MINUTES

CLERMONT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JULY 20, 2026

MIAMI TOWNSHIP BRANCH

Present: Jennifer Doss, Ernie Ramos, Mary Jo Waite, Judith Kocica, Katie Bock, Laurie Schlueter

Staff: Andrea Brofft, Melanie Smithey, Debbie Williams, Lynn Baird, Dot Crane, Ed Jolley, Wesley Barnett

Absent: Edwin Humphrey

Guests: Mitchell Hoelker, from THP Limited

Ms. Doss called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.

ROLL CALL:  Ms. Doss, here; Mr. Ramos, here; Ms. Waite, here; Ms. Kocica, here; Mr. Humphrey, absent; Ms. Bock, here; Ms. Schlueter, here.

All present recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

SPECIAL ITEM:

Ms. Smithey prepared the 2027 Estimated County Tax Budget and will submit it to the county auditor once approved by the Board. Motion by Ms. Kocica, seconded by Ms. Schlueter, to approve the tax budget and send it to the county. Roll call vote: Ms. Doss, yes; Mr. Ramos, yes; Ms. Waite, yes; Ms. Kocica, yes; Ms. Bock, yes; Ms. Schlueter, yes. All present were in favor, none opposed. The motion was adopted.

JUNE 15 MINUTES:

Motion by Ms. Bock, seconded by Ms. Waite, to approve the June 15, 2026, Board meeting minutes. All present were in favor, none opposed. Motion was adopted.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:

None.

BETHEL ROOF REPAIR:

Mr. Hoelker gave the Board an update on the Bethel roof repair. The work was completed on time, within the budget, and has been through several heavy downpours with zero leakage. All payment details and paperwork should be finalized by the end of July or early August.

BOARD VACANCY:

Ms. Doss reported that Mr. Humphrey will not be finishing his current term as a member on the Board. The vacancy has been posted on the CCPL website and social media channels. She asked if anyone knows someone who would be interested in finishing Mr. Humphrey’s position through Dec. 2029, to let them know about the vacancy and encourage them to apply.

Fiscal Officer’s Report:

Ms. Smithey presented the June financial reports which included the bank reconciliation, the check register, bank reports, month to date and year to date bank reports, the end of month balancing report, the PLF, updated estimates for the rest of the year from the state, housekeeping resolutions, supplemental check information, and revenue and expense comparison.

Ms. Williams presented the Fiscal Office report. The 2025 audit is underway. Taxes for the second quarter have been paid. CCPL’s Fiscal Office hosted the Fiscal Officer and the Deputy Fiscal Officer from the Clark County Library to go over fiscal procedures and establish a peer relationship. Ms. Smithey attended OPCI launch meeting regarding cybersecurity and the department has begun the cybersecurity training.

Motion by Ms. Bock, seconded by Ms. Waite, to approve the June 2026 Financial Reports. All present were in favor, none opposed. Motion was adopted.

Motion by Mr. Ramos, seconded by Ms. Schlueter, to approve the June 2026 Bills paid. All present were in favor, none opposed. Motion was adopted.

Motion by Ms. Kocica, seconded by Ms. Bock, to approve the June 2026 (2) Bills Paid Anthem. All present were in favor, none opposed. Ms. Doss abstained. Motion was adopted.

BUILDING COMMITTEE REPORT:

Ms. Waite reported that the Building Committee met on July 14 to discuss the Batavia Branch. The committee requested that staff conduct a needs assessment on the Batavia branch, which is scheduled for July 29, 2026.

Director’s Report:

Ms. Brofft introduced Wes Barnett as CCPL’s new IS Supervisor. She gave an overview of LibraryIQ, mentioning that it collects the data that CCPL sends to the state every year. This data is also used by Admin and Branch Managers to make data-driven decisions, for example, programs per age group, time of day, etc.

Ms. Brofft gave a management staffing update that rather than continue to seek a Manager for Felicity and New Richmond they were realigned to partner Bethel and Felicity and Amelia and New Richmond. All management positions are filled.

She reviewed the Capital Projects chart. Ms. Doss requested a meter to measure progress on Capital projects, for example, percentage of amount spent of allocated amount.

CCPL’s programming for America 250 is ongoing. She gave an update on Search Ohio. CCPL is participating in the SearchOhio advisory group in order to get Rapido fully functional. The United Way free tax prep was a success at the Union Township branch, with a higher number of participants this year.

NEW BUSINESS:

Motion by Ms. Kocica, seconded by Mr. Ramos, to approve Resolution 2026-19: Acceptance of Gifts to the Library: Donations as listed. All present were in favor, none opposed. The motion was adopted.

Motion by Ms. Waite, seconded by Ms. Bock, to approve Resolution 2026-20: Disposal of Unneeded or Obsolete Library Inventory. Roll call vote: Ms. Doss, yes; Mr. Ramos, yes; Ms. Waite, yes; Ms. Kocica, yes; Ms. Bock, yes; Ms. Schlueter, yes. All present were in favor, none opposed. The motion was adopted.

Next meeting is August 17, 2026

Motion by Ms. Bock, seconded by Ms. Schlueter, to adjourn the meeting at 6:57 p.m. All present were in favor, none opposed. The motion was adopted.

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Board President Board Secretary

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