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 are available below. 

Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees: August 13, 2026

The Upper Sandusky Community Library Board of Trustees convened on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. in the Library Board Room with the following members present: Mr. Todd Leightey, Ms. Amy Aldridge-Ritchey, Mr. Ben Buckland, Ms. Dianne Grafmiller, and Ms. Ann Kemerley. Mr. Brian Kimmel and Ms. Jenny Romich were absent. Director Kathleen Whitt and Mr. Brian Hemminger of the Daily Chief-Union were also present. 

President Todd Leightey asked for public comments. Hearing none, Mr. Leightey asked if there were corrections or additions to the distributed minutes of the June regular meeting or the June 15 special meeting. Hearing none, Mr. Leightey declared that the minutes stand as distributed. 

Next on the agenda was a motion to ratify the payment of the bills. Mr. Leightey asked if there were any questions about the bills. Ms. Grafmiller asked about payments to Faronics and W.T. Cox. Faronics is the vendor for the Deep Freeze software for the public computers. W.T. Cox is the jobber for our magazine subscriptions. Hearing no further questions, the motion was made and seconded to ratify the payment of bills; in a roll call vote, all present approved the bills. 

There was no old business. 

Under new business, Ms. Whitt asked for input on dress guidelines for library staff. While there is no official dress policy, she said she thought perhaps current guidelines might be a little strict for today’s culture. Board members said that while staff should present a professional appearance, they didn’t see the need for a written policy, and that current guidelines seemed generally appropriate. 

The next item on the agenda was the 2027 PLF distribution. The Ohio Department of Taxation has certified the Calendar Year 2027 PLF amount of $457,111 for Wyandot County. Because the state Fiscal Calendar, and the yet-to-be determined biennial state budget, will begin on July 1, 2027, this distribution is for January-June only. The Wyandot County Budget Commission proposes keeping the percentages at the same amount as 2026, which would result in the following amounts: 

• Dorcas Carey Public Library 36.00% $164,595.96 
• Forest-Jackson Public Library 6.61% 30,221.65 
• Mohawk Community Library 21.39% 97,797.43 
• Upper Sandusky Community Library 36.00% 164,595.96 

If all these libraries agree on this, the budget commission’s PLF meeting will be cancelled for this year. Otherwise, it is scheduled for September 14. In light of current uncertain budget conditions, it was moved and seconded to accept the Budget Commission’s proposed distribution percentages. In a roll call vote, all present approved the motion. 

The last topic on the agenda was the library budget for 2027. Ms. Whitt said that since we only know what we will receive from the PLF in January through June, she proposes writing the Revenue budget with that amount. For the Appropriations budget, she would assume that a similar amount will also be received in July-December, depending on the state’s FY2028-2029 budget, and then watch as the Ohio legislative budget process develops in early 2027, with a view to revising the appropriations budget as seems advisable. If it should happen that the PLF is significantly cut, services and materials would be greatly impacted. 

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

1. Painting refresh: Rosanne and John Goodrich stopped in the same day after we contacted them to let them know their estimate for the painting project had been accepted. They checked out the paint we had left to see how good it is and whether they can use it and ended buying quite a bit due to insufficient quantities of most of the colors. They did the work on June 18-19, so the project was completed quickly and well in advance of our July goal. 
2. The gutters were also cleaned, and the seams repaired on June 19. The contractor did say that they are bent and need to be replaced, but we have previously discussed waiting to have this done when the roof is replaced in the next couple of years. 
3. The dedicated cell line for the alarm system was installed by Johnson Controls on July 7. Since then, we have had no more alerts that the test signals are not being received. 
4. Hoepf electrical completed the work on the faulty light in the basement vestibule in early July. 
5. On June 19, we had a staff in-service day. Krystal and Patti gave the staff a complete overview on the upcoming Americans and the Holocaust exhibit, including the schedule, programming and displays that will be throughout the library. We also reviewed and revised our emergency procedures, which had not been done for several years. 
6. Our Summer Reading Program, “Uncover Your Story,” ran from May 30 through the end of July, with weekly treasure hunts and guessing games for the kids, in addition to weekly programs through June. 
7. July programming included Craft Party, with a “Summer Vibes Door Décor” project; Taste of the States, with recipes from Virginia; and Lunch Bunch, with a theme of Revolutionary War Era recipes. Common Readers discussed Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and the Inglorious Bookworms read Rules of Prey by John Sandford. 
8. The Friends of the Library book sale was held July 30-August 1. Friends president Jerry Sedgwick said they made almost as much money as last year, despite having fewer books to offer. Set up and cleanup also went more quickly, with the recycling center providing bins for damaged books before the sale and for leftovers afterwards. Many of the leftovers were also given to charitable organizations. 
9. The downtown story walk this month features Back to School, Backpack by Simon Rich. Our Stepping Stones Park story walk features Bird, Butterfly, Eel by James Prosek. 
10. Most of our August programming will center around the Americans and the Holocaust exhibit. On August 8, we had a screening of the Ken Burns documentary U.S. and the Holocaust, followed by an opportunity for discussion. Lunch Bunch will focus on Jewish recipes. Common Readers will read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. Craft Party and Inglorious Bookworms will not meet in August. 
11. The Americans and the Holocaust exhibit arrived at the library on Monday, August 10, in plenty of time to get it set up for the August 19 opening. On Monday, August 24 we will have an opening reception with light refreshments and remarks from project directors Krystal Smalley and Patti Davidson, and from Roy Büchler, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo. Other events associated with the exhibit include book discussions, films screenings and discussions, and special speakers, including family members of holocaust survivors. 
12. The Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) posted the first Public Library Fund (PLF) monthly distribution for FY 2027. The July 2026 PLF distribution is $40,251,502 – consistent with ODT’s original estimate issued in July 2025 and ODT’s updated estimate issued in December 2025. The PLF Calendar Year (CY) 2026 year-to-date total is $280,303,983. 
13. The Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) posted the August 2026 PLF distribution of $40,620,805 – which is $238,517 (or - 0.58%) below ODT’s original estimate that was issued in July 2025 and ODT’s updated estimate issued in December 2025. The PLF Calendar Year (CY) 2026 year-to-date total is $320,924,787. 
14. Memorial/Honor/Donations: 
    1. In memory of: Minette Hull 
       1. Donor(s): McCarthy Corporation; Steve & Vicki Washburn
    2. In memory of: Jacob Ralph 
       1. Donor(s): Cheri Logan 
    3. In memory of: Ken MacDonald 
       1. Donor(s): Jerry & Jill Logsdon; Herbert & Katherine Kierspel; Joanne Gilmore; Mizick Miller & Company 

There were no Items Not on the Agenda. 

Mr. Leightey asked whether there were any additional items for discussion. Hearing none, the motion was made and seconded to adjourn; the meeting was adjourned at 12:35 p.m.  

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