Board of Trustees

The Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees holds its regular meetings on the second Thursday of every month at 12:00 p.m. in the library's board meeting room in the basement. The meetings are open to the public.

The approved minutes for the most recent Board of Trustees meeting is available below. 

Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees: Nov. 13, 2025

The Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees convened on Thursday, November 13, at 12:45 p.m. in the Library Meeting Room with the following members present: Ms. Jenny Romich, Ms. Dianne Grafmiller, Mr. Ben Buckland, Mr. Todd Leightey, Mr. Brian Kimmel, and Ms. Ann Kemerley. Ms. Amy Aldridge-Ritchey attended virtually through Zoom. Director Kathleen Whitt and Brian Hemminger of the “Daily Chief-Union” were also present. 

President Jenny Romich asked for public comments. Hearing none, Ms. Romich asked if there were corrections or additions to the distributed minutes of the October meeting. Hearing none, Ms. Romich declared that the minutes stand as distributed. 

Next on the agenda was a motion to ratify the payment of the bills. Ms. Romich asked if there were any questions about the bills. Hearing none, the motion was made and seconded to ratify the payment of bills; in a roll call vote, all attending approved the bills. 

Under old business, the Board considered a revision to the Virtual Meetings Policy. As originally adopted, paragraph 9 of the policy stated “Any Trustee who intends to attend any scheduled in-person Meeting remotely through use of electronic technology must notify the President of the Library Board of Trustees and the Library Director of same at least 48 hours prior to the Meeting, except in the case of an Emergency - in which event the Trustee is to give such prior notice as is reasonably possible.” At the October meeting, the Board voted to require only 24 hours’ notice of intention to attend an in-person meeting virtually. Mrs. Whitt said that in further researching issues related to the Virtual Meetings Policy, she had learned that the 48-hour notice was required by law. It was moved and seconded to revise the policy in order to comply with the legal requirement, returning to the version as originally adopted. In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

Under new business, Deputy Fiscal Officer Patti Davidson had submitted a request for additional funds in order to pay utility bills for the rest of the year, since cost increases made the amount which had been appropriated insufficient. It was moved and seconded to move $3,000 from the Contingencies line item to Utilities. In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

The next item on the agenda was a revision of the Personnel Policy. In moving to the ICHRA arrangement, replacing the former group health insurance plan, at the October meeting the Board authorized the payment of up to $1,450 per staff member per month to assist with premiums for individual plans acquired through the marketplace. In order to reflect this, it was moved and seconded to revise the policy to state “The Library may pay a part of the premium for individual coverage for medical insurance for any full-time or part-time employee who wishes to be covered by the Library’s health plan. This amount will be determined by the Board on an annual basis.” The policy previously stated “The Library will pay 80% of the premium for individual coverage for medical insurance for any full-time employee who wishes to be covered by the Library’s health plan. The Library will pay 40% of the premium for individual coverage for part-time employees.” In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

Ms. Whitt then reported on some issues concerning the library’s website. She said that web manager Krystal Smalley has been working to eliminate accessibility issues that have been identified and that need to be resolved to keep the site compliant with legal requirements. A major problem is PDF documents, which are found to not be accessible to automatic readers. Therefore, she has had to remove old Board minutes, and only provide the most current meeting minutes. Patrons wishing to review older minutes are directed to contact the library to obtain copies. Krystal also mentioned that in reviewing other libraries’ websites, she found that very few (and none in our area) provide pictures of library Trustees on their websites; she wondered whether the Board wished to continue to post these. It was agreed to keep the photos; some members said they would like to update their pictures as well. 

The last item on the agenda was a request from the County Budget Commission that the Board agree to maintain the current percentages for the county PLF distribution for the next five years. After discussing the matter, the Board said they felt that five years is too long. It was moved and seconded to agree to maintain the current distribution percentages for two years. In a roll call vote, all attending approved the motion. 

In the Director’s Report, Ms. Whitt reported that: 

1. At their October 20 meeting, the Board of the Upper Sandusky Exempted Village School District reappointed Todd Leightey to the Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees for the term of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2029.
2. We have received a $222 donation from the Wyandot Tracers to assist with the cost of the Advantage membership for the microfilm scanner.
3. We have received a $1,000 grant from the Walmart Spark Good program in support of children’s and adult programming.
4. The air conditioning replacement project has finally begun. Electrical and ductwork have been going on since November 3, and the new chiller was set in place on Monday, the 10. Everything seems to be proceeding as scheduled.
5. I have been notified that, as one of about 1,280 Carnegie Libraries across the United States, we will be receiving a $10,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary. The press release says we can expect to receive a check in January 2026. We can use the funds however we wish to celebrate the 250th anniversary, further our mission, and benefit our community.
6. After school programming continues this month, with Middle School Story Time enjoying Readers’ Theater on Mondays and That Thursday Thing presenting crafts, snacks, and more on Thursdays. On Monday, November 24, the Middle School Book Club will meet to discuss Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate.
7. Our story walks this month feature Thanksgiving at Our House by P.K. Hallinan (downtown) and Ged Adamson’s A Fox Found a Box (Stepping Stones Park).
8. CraftParty participants will make a Book Candle Centerpiece on November 13. The Common Readers will discuss The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, and the Inglorious Bookworms are reading Leigh Bardugo’s The Ninth House. The Lunch Bunch will be enjoying dishes made from recipes featured in fiction books.
9. On November 17, Patti and Tony Davidson will complete their Taste of History series with the 1970’s and Cheeseburger Macaroni. In January they will transition to Taste of the States to present flavors from around the country.
10. Miss Jill’s Gingerbread House Workshop returns on December 1-2. This event is for all ages. Participants contribute graham crackers and candy to decorate their house. The library supplies the cardboard frame and lots of royal icing to put it all together!
11. Also in December, the Friends of the Library will hold their Secret Santa Shop on the 6th, Sarah Brodman of Schuster’s Flower Shop will present a Christmas Swag workshop on the 4th, and CraftParty will make a Good Neighbor gift basket on the 11th.
12. The Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) posted the October 2025 Public Library Fund (PLF) distribution of $39,186,903 – which is $1.76 million or -4.32% below ODT’s original estimate that was issued in July 2024; and $1.82 million or -4.44% below ODT’s updated estimate issued in December 2024. The PLF Calendar Year (CY) 2025 year-to-date total is $412,636,282.
13. The Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) recently posted the November 2025 Public Library Fund (PLF) distribution of $40,419,668 — which is $1.1 million or -2.67% below ODT’s original estimate that was issued in July 2024; and $2.29 million or -5.36% below ODT’s updated estimate issued in December 2024. The PLF Calendar Year (CY) 2025 year-to-date total is $453,055,950. According to the Office of Budget and Management (OBM), the state’s General Revenue Fund (GRF) tax receipts for October 2025 came in $110.6 million or 4.4% above estimate. So far for FY26, state tax collections are $402.6 million or 4.3% more than expected.
14. Memorial/Honor/Donations:
    1. In memory of: Donor(s):
       1. Donna Crawford donated by Betty Phillips
       2. Vicki Byrd donated by Brad & Joan Batton 

There were no Items Not on the Agenda. 

Ms. Romich asked whether there were any additional items for discussion. Hearing none, the motion was made and seconded to adjourn; the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. 

If you would like to view older Board of Trustees minutes, please email uscl@seolibraries.org.