Board Minutes August 28, 2025

Vice President Doll called the meeting to order at 6:28 p.m. 

Judge Stevenson administered the oath of office to Leonard.

"Do you solemnly affirm that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Ohio; and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge your duties as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Barberton Public Library, Summit County, Ohio, to the best of your ability, and in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereinafter to be enacted, during your term of office?" His reply was "I do."

Judge and Mr. Stevenson left the meeting at 6:29 p.m.

Moved by Leonard, seconded by McMullen, to accept the minutes of the July 2025 Board meeting. Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Motion carried. 

Hutchison reported that the Friends of the Library are preparing for their annual Mum Festival book sale and will be holding donation days on the first and third Saturday of each month.  

­Director’s Report

Circulation: Hutchison reviewed the July 2025 statistics, noting that July circulation was the highest year to date in 2025.   

Programs & Publicity: Hutchison distributed the July 2025 publicity packet, highlighting several recent and upcoming programs and outreach events, including BPL’s participation in the fall 2025 Summit County Community Read.

Donations: Gifts were received from the following individuals in July 2025: Sarah Happ, $300.00 in memory of James A. Stender; Barbara Kirbawy, $100.00; Marie Selig, Newspaper articles; David Tomich, School songbook from U.L. Light Jr. High School; Anonymous, $5.00.

Moved by McMullen, seconded by Leonard, to accept the donations. Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Motion carried. 

Strategic Plan: Hutchison provided an update on the Strategic Plan, noting that the current plan expires in December 2025. 

Mission Moment: Hutchison shared that a family who are regular patrons were delighted that Library staff attended their theater performance in Wadsworth. 

Hutchison shared the following from Children’s Services Librarian Roxana Rathbun about another family of regular patrons: The mom of two boys was very emotional and told us “He’s back!” We realized she was talking about her husband who had been deployed. He came up and the boys were showing him around the Children’s Department. She said, “I didn’t know what to do, so I came to the Library!”

Other: The Library held a dedication ceremony for the flagpole donated by the Barberton VFW on August 9 in conjunction with Main Street Barberton’s Heroes and Helpers event. 

Twenty-three people will be walking with BPL in the Labor Day parade on September 1. 

A second staff development day will be held on October 13 with a focus on safety and security. 

Hutchison noted that the Library is working toward compliance with the new Ohio Cybersecurity law passed by the state legislature.

Fiscal Officer’s Report

The Public Library Fund tax distribution for the Barberton Public Library was $91,830.54 for July 2025.

Brickner reviewed the financial reports, bank reconciliations, reappropriations, and bills paid for the month of July 2025. 

Moved by Leonard, seconded by McMullen, to accept the financial reports, bank reconciliations, reappropriations, and bills paid for the months of July 2025. Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Motion carried.

Resolution 22-2025 - Moved by Leonard, seconded by McMullen, to accept the amounts and rates as determined by the Summit County Budget Commission for collection year 2026 and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the Summit County Fiscal Officer. Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Resolution adopted.

Resolution 23-2025 – McMullen called for the adoption of a resolution authorizing and requesting the advancement of local taxes from the Summit County Fiscal Officer for the tax year 2025, payable in 2026, in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code (ORC), section 321.34, and declaring an emergency. 

Whereas section 321.34 of the ORC states that all local governments must file a resolution with the county Fiscal Office each year to receive advance payment of local taxes, now therefore be it resolved by the Board of Trustees of the Barberton Public Library, County of Summit, and State of Ohio:

Section 1. That the Board of Trustees of the Barberton Public Library hereby authorizes the advance of local taxes by the County Fiscal Officer for the 2025 tax year, payable in 2026, to the extent appropriate and feasible.
Section 2. That it is found and determined that all formal actions of this Board concerning and relating to the adoption of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting of this Board and that all deliberations of this Board and of any of its committees that resulted in such formal action were in meetings open to the public, in compliance with all legal requirements.
Section 3. That the Fiscal Officer of the Library is authorized and directed to forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Fiscal Officer of Summit County, Ohio.
Section 4. That this Resolution is hereby declared to be an emergency measure necessary for the on-going operations of the public library because the Barberton Public Library is dependent on the advancement of tax funds to balance its budget in 2026, and this action shall take effect upon its adoption by the Trustees, otherwise at the earliest period allowed by law.

Leonard seconded the resolution. The vote for its adoption resulted as follows: Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Leskanic, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Resolution adopted.

Resolution 24-2025 – Moved by Leonard, seconded by McMullen, to approve the Library’s 2026 Operating Calendar as presented. Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Motion carried.

Hutchison presented the Board with staffing recommendations and updates. 

Moved by McMullen, seconded by Leonard, to accept the resignation of substitute Children’s Library Assistant Robin Storad, effective July 31, 2025. Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Motion carried.

Resolution 25-2025 – Moved by Leonard, seconded by McMullen, to hire Bailey Kerr as a full-time Library Assistant in the Technical Services Department, regularly scheduled at 35 hours per week, effective September 29, 2025.  Ayes: Doll, Leonard, Masich, and McMullen. Nays: None. Motion carried.

Masich left the meeting at 6:40 p.m. 

Committee Reports

Building and Equipment Committee: No meeting was held. 

Finance and Audit Committee: No meeting was held.

Marketing Committee: No meeting was held. 

Personnel Committee: No meeting was held.  

Summit County Library Trustees Council: No meeting was held.  

Communications and Correspondence 

OLC Legislative Update: Hutchison informed the Board that the Ohio House and Senate committee hearings will be held in September, when they will have the opportunity to veto the Governor’s amendments to the State Budget. Hutchinson and Brickner will attend OLC’s regional meeting for Directors and Fiscal Officers related to provisions in the new state budget, as well as the proposed amendment to eliminate property taxes. Brickner noted the Library would be receiving roughly $30,000 less funding in 2025 than originally anticipated due to the state budget cuts. There was a discussion about how these cuts might affect BPL’s budget in the future.

Community Correspondence: None.  

Old Business

Hutchison will send the updated Employee Handbook and Operating Manual to the Board ahead of their September meeting.

New Business 

There was a discussion regarding Holly Miller’s resignation from the Board, effective August 27, 2025. A new slate of officers for the remainder of 2025 will be determined at the September meeting. Both Trustee vacancies will be advertised in the Barberton Gazette.  

The September 25, 2025 Board meeting was rescheduled for September 23. 

Brickner noted there will be an extra pay day in 2025 due to the New Year’s holiday being on a Thursday. 

Moved by McMullen to adjourn the meeting at 7:18 p.m.