REPLY FROM THE CIVIL EMAIL.
ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYONE? SAY WHERE THE NEXT MEETING IS, CRAIG? YES.
IS IT AT
I KNOW IT IS BECAUSE I INVITED DAR, MY CITY COUNCIL PERSON TO ATTEND.
THE QUESTION IS WHAT, SEPTEMBER 29TH.
SEPTEMBER 29TH OF VICTORY PARK.
YOU SEE THE COUNCIL VOTES ON THE BUDGET BEFORE SEPTEMBER 29TH.
I WILL SEND YOU AN EMAIL WITH WHAT HAPPENED SINCE THE MEETING IS SCHEDULED AFTER THE, THE, THE VOTE.
BAKERY PARK IS RIGHT BY NORTH PARK.
EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE NORTH PARK IS, SO COME TO THE MEETINGS.
SO IS THERE NO, OF COURSE, BUT NO OTHER COMMENTS.
THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 6:15 PM THANK YOU.
YOU ALL GOOD NIGHT? YES, IT'S RIGHT NEXT DOOR.