The next regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the East Hills Library.
Draft Minutes from the August 27, 2026 Board meeting:
Meeting of the Board of Trustees
August 27, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Carnegie Library
M I N U T E S
The Board of Trustees of the St. Joseph Public Library met on August 27, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at Carnegie Library. Trustees in attendance were Rosetta Ballew-Jennings, Bobbie Cronk, Harriet Gordon (via Zoom), Kyla Ward, and LaTonya Williams (via Zoom). Kathie Brunner, Kate Davison, and Jonht Slayden were absent. Library staff in attendance were Jenny Ellis, Katie Green, and Mary Beth Revels.
President Rosetta Ballew-Jennings called the meeting to order and roll call was taken.
Rosetta Ballew-Jennings opened the public hearing regarding the tax rate for SJPL. The legal tax rate ceiling for the library is $0.42 per $100 of assessed valuation. The library’s tax money comes from a $0.27 permanent levy and a $0.15 temporary levy that expires in 2039. The maximum amount that can be approved this year is $0.4175. Hearing no questions or comments from the public, the public hearing was closed.
Upon review of the meeting minutes, LaTonya Williams moved and Kyla Ward seconded that the July 23, 2026 minutes be approved as written. All Trustees in attendance voted “yes”. Motion carried.
Under the Report of the Treasurer, Bobbie Cronk moved and Kyla Ward seconded to approve checks #36262 through #36324, July electronic withdrawals, direct deposits, and journal entries. All Trustees in attendance voted “yes,” and the motion carried.
Mary Beth Revels presented the July Financial Reports, reporting that she and Kathie Brunner met with the accountant the previous week. The July 1 payroll was logged in June since the bank deducted library funds in June. The auditor will decide which fiscal year is appropriate to book the payroll. Kyla Ward moved and LaTonya Williams seconded to accept pages 12-34 of the financial reports as presented. All Trustees in attendance voted “yes,” and the motion carried.
Under Reports of Committees, Rosetta Ballew-Jennings reported that no committees met since the last meeting.
Under Old Business, Mary Beth Revels presented the Library Projects Overview, announcing that the East Hills Library project to reconfigure shelving and their collections was successfully completed over a three-day period in August. She also reported that the project to replace the front steps at Washington Park Library has begun.
There was no other Old Business.
In New Business, LaTonya Williams moved and Harriet Gordon seconded to set the tax rate at $0.4175 per $100 of assessed valuation. All members in attendance voted “yes,” and the motion carried.
Under the Code of Ethics renewal, Bobbie Cronk moved and LaTonya Williams seconded to approve the renewal of The Board of Trustees Code of Ethics Policy as presented. All members in attendance voted “yes,” and the motion passed.
The next item in New Business was a request from the SJPL Foundation to serve beer at the annual Books, Beers, and Boos Fundraiser that will be held at the Downtown Library on October 23, 2026. Bobbie Cronk moved and Kyla Ward seconded to grant the request to serve beer at the event. All Trustees in attendance voted “yes,” and the motion carried.
Jenny Ellis, Carnegie Library Branch Manager, spoke next about the upcoming Kensington Cozy Con event on November 7th that will be held at the Carnegie Library. SJPL, St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau and The Story Collective will also be hosting events for attendees on November 6th. There will be “Cozy St. Jo” bus tours with a morning art tour, a VIP lunch at The Story Collective, and an afternoon local history tour. Tickets are available to purchase for the three events separately.
There was no other New Business.
Under the Report of the Director, Mary Beth Revels reported a 12% increase in children who participated in the Summer Reading Program. Mary Beth also talked about St. Joseph Reads and the upcoming community read, Theo of Golden. Next, Mary Beth praised Outreach Director Jessica Poet for working with Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide them with children’s book club kits. And finally, Mary Beth reported that she and five others from the management staff will be attending the upcoming “Coaches Timeout” luncheon sponsored by the Joseph Company.
There was no further Board discussion and no public comment.
The next meeting will be held Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 6:00 p.m., at East Hills Library.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned by consensus
LaTonya Williams
Secretary