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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-03 Bd Comm minutesItem Number: 4.a. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT November 3, 2025 Human Rights Commission: September 23 Attachments: Human Rights Commission: September 23 Approved Minutes Human Rights Commission September 23, 2025 Emma J. Harvat Hall Commissioners Present: Doug Kollasch, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Emily Harkin, Mark Pries, Viana Qadoura, Roger Lusala, Talya Miller. Commissioners on Zoom: Lubna Mohamed. Commissioners Absent: Elizabeth Mendez -Shannon. Staff Present: Geoff Fruin, Tre Hall, Stefanie Bowers. Meeting Called to Order: 5:32 PM. Native American Land Acknowledgement: The Land Acknowledgement was read by Lusala. Approval of Meeting Minutes of August 26, 2025: Priest moved; seconded Paul Shantz. Motion passed 7-0. Public Comments of Items Not on the Agenda: None. Recommendations to City Council: None. Local Option Sales Tax: City Manager Geoff Fruin presented on the local option sales taxthat will be on the upcoming Nov. 4'h ballot. - Local Option Sales Tax (LOST)101- The state of Iowa has a 6% Sales Tax. That is standard across the state, and then they have an allowance for cities to have an additional 1% to make it 7% total. 93% of cities have this 1% sales tax. - A 1% sales tax would generate an estimated $8 to $10 million annually in new revenue forthe city. The revenue dispersed would depend on which cities have a local option sales tax and which don't. Depending on which communities are involved makes a difference in how much revenue is received. Johnson County has a lot of visitors, thanks to the university, this traffic is one way to capture visitor revenue to fund services and needs of the city. - LOST: Comparison of Metro Cities— Fruin compares the larger cities in Iowa that have LOST, when they started and how some do not have sunset dates. 7 communities in Johnson County adopted without Sunset period, includingthis year, University Heights and Tiffin. LOST will be on the Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty's ballot on November 4" - Community Survey Results— Fall 2024 LOSTsurvey results stated that 72% of the respondents would invest in streets, bridges and sidewalks (repair and new construction); 69% for affordable housing; 62% 1 for provision of new and modernized parks, trails, and natural areas; 60% for investment in nonprofit social services. Property tax relief is now required by the state. City Council has deliberated how LOST would be distributed; 50% Property Tax Relief, 25% Affordable Housing (10% on 2014 ballot),10% Public Streets, Parks, and Facilities; %15 community partnerships. - LOST proposed for this year does not have a sunset date and would need 50% plus one to pass on the November 0 election. Tax would be collected beginning July 1 of 2026. - Commissioners ask Fruin questions. Estimates sales tax revenue could be as high as $15 million, under the revenue sharing formula, if other communities or voters participate. LOST categories cannot change without going back to the voters but howthe funds are spent within the category can change per city council discretion during budget approval process and justified to the public. Sales tax supports revenue in local governments in Iowa therefore the LOST distribution slit is an attempt to make dollars to benefit populations that may be most burdened by this tax. Update from the Police Department's Community Outreach: Community Outreach Assistants Tre Hall and Joshua Dabusu spoke on the following activities of the department. - Invited and attended the Tip a Cop at Texas Roadhouse. All proceeds go to Special Olympics of Iowa. Along with COREVA, raised $1,147.36. - Dabusu attended Welcome Week on Sept. 21'T with the Fire Department. - Dabusu attended the Kickers with the Sudanese Soccer Club. - African Fest is October 4cn - Trunk or Treat at Pizza Ranch is October 23rd - Follow ICPD press releases for upcoming information on the times or to sign up. - Dabusu speaks on his specialty working with immigrants and refugees and the goal to build the relationship between the police and the community including communications and cultural understanding. Consider Approval of a Welcome Letter/Op-Ed to the Daily Iowan for University of Iowa Students- - Miller voiced concern regarding the timing of release due to the University of Iowa removing gender identity from their nondiscrimination policy. - Harkin echoes that the University of Iowa removed gender identity from their nondiscrimination policy but believes the letter is to separate the distinction between the City of Iowa City and the University of 2 Iowa. Specifically, that within the city, gender identity, is still within the nondiscrimination platform. Concluding that there should be changes if the differentiation does not come across - Kollasch the city and university have their 'hands tied by the state' while the university made the knot tighter, the city is looking at how can we shift the knot. - Paul -Shantz two points should be asserted in the letter; that gender is a protected identity and there is a welcoming community that will fight for that, also, acknowledging that people are experiencing risks to their safety, well-being and threats to their very identity. - Miller advises more tactile pieces of how the city is supporting and to include feedback from the Trans Advisory Committee. - Harkin advises holding meeting for students to come forward and talk about their experiences. - Miller advocates for preparedness of any response to the letter from students / community. Pries would like to make grammatical changes to the letter and flow. Commission will review and provide feedback by September 29th. Pries and Kollasch agree to be sub -committee for letter. Revisions will be sent out by Tuesday morning. Vote for approval of letter will be Wednesday, Oct. 15t at 6:30pm over zoom. Consider Approval of a Statement on Homelessness in the Community — Paul -Shantz provided the context for the statement that a person deliberately drove his car through a tent encampment outside of Shelter House. In the months since the last meeting, there have been several more developments and conversations amongst community leaders, including City Council and the Board of Supervisors. - Received feedback from Council Member for District C, Oliver Weilein. Weilein comments the letter has correct amount of urgency to respond to the community and heavily accelerate commitment to permanent supported housing and would like to see the letter released before thejoint entities meeting October 7th between City Council and the Board of Supervisors. - Harkin agrees to edit housing statement by September 29th. Any additional feedback or changes will be sent to staff. - Vote for approval of final statement will be Wednesday, Oct. 15t at 6:30pm over zoom. Formation of Commission Work Group: - Commission advises working groups on non-discrimination policy, transportation, immigration, community outreach and housing. Commission has interest in community members joining the working groups. - Miller would like to expand the discrimination policies of protected statuses to include body size whether that be height, weight, ability. Miller gave background that the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics are the birthplace of weight loss surgery. - Kollasch reviews the ideas of the working groups on non-discrimination policy potentially adding body diversity and criminal record; transportation; immigration and community outreach. Harkin adds housing plus how gender identity/ sexual orientation fits into discrimination. - Paul Shantz expands on community outreach and how this working group could inform the direction for the community such as resources, ways the commission can be supported and working with these resources and community leaders. - Pries adds the idea of having community membersjoin the working groups. Harkin pitches it could be rotating and offers a fresh perspective. Lusala adds this would be a great way to recruit future commission members. - Miller and Harkin will work on non-discrimination policy and expansion. Miller will lead on non- discrimination and Harkin would lead on Housing. Paul Shantz adds how transportation can also fit within non-discrimination policy and how it's an essential resource to have access to supplies and resources within the community. Paul Shantz will assist Harkin with housing. - Lusala will work on immigration if Mendez -Shannon agrees. - Kollasch asks Staff to add a community listening post event to the next meeting's agenda while Miller would like to help host events in the future. Kollasch agrees to help Paul Shantz with community dialogue if needed. - Kollasch expresses howthese working groups are more on an ad hoc basis and if other needs come up, commissioners can decide to work on'XYZ'. 2025 Human Rights Awards: Commissioners arrive by 7am. Pries with the opening, Kollasch announces awards, Mendez -Shannon will hand awards out, will need a closer. Kollasch, Harkin and Lusala received nomination packet and will select award winners. Paul Shantz encourages fellow commissioners to propose new categories for future awards to better recognize community as the world evolves. Lusala and Paul Shantz will not be present at the breakfast. 4 Community Dialogue Conversations Update — No update. Paul Shantz asks group members; Miller, Kollasch and herself to have a quick meeting about a time to meet before leaving the venue tonight. Grant Net Update: Staff makes note that Mendez -Shannon is the lead on this but proposes to save November 12' for about an hour to allow grantees to give updates and express any help they may need. Paul Shantz expresses that everyone in the last two years that has received a grant are welcomed to come talk and share with other grant recipients which allows the commission to listen to some of their needs. Professional Development for Commission and Community Members: Staff located a professional development opportunity and asked if one or two commissioners want to volunteer to take the self - guided courses and judge whether beneficial or not. Upcoming Tabling Opportunities - African Festival: Saturday, October 41h 12-9 — Kollasch and Harkin will be tabling from 12-2. - Corridor Community Action Network Connect 2025: Saturday, October 11,11-5 — Not available. - Indigenous Peoples' Day: Sunday, October 12, 2-5:30 — Qadoura will table. Staff & Commission Updates: - Staff mentions December mixerwith new members mentioned in previous meetings and if commissioners would like to revisit this to help with planning and supporting the event. Staff updates that commission applications are good for a year and will also be considered with the newly received applications and if there are any questions around commission terms to reach out and they will put you in contact with the city clerk or city attorney for council policy and protocol that relates to filling unfulfilled terms. - Lusala: Invites everyone to the African Fest. Qadoura: Participated in the Welcome Fest. Asked to speak during Sunday congregation at the Nazarene Church and when hosting community events due to events in Palestine and highlighting the safety of children. Qadoura is a volunteer at the Coralville Food Pantry since 2018 advocating for necessity of human rights for food and participated in the Coralville Welcome Festival as well serving around 700 people. Qadoura realizes the need of a safe space for children who do not celebrate Halloween and has provided an alternative event on October 31'T for the past 7 years and would like it to be added to a future agenda. Paul Shantz — Expresses to take care of yourselves, ask for help, and find room for family and community. She also noted the importance to promote donations and volunteering at organizations due to cut funding. She concluded with a note on the launch of a volume on how identity -based mass violence occurs in communities around the world and will share more as that is released. - Kollasch — Echos Paul Shantz to take care of yourselves and the community. Pries —Active member of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa. September 5th, Executive Director, Guthrie Graves Fitzsimmons's topic was Project 2025. There will be protective accompaniment training 5 Saturday, September 27th. Some commissioners will be at the ICE office in Cedar Rapids October 7cn at 7am. - Miller — Thanks commission for warm welcome. Adjourned: 7:52 PM. The meeting can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/@citychannel4/videos. 0 Human Rights Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2024/2025 (Meeting Date) NAME TERM EXP. 4/23 5/28 7/23 8/27 9/24 11/26 12/12 1/28 2/25 4/1 4/22 5113 5/27 6/24 8/26 9/23 Lubma Mohamed 2027 - - - - - - - Z A Z Z A A A Z A Doug Kollasch 2027 P P Z P P P - P P P P Z P P P P Viana Qadoura 2025 P P P P P P - A A P P P P p P P Idriss Abdullahi 2025 P Z P Z A P - P A A Z- R R R R Mark Pries 2025 P P P P P P - A P P P P P p P P Roger Lusala 2026 P P P P P P - P P A A P p A P Kelsey Paul Shantz 2026 Z P P A P P - P A P P P P Z P P Liz Mendez -Shannon 2026 Z P P A P A - P P P A A P p P A Talya Miller 2025 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A P KEY: P=Present A = Absent Z = Present via Zoom Item Number: 4.b. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT November 3, 2025 Human Rights Commission: October 1 Attachments: Human Rights Commission: October 1 Approved Minutes Human Rights Commission October 1, 2025 Helling Conference Room Commissioners Present: None. Commissioners on Zoom: Lubna Mohamed, Elizabeth Mendez -Shannon, Doug Kollasch, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Emily Harkin, Mark Pries, Roger Lusala, Talya Miller. Commissioners Absent: Viana Qadoura. Staff Present: Stefanie Bowers. Meeting Called to Order: 6:35 PM. Consider Approval of a Welcome Letter/Op-Ed to the Daily Iowan for Students. Moved by Mendez -Shannon and seconded by Miller. - Kollasch and Pries made final edits with additional edits and adjustments from Miller. - Paul -Shantz brought attention to additional edit of encouraging young people and student to get involved. - Kollasch has reached out to the Daily Iowa and if able to submit the night of October 1s', there is a possibility of the letter being released as early as October 2nd and at the latest by Friday, October 3rd Motion passed 7-0. Consider Approval of a Statement on Homelessness in the Community. Moved by Pries, seconded by Kollasch. Pries believes the letter is a good start of bridging a strong coalition between the Human Rights Commission, Affordable Housing Coalition and Housing First, but alliance could be stronger. Pries recites letter stating, 'Our call to action, ensure housing access as a right' asking staff and commission to add this protected right in the human rights document. Staff confirms it is covered under Title II of the Human Rights Ordinance. Pries would like to elevate the point of housing as a human right. - Paul -Shantz amended statement, 'Housing is a fundamental human right recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirmed in international treaties. Paul -Shantz acknowledged Harkin's involvement of reaching out and speaking with the staff of the Shelter House. Motion passed 7-0. Adjourned: 6:51 PM. The meeting can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/@citychannel4/videos. Human Rights Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2024/2025 (Meeting Date) NAME TERM EXP. 5/28 7/23 8/27 9/24 11/26 12/12 1/28 2/25 4/1 4/22 5113 5/27 6/24 8/26 9/23 10/1 Lubma Mohamed 2027 - - - - - - Z A Z Z A A A Z A Z Doug Kollasch 2027 P Z P X P - P P X P Z P P P P Z Viana Qadoura 2025 P P P X P - A A X P P P P P P A Idriss Abdullahi 2025 Z P Z A P - P A A Z - R R R R Z Mark Pries 2025 P P A X P - A P X P P P P P P Z Roger Lusala 2026 P P P X P - P P A A P P A P Z Kelsey Paul Shantz 2026 P P A X P - P A X P P P Z P P Z Liz Mendez -Shannon 2026 P P A X A - P P X A A P P P A Z Talya Miller 2025 - - - - - - - - - - - - - A P Z KEY: P=Present A = Absent Z = Present via Zoom Item Number: 4.c. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT November 3, 2025 Library Board of Trustees: September 25 Attachments: Library Board of Trustees: September 25 Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes September 25, 2025 2nd Floor — Boardroom Regular Meeting - 5:00 PM FINAL Robin Paetzold - President Bonnie Boothroy John Raeburn Joseph Massa - Vice President Ellen Fox Cory Schweigel-Skeers Claire Matthews - Secretary Kelcey Patrick -Ferree Kalmia Strong Members Present: Bonnie Boothroy Ellen Fox, Robin Paetzold, Kelcey Patrick -Ferree, Joseph Massa, Claire Matthews, John Raeburn, Cory Schweigel-Skeers, Kalmia Strong. Members Absent: None. Staff Present: Olivia Backes, Anne Mangano, Jason Paulios, Angie Pilkington, Victor Resendiz, Jen Royer. Guest Present: D. Kapatsila. Call Meeting to Order. Paetzold called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. A quorum was present. Approval of September 25, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. Raeburn made a motion to approve the September 25, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. Strong seconded. Motion passed 8/0. Patrick -Ferree entered the meeting at 5:02 pm. Paetzold introduced Fox as a new trustee and Mangano as the new director. Trustees and staff then introduced themselves. Public Discussion. None. Items to be Discussed. Continuing Education: Intellectual Freedom & Library Values. Paetzold said continuing education is a requirement for trustees. Mangano prepared a presentation on intellectual freedom. Mangano said the topic of intellectual freedom is currently discussed nationally If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or Jennifer-rover@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. and statewide, particularly who has access to what in a library. It will most likely be a topic for debate when the legislature convenes in January. Mangano shared she wanted to explain intellectual freedom processes at Iowa City Public Library (ICPL); it is a value here and at public libraries in general. Mangano shared intellectual freedom is "the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction" as defined by the American Library Association. Mangano said it is the freedom to read, and freedom to explore ideas and engage with them. Mangano said it is a right guaranteed by the first amendment of the constitution. The State Library of Iowa's Handbook says that the role of a library board member is to "protect and defend intellectual freedom". Mangano said it is also a professional value of the staff that work at the library. Mangano said intellectual freedom has manifested at ICPL as access and privacy. One of ICPL's values is access, and we believe quality library and information resources should be readily available and equally accessible to all. Mangano said the collection is one of the first things we think about with access, but it is also programming, meeting spaces, displays, the community bulletin board, who can get a library card, and what they can and can't check out with it. Mangano said our call to action is to provide access and expand access as much as possible. Mangano said the other tenet is privacy, noting for people to seek and receive information freely, they should be able to do that without scrutiny. The state recognizes that through Iowa Code, Chapter 22.7, confidential records. Mangano said we as an institution we work hard to collect the information we need when we need it, and when we no longer need it, stop storing it. Mangano said the library has a privacy policy, and a privacy page on the website that goes through every record we collect. It states how long we keep it, when we get rid of it, and why we keep it. Mangano said the privacy page was created based on input from the Library Board, and that is the kind of impact trustees have to make ICPL better. Intellectual Freedom is a cornerstone of having an informed citizenry. The state library trustee handbook says, "If people are restricted from obtaining information from all points of view, their ability to be informed citizens is diminished, and thus they cannot exercise self-government." Mangano said that intellectual freedom is constitutionally protected, and there are several Supreme Court cases ruling that citizens have a right to give ideas and to receive ideas. Mangano said the most consequential case is Stanley v. Georgia (1969). Thurgood Marshall wrote the court decision, "It is well established that the Constitution protects the right to receive information and ideas." Mangano said that Iowa significantly contributed to the importance of intellectual freedom in libraries. In 1938, Forrest Spaulding, Director of the Des Moines Public Library (DMPL), presented the idea for a Library Bill of Rights to his board. Spaulding worried about censorship going into WWII. He had lived through WWI and as a library director removed materials from the shelves based on the directive of the federal and state government. The American Library Association (ALA) also condoned removing materials during WWI. Spaulding was not willing to remove materials going into WWII and he wanted to guarantee specific rights to patrons of the DMPL, and Library Bill of Rights was adopted by their board. A fellow librarian then brought it to the next annual ALA conference in 1939. The Library Bill of Rights specifies that librarians should maintain a diverse collection that meets the needs of the community they serve, materials should not be removed because someone disagrees with them, we should challenge censorship, work to ensure free expression and free access to ideas, If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. everyone should be able to use the library, everyone should have the right to use the meeting rooms or display spaces regardless of what they're trying to discuss or show, and privacy and confidentiality need to be protected. Mangano said there are often challenges to intellectual freedom and they can come from any group or individual regardless of where they sit on a political spectrum. They come from a variety of topics and because our society is complex and diverse, people feel passionate about the issues that are important to them. Those passions can be opposing, even in a specific community. Mangano said we often talk about certain types of materials, but we see challenges from across the political spectrum. Mangano said that book challenges are discussed the most, noting last year the ALA tracked 821 attempts to challenge 2,452 unique titles across the country, which is a drop from 2023. Of these challenges, 72% were initiated by board members, elected officials, or administrators within the institutions. Mangano shared there are other forms of challenges such as meeting room use, programs, displays, and internet use. When facing challenges policies are very important, and it is why they are reviewed every three years. Library policies state the parameters of access and use; it's important to know them, follow them, and keep them up to date. Policies that involve intellectual freedom include Collection Development, Programming, Circulation and Library Cards, Bylaws, Meeting Room Use, Community Displays, Internet Use; it's an extensive list. Mangano said the Collection Development policy is up for review in November. This policy provides the mission and purpose of the collection and gives general guidelines on collection development. In this policy we view collection development as the ongoing process of assessing materials available for purchase or licensing and making decisions on their inclusion and retention. Mangano said our collection reflects the general needs and interests of the Iowa City community with a wide variety of subjects, views, and formats. Our collection needs are current and include popular materials and formats; it is not an archive. The single most important factor for inclusion in the collection is use. If the books are used, they are on the shelf and we'll buy more of them. It is taken into consideration when purchasing and when items are weeded (removed). Materials are removed from the library on a regular basis, and it is because they are not used. Mangano gave the example of the nonfiction collection and said each title that hasn't circulated for three years is reviewed. Mangano then explained what happens when someone disagrees with something in our collection. In many public libraries there is a specific process to handle a materials challenge. A patron might question why something is in a specific collection, or they might want a book or movie completely removed. These complaints are often shared through a reconsideration form and reviewed by the board of trustees, where the patron and staff advocate whether the book should be included in the collection. Mangano said that is not how the Iowa City Public Library operates according to the Collection Development policy. Our policy states,"The library recognizes that any given item may offend some patrons, but, because the library follows accepted principles of intellectual freedom, it will not remove specific titles solely because individuals or groups may find them objectionable." Mangano said when a challenge is received, like any complaint, staff are respectful and kind, thank the patron for their input, and the item is reviewed. If staff determine that it meets the purchasing guidelines, we let the patron know. If that doesn't resolve the issue, they are welcome to talk to the Library Board during public sessions, like any other complaint. That process is a longstanding policy at ICPL going back to the 1970's. It is a standard that other libraries are starting to adopt, including North Liberty. Mangano said If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. most importantly, inclusion of materials in our collection is not an endorsement of its contents. Intellectual freedom challenges can be hard and contentious but eventually resolve, and our goal is to protect ICPL and intellectual freedom. How we respond makes our organization stronger and builds our community's trust in the organization. Raeburn asked what titles have been challenged. Mangano said we haven't received a formal challenge, but she has had questions on whether something belongs in a specific collection. Paetzold said there had been a discussion on science books that weren't bound to scientific theory, specifically about vaccination, that were shared because they are of public interest. Mangano said there was a question about whether antivaccination materials should be allowed because the information could potentially harm people. Mangano said those books inform state and national policy and they are of public interest. Paetzold said there have been questions about the use of our meeting rooms for library programming or by political groups. Paetzold said the concerns are diverse. Boothroy said the ALA had data about the number of reconsiderations dropping and asked if Mangano knew Iowa's data. Mangano was unsure if Iowa's data was dropping but noted the heightened years were from 2022 to 2023 for reconsideration. Matthews said she guessed it would be lower because of changes to state law. Mangano said school libraries have felt this more than public libraries. Matthews said some schools followed the letter of the law and some took a broader approach. Paetzold asked for feedback on training sessions at future meetings. Mangano suggested training on digital collection pricing, digital media lab offerings, or early literacy programming. Schweigel-Skeers asked if ICPL had informal material challenges such as patrons reshelving books on their own or interacting with displays in unwarranted ways. Mangano agreed that it happens and shared often people check out books with the intent not to return them. Budget Discussion. Mangano said next month the FY27 operating budget request would be reviewed. Mangano said the FY25 end of year financial reports were included in the packet, the FY25 ICPLFF statement of financial position report, and the FY25 receipts and expenditures by fund (which shows the balance of the Library Board controlled funds). Mangano said the CIP request to replace the HVAC system on the roof was also included. Mangano said there are eight rooftop HVAC units, and one was replaced this past year with operating budget funds. There are seven other units that are close to end of life, of which two have already received significant and costly repairs. Mangano said there is a change in the chemicals that can be used in HVAC systems, and at some point, we won't be able to maintain the current units because we won't be able to get the chemicals. Mangano said the city has already consolidated the project request to one year and scheduled it for 2030. Mangano would prefer that the HVAC system not be an emergency purchase. For perspective, Mangano shared the library's HVAC request is one million dollars and is only 1% of the entire city's CIP requests for that year. Mangano said if you take all the requests from 2026 to 2030 the library's HVAC and carpeting requests combined are .6% of all department requests. Mangano said there is a meeting tomorrow to discuss the CIP projects with department heads. Paetzold asked if the city took into consideration the cost of the project in 2030. Mangano said the city slightly increased the request. Mangano said emergency replacements are also more expensive and noted ICPL's HVAC units are very large and require a crane or helicopter for installation which add to the If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. expense. Mangano said this is a big project and shouldn't be handled as an emergency project. Paetzold said this would affect library operations and the ability to be open. Mangano said the HVAC units are used for cooling and heating the building, noting it could take 8 weeks, if lucky, to get units on site. Paetzold noted there is also a threat of mold or mildew to the library collection if the HVAC fails. Matthews asked if ICPL is a warming or cooling center. Mangano agreed it is. Boothroy asked how the HVAC replacement would be paid for if it was an emergency purchase. Mangano said she would ask the city, and noted the city has emergency funds. Massa asked if we knew the brand and model of the HVAC. Mangano said staff got a quote for the CIP request and put forth a best estimate. Policy Review: 401 Finance. Mangano said there were no significant changes to policy except to clarify wording, and the policy was reviewed by accounting and legal. Schweigel-Skeers appreciated the updates. Massa made a motion to approve the changes to the policy. Schweigel-Skeers seconded. Motion passed 9/0. Staff Reports. Director's Report. Mangano said there would be an open house celebration on October 22nd at 5:30 pm in Meeting Room A. It will be an opportunity for patrons to meet Mangano as the new library director. Mangano shared there were new computer stools in the children's room and thanked the trustees for their budget approval. Departmental Reports: Adult Services. Schweigel-Skeers asked for clarification if the data in Paulios' report was for one consultation or repeated involvement with patrons. Paulios said it is up to the staff to determine when a question is resolved. Paulios said staff sometimes receive general questions that end up turning into other questions. All data is dependent on staff clicking a button. Paulios noted the page station is staffed by hourly staff. Paulios shared that any staff member can answer a reference question, and it is important everyone knows they get reported to the state. Schweigel-Skeers noted the page station stats and asked if they were closer to FY19. Paulios said they were closer and said FY19 was the last good year of data before COVID-19, however they are also from five years ago and things have changed drastically. Matthews said the state used to ask for reference questions and directional questions and asked if they no longer track the directional questions. Paulios said he doesn't believe they report that anymore. Paulios said the statistics are due to the state in October. Paulios said the data doesn't share the time spent on a question. Patrick -Ferree said she was curious about live chats and noted the report that staff don't prefer it and have good reasons for not preferring it. Patrick -Ferree asked if Paulios was developing a system for dealing with chats since patrons are moving that way and we answered more than last year. Paulios said there are canned responses in the software such as 'just a moment while I check on that'. Paulios discussed the time involved answering chats and not knowing how the user feels on the other end. Paulios said in chats sometimes they request the users contact information so staff can reach back out to them with the answer. Mangano said as the building study progresses, and we work with patrons it would be interesting to see if we need a more robust chat service. Boothroy asked where the chat If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. software fits with the new ILS software. Paulios said it is totally separate from the ILS software (which is for the catalog and circulation). Paulios said chats run through a separate content management system. Boothroy asked if there is a more robust chat software that we should be looking at. Paulios said it is part of ICPL's telecommunication software. Chats end up as tickets which are very useful to see the communication history and when the chat is completed it also provides a transcript. An hour later the patron can respond again if needed. Boothroy asked if Paulios was satisfied with the software. Paulios said he hasn't explored other chat options. Community & Access Services. Helmick absent. Pilkington said the library is participating in the homecoming parade and was entry number 26. Pilkington invited Library Board members to join and shared there were AC/DC themed library shirts available. Pilkington said the ICPL Bookmobile was off the road last Friday and this Monday, the transmission line had a recall on it, and it broke. Pilkington said the Iowa City Police Department helped block evening traffic on Burlington Street. Pilkington thanked the City Fleet. Development Report. None. President's Report. Mangano and Paetzold met with new city council candidates to explain what the library does and why we're different than other city departments. Paetzold shared the Collection Services Coordinator position is open and Mangano will be looking at candidates soon. Paetzold said Helmick would be giving a virtual ALA presentation directly after the Library Board meeting as ALA President. Paetzold said next Monday there will be a meeting with the public to hear how they use the library's facilities. Paetzold shared she would be unable to attend but asked trustees to go and listen. Announcements from Members. Foundation Updates. Matthews asked if the world language collection included children and adult materials. Mangano agreed. Pilkington said they are located where the readers used to be. Advocacy Updates. Matthews said there was no formal advocacy statement to share yet. Patrick -Ferree said City Council came out with a statement in the meantime. Patrick -Ferree, Matthews, and Strong are working to see how ICPL might respond with other community groups to the Iowa Historical Society changes. All three trustees contacted various organizations to see what their plans were or if they aspired to do something. Patrick -Ferree said the working group was planning to write a statement to present to the Library Board for feedback, however City Council put out a statement first that went in a different direction than they were imagining. Patrick -Ferree handed out a copy of the City Council's statement in support of not closing the State Historical Society. If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Matthews said of the organizations she reached out to, none of them wanted to lose the materials, and they also didn't want them to be moved to Des Moines and then subsequent organizations. Matthews talked to the Johnson County Historical Society, and much like ICPL, they want to protect the materials but didn't know how to budget it or where to put them. Matthews said we must assume for future collection growth. Matthews said many of the organizations were surprised by the timeline and lack of transparency. Matthews said the library's advocacy working group thought they could push for transparency in what the state is doing and when. Matthews learned the Historical Society will close its doors in December and the materials will be moved the following June. Matthews said there is one person employed at the State Historical Society to work on this and they also must look for anotherjob. Matthews said it is an ambiguous process, and it is uncertain where the State Library falls on this. Matthews said there are multiple tiers of involvement, the land is owned by the University of Iowa, the building belongs to the state, and the materials were donations that are legally bound to a collection. Matthews said there are a lot of factors and asked who the players are, and what is ICPL's role? Matthews felt ICPL's role was to speak on behalf of transparency and the importance of the materials. Strong said since Strong, Patrick -Ferree, and Matthews met, there was a new page on the State Historical Society's website with more information. Paetzold asked if they were asking the Library Board to act. Matthews said no. Paetzold asked if the group was worried about time. Patrick -Ferree shared concern in making a statement that was not consistent with City Council's statement and hadn't had a chance to discuss it with the working group. Patrick -Ferree said asking for transparency isn't inherently conflicting with keeping the Historical Society but is unsure if the Library Board should make a statement that might be seen as conflicting with city council. Paetzold noted City Council's letter and asked if there was any timeline for the state to respond, noting it could be the end of December when they read the letter, and the time would have passed. Paetzold clarified she was not asking for action from the working group but asked if time was burning. Paetzold said the Library Board's only action may be to witness this. Patrick -Ferree said City Council's letter didn't request a timeline for response from the state, only to change their minds by the end of December. Patrick -Ferree said the community organizations they've contacted are interested in saving the State Historical Society and keeping it in Iowa City, but they don't know where or how financially to make that work. Patrick -Ferree said the current budget for the State Historical Society is so much smaller than if each group were to take on a piece of it. Matthews said it is not a large operating budget. Patrick -Ferree said repairing the roof of the building is the real issue. Matthews said there is also a legal document from 1983 that states the land for the building is leased from the University of Iowa until it is no longer of use, which is ambiguous. Matthews said some of the materials are owned by a not -for -profit, and materials obtained before a certain date are owned separately. Mangano met with the Iowa Urban Public Library directors and asked them to discuss their involvement in archives. Mangano said none of the urban public libraries have archives. Des Moines Public Library has a minimal photograph collection. Ames and Cedar Rapids Public Libraries have museums housing their community's local archives. Paetzold summarized that it's a wait and see situation and said the working group would come back in a month to present. Matthews agreed that was a fair assessment. There was further discussion about the working group's process. If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Communications. News Articles. None. Consent Agenda. Matthews made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Strong seconded. Motion passed 9/0. Set Agenda Order for October Meeting. Paetzold said the October meeting would have a budget discussion, 1st quarter statistics and finances, and departmental reports. Paetzold asked for volunteers to work on reviewing the bylaws. Schweigel- Skeers and Raeburn volunteered. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 6:11 pm. Respectfully submitted, Jen Royer If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. :`.i% IOWA CITY rjW PUBLIC LIBRARY Board of Commissions: ICPL Board of Trustees Attendance Record Name Term Expiration 11/21/2024 12/19/2024 1/23/2025 2/27/2025 3/27/2025 4/3/2025 4/24/2025 5/22/2025 6/26/2025 7/24/2025 8/28/2025 9/4/2025 9/25/2025 10/23/2025 Boothro , Bonnie 6/30/2029 X X OE X X X X OE X X X X X X Fox, Ellen 6/30/2027 X X Johnk, DJ 6/30/2025 X OE OE X X OE X X OE TE TE TE TE TE Massa, Joseph 6/30/2027 OE X X X X X X OE X X X X X OE Matthews, Claire 6/30/2023 X O X X X X X OE O X X X X X Paetzold, Robin 6/30/2023 X OE X X X X X X X X X X X X Patrick -Ferree, Kelce\r 6/30/2031 X X X X X Raeburn, John 6/30/2027 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Rocklin, Tom 6/30/2025 X X X X X X X OE X TE TE TE TE TE Schwei el-Skeers, Cory 6/30/2031 1 1 1 1 1 1 X X X X X Shultz, Hannah 6/30/2025 X X OE X OE X X X X TE TE TE TE TE Stevenson, Daniel 6/30/2027 X X X X OE X X X OE X R R R R Strong, Kalmia 6/30/2031 X X X X OE KEY: X Present O Absent OE Excused Absence NM No Meeting Held R Resigned TE Term Expired