The Medina County District Library Board of Trustees met in regular session on Monday, February 16, 2026, at Medina Library. With a quorum present, President Caleb Parker called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Roll call: The following members were present: Caleb Parker, Brian Harr, Ann Marie Flannery, William Koran, Sarah Vachon, and Kimberly Krzemienieswki.
Library staff members in attendance: Julianne Bedel, Executive Director; Allison Gaebelein, Fiscal Officer; Suzie Muniak, Deputy Director; Emily Henry, Human Resources Director; Tina Sabol, Community Engagement Director; Eric Lucius, Highland Branch Manager; Abby Hodge, Customer Service Clerk; Larissa Rudd, Libarian; Jason Shankland, Facilities Maintenance Technician; Madison Thomas, Librarian; and Jennifer O’Neill, Deputy Fiscal Officer acting as recording secretary.
Approval of the Agenda: Mr. Harr motioned, and Mr. Koran seconded the motion to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Recognition of Guests and Comments from the Public: President Parker welcomed all in attendance.
Disposition of Meeting Minutes: Ms. Vachon motioned, and Mr. Harr seconded the motion to approve the January 19, 2026, regular meeting minutes. Motion carried.
Approval of Financial Report: Mr. Koran motioned, and Mr. Harr seconded the motion to approve the January 2026 financial report. Motion carried.
Fiscal Officer Allison Gaebelein highlighted that January 2026 receipts totaled $531,187.17, while expenses totaled $1,050,280.37. There was an unexpended cash balance of $17,246,275.75 minus outstanding encumbrances of $3,890,129.77 leaving an ending unencumbered balance of $13,356,145.98.
General Fund revenues were down 43.0% over prior year-to-date due to the delayed collection of real estate taxes. The Medina County Auditor’s office delayed the due date of property taxes by two weeks this year, with payments now due at the end of February. The General Fund expenses are down 0.9% compared to the same year-to-date period.
January 2026 PLF came in at $365,922.16. This is $20,603.94 (-5.33%) lower than January 2025, and $9,922.16 (2.79%) higher than budgeted. The monthly budgeted amounts for the PLF will remain relatively steady for each month of 2026.
January 2026 investments earned $51,185.31 at an average weighted interest rate of 3.683% as compared to $55,237.90 in January 2025.
The annual financial report will be filed with the Ohio Auditor of State at the end of February.
Executive Director’s Report: Executive Director Julianne Bedel highlighted that circulation for January 2026 increased 4% compared to January 2025, with physical items being down 3% and digital circulation up 14%. The door count decreased by 5%. Overall computer usage increased by 8%. The number of library programs decreased 8%, and overall program attendance was down 14%. Community meeting room bookings increased by 3%, and the number of people attending community meetings increased by 25%. The number of passport applications being processed was down 22% from this time last year.
Director Bedel also reported that the Medina County Board of Elections approached the Library with a request for the Lodi Library to serve as a permanent polling location. After evaluating the set-up and accessibility of the community meeting room, the Board of Elections determined the space to be suitable for their purpose and moved forward with the agreement. Welcoming voters to the library on election day is a natural extension of our role as an entity that conducts voter registration. It could be a great opportunity to get new community members into the building who aren't already library users. Polling day is another opportunity for us to live the mission of our library as a community gathering place for all.
The new meeting room, or study pod, primarily funded by a generous donation from a community member, has been installed at the Highland Library. The Framery Four Accessible is an ADA-compliant smart pod designed for one to four people, featuring a low threshold, an interior that can accommodate wheelchair maneuvering, and foldable furniture. It provides Class-A acoustics, which substantially reduces sound transference. The pod has automated LED lighting, adaptive high-efficiency ventilation, and independent fire suppression. It’s available on a walk-in basis and has been quite popular with patrons so far. It is hopeful that this unit may serve as a model for addressing the growing demand for small meeting spaces in our libraries in the future, without incurring substantial construction costs. Highland Library was selected for the pilot installation since it does not currently have a small group study room but had available public space to accommodate the pod.
Ohio Legislative Day is scheduled in Columbus at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel on Wednesday, March 18. The agenda includes Legislative Briefing by Michelle Francis and Jay Smith at 9 a.m., followed by a presentation by Governor and First Lady DeWine. There will be an advocacy panel discussion at 10:30 a.m. followed by individual appointments with legislators or staffers if possible. The registration deadline is March 11.
Communication: None
Personnel Report: Ms. Flannery motioned, and Ms. Krzemienieswki seconded the motion to approve the January Personnel Report. Motion carried.
Human Resources highlights from January 2026 include celebrating one staff retirement. There were no transfers or promotions during the month. There were 13 people in active leave status. Leaves of absence are being counted differently than in previous years to include the total number of staff in active leave status each month. The review of administrative job descriptions is underway. Leadership U is halfway through the curriculum.
Two milestone anniversaries were celebrated in January. Kathy Cooper, Buckeye Customer Service Clerk, celebrated 10 years with MCDL and Tina Sabol, Community Engagement Director, celebrated 15 years. Congratulations and thank you to both!
Board Committee Reports:
Buildings Committee: Next meeting March 2, 2026, at Medina Library.
Finance Committee: No Meeting
Personnel Committee: No Meeting
Policy and By-laws Committee: No Meeting
Unfinished Business: None
New Business:
Community Engagement Presentation: Community Engagement Director Tina Sabol gave a presentation highlighting the department’s achievements this past year. Some highlights included the updated COM Guide that was published in August 2025, reaching 10,000 Facebook followers in December 2025, launching a more active partnership with Imagination Library, creating two new storywalks, assisting in creating the Baby Garden at Brunswick Library, and updating digital signage in all branches.
Donations: Mr. Harr motioned, and Ms. Flannery seconded the motion to approve the following donations for January. Motion carried.
- Friends of the Library: $36,000
- Kiwanis Club of Medina: $72
- Glenn Somodi: Six copies of this book Draven’s Run
- George Kamposek: $250
- Beeology LLC: $50
- $230 in memory of Dianna Wertz from Ann Plazek, Lisa Reinerth, Deborah Ensor, Julianne Bedel, Stephanie Sanek, Chris Steinbrink, Lynn Vidra, Theresa Laffey, Christine Gramm Jason Lutz: $50 in memory of David Rainey
- Erik St. Pierre: $100 in memory of David Rainey
- Rikki Niknam: $25
- Angelina Seay: $50
The donations were accepted with gratitude. Special thanks to the Friends of the Library for their annual donation in support of programming and special events. This year’s gift will greatly enhance patron program opportunities and is deeply appreciated.
Executive Session: Mr. Koran motioned and Ms. Flannery seconded the motion to move into executive session to prepare for bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation and other terms and conditions of their employment at 6:26 p.m.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Koran – Aye; Ms. Krzemienieswki – Aye; Mr. Harr – Aye; Ms. Flannery – Aye; Ms. Vachon – Aye; Mr. Parker – Aye. Motion carried.
Ms. Bedel, Ms. Gaebelein, Ms. Muniak, Ms. Henry, and Mr. Lucius were asked to attend the session. Regular session resumed at 6:42 p.m.
Trustees Comments:
Ms. Flannery thanked Ms. Sabol for her presentation and looks forward to the creative posts. She congratulated Ms. Sabol and Ms. Cooper on their milestone anniversaries.
Mr. Harr thanked Ms. Sabol for her presentation and congratulated her on her milestone anniversary. He congratulated Ms. Rienerth on her retirement. He shared his admiration for the partnerships FHLC has cultivated with local historical societies.
Ms. Vachon echoed Mr. Harr’s sentiments and shared how proud she is of our library system.
Mr. Koran congratulated Ms. Sabol on her milestone anniversary. He congratulated Ms. Muniak for her upcoming Excellence in Public Service Leadership award from Leadership Medina County.
Mr. Parker thanked Ms. Sabol for her presentation. He congratulated Ms. Muniak for her Excellence in Public Service Leadership award. He is excited to see the Highland study pod is now available for use.
Adjournment: There being no further business, Mr. Harr motioned, and Ms. Vachon seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:45 p.m. Motion carried.
Caleb Parker, President
Ann Marie Flannery, Secretary
NEXT BOARD MEETING
Monday, March 16, 2026
6:00 p.m.
Buckeye Library