The Medina County District Library Board of Trustees met in regular session on Monday, September 15, 2025, at Medina Library. With a quorum present, President Will Koran called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Roll call: The following members were present: Will Koran, Mark Krosse, Sarah Vachon, Brian Harr, Ann Marie Flannery, Caleb Parker, and Christopher Jakab.
Library staff members in attendance included: Julianne Bedel, Executive Director; Allison Gaebelein, Fiscal Officer; Suzie Muniak, Deputy Director; Lauren Kuntzman, FHLC Branch Manager; Emily Henry, Human Resources Director; Tina Sabol, Community Engagement Director; and Jill McGarr, Administrative Assistant acting as recording secretary.
Approval of the Agenda: Mr. Parker motioned, and Mr. Harr seconded the motion to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Recognition of Guests and Comments from the Public: President Koran welcomed all in attendance. Mr. Michael Wood, SEIU Representative (although he indicated that he was not speaking in his official capacity), was recognized and spoke on the subject of the June 26,2025, arbitration finding. It is his position, as a taxpayer, that Library Administration should have settled the matter with Labor without going through the time and cost of the arbitration process. President Koran thanked him for speaking.
Disposition of Meeting Minutes: Ms. Flannery motioned, and Ms. Vachon seconded the motion to approve the July 21, 2025, regular meeting minutes and the July 28, 2025, special meeting minutes. Motion carried.
Approval of Financial Report: Mr. Harr motioned, and Ms. Flannery seconded the motion to approve the July 2025 financial report. Motion carried.
Fiscal Officer Allison Gaebelein highlighted that July 2025 receipts totaled $3,253,526.26 due to the initial second half disbursements of real estate taxes. Expenses totaled $1,095,328.46. There was an unexpended balance of $20,034,537.59 minus outstanding encumbrances of $3,262,083.01 leaving an ending unencumbered balance in all funds of $16,772,454.58
General Fund revenues are up 5.5% over the prior year-to-date, and General Fund expenses are up 5.8% compared to the same year-to-date period.
July 2025 PLF came in at $366,598.99 which is $54,562.36 lower than last July and $38,469.01 lower than budgeted. This is the first disbursement of the PLF that is a line-item appropriation in the state budget. The year-to-date PLF is currently 6.2% higher than budgeted.
July 2025 investments earned $59,056.48. Year-to-date interest totals are $421,612.93 at an average weighted interest rate of 3.686%.
Mr. Parker motioned, and Mr. Krosse seconded the motion to approve the August 2025 financial report. Motion carried.
Ms. Gaebelein highlighted that August 2025 receipts totaled $699,751.31 and expenses totaled $963,032.64. There was an unexpended cash balance of $19,771,256.26, minus outstanding encumbrances of $3,434,930.08, leaving an ending unencumbered balance in all funds of $16,336,326.18.
General Fund revenues are up 5.5% over prior year-to-date and General Fund expenses are up 3.6% compared to the same year-to-date period.
August 2025 investments earned $65,538.75. The year-to-date interest total is $487,151.68 at an average weighted interest rate of 4.204%.
August 2025 PLF came in at $370,037.68. This is $29,712.36 higher than last August and $35,790.68 higher than budgeted. Year-to-date PLF is up 6.53% over last year and 7.3% over budget.
The Auditor of State has released its official bulletin on the Adoption of Cybersecurity Program. House Bill 96 established statewide standards for how political subdivisions must prevent, detect, and respond to cybersecurity threats and ransomware incidents. Although the law takes effect on September 30, 2025, AOS will not begin auditing public libraries for compliance until after July 1, 2026. However, mandatory incident reporting and the prohibition on ransomware payments will go into effect September 30, 2025.
Mr. Parker asked if the PLF is expected to stay the same amount each month going forward. Ms. Gaebelein replied that the PLF distribution will fluctuate slightly each month. HB 96 included deductions and transfers from the PLF (including the State Library of Ohio, Ohio Public Library Information Network, and Library for the Blind) that are made prior to the PLF distributions to public libraries.
Mr. Krosse inquired about the amount of the PLF for next year's budget. Ms. Gaebelein replied that PLF revenue will be approximately 5% less in 2026 and that the library will budget accordingly.
Executive Director’s Report: Executive Director Julianne Bedel noted overall circulation was up 1% over August 2024. Circulation of physical items was down 2%, but digital circulation was up 15%. Overall, computer usage was up 13%. Wi-Fi use up 4%. Meeting room bookings were up 4% and community attendance in the meeting rooms was up 19%. The number of new library cards issued was down 1%. The number of passport applications was down 1%. The number of programs offered was down 15%, and the number of patrons attending programs was down 9%. Door count was down 1% from last August.
The Summer Reading Game wrapped up at the end of August. 1,207 teens reported reading a combined 1,069,702 minutes (68,506 more minutes than 2024). There were 7,065 children playing the SRG, which is a 7% increase from last year. Many thanks to the Friends of the Library for their generous support of summer reading again this year and hats off to all the families who encouraged their children to fight the summer slide by reading.
Leadership U is kicking off later this month. The staff selected to participate are Abby Hodge, Madison Thomas, Sara Tran, Larissa Rudd, Natalie Keller, and Jason Shankland.
Ms. Bedel highlighted that the FHLC has been awarded a $100,000 IMLS National Leadership Grant for Libraries. The project is "Preserving Medina County, Ohio: Medina County District Library and Local Historical Societies Collaborate to Digitize the Community’s Legacy." Library staff will collaborate with multiple local historical societies to guide and assist volunteers in inventorying collections and developing digitization plans. The grant also supports expanding the Digital Lab with equipment to initiate the societies’ digitization plans. All collections scanned through this grant will be available to the public in the "Medina County Memory Project." Mr. Krosse inquired about the disbursement of funds from the federal government since there have been recent instances of recipients waiting long periods of time to receive their awards. Ms. Gaebelein responded that the funding for this IMLS grant can be requested ahead of expenditure or requested as a reimbursement. MCDL will request the prior disbursement of funds for equipment purchases and request reimbursement for salaries related to this project.
Ms. Bedel also mentioned Readers Advisory Librarian Mary Olson was the keynote speaker at a recent OLC Convention in Dayton. Her presentation “New to Libraries” was well received. Collection Resources Director Chris Weaver-Pieh and Librarians Catie Taylor and Amanda Walter facilitated a break-out session on centralized collections development at the same conference.
Communication: The property tax statement for Brunswick land parcels was included in the packet. The Brunswick parcels are the only properties on which MCDL pays property tax. Mr. Harr asked if the property could be divested. Now that the parcels are being utilized by the public for the story walk and reading bench, might that impact the property taxing status? Ms. Bedel will follow up.
Mr. Krosse mentioned that Tina Sabol is running Google ads to great effect. He inquired as to whether the Friends of the Library may qualify for grants on Google advertising since they hold 501(c)(3) status. Ms. Sabol will follow up.
Personnel Report: Ms. Flannery motioned, and Mr. Parker seconded the motion to approve the July and August Personnel Reports. Motion carried.
There were no new hires for the period. Two promotions were celebrated. There were two leaves of absence in August. HR staff have finalized the ADP performance management module for implementation in December, with the start of 2026 goal setting. While there were no milestone anniversaries in August, in July, Carol Hinegardner celebrated 10 years as a Page in Outreach, and Beverly Henry, Customer Services Clerk in Medina, marked 25 amazing years. Congratulations!
Board Committee Reports:
Buildings Committee: Met before September 15 Board meeting regarding roofing project. Will meet again in October.
Finance Committee: No meeting.
Personnel Committee: Met July 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Planning an October meeting.
Policy and By-laws Committee: No meeting.
Unfinished Business: None
New Business:
Family History & Learning Center Presentation: FHLC Manager Lauren Kuntzman gave a presentation discussing Library and Community partnerships highlighting the Local History Fair, collaborating on the America 250 book, and relationships with local genealogical societies. She also discussed shared knowledge and collaboration, and preservation of unique historic materials.
Resolution 25 – 14: Ms. Vachon motioned, and Mr. Parker seconded the motion that the Medina County District Library Board of Trustees hereby revises Bargaining Unit job descriptions as proposed effective immediately with thanks to all staff who worked on the process. Motion carried.
Resolution 25-15: Mr. Parker motioned, and Mr. Krosse seconded the motion that the Medina County District Library Board of Trustees hereby adopts Policy BRD-05 2026 Library Closings effective January 1, 2026. Motion carried.
Service Recognition for Beth Shepherd: Mr. Koran recognized Children's Associate Beth Shepherd for her twenty-two years of dedicated service. The Board of Trustees expresses deep appreciation for Beth Shepherd and her role in the Library’s family. They wish her health and happiness in the next chapter of her life.
Donations: Mr. Krosse motioned, and Mr. Jakab seconded the motion to approve the following donations for July and August. Motion carried.
July
- Ryan Miller: $100 in memory of Michael A. Phillipp
- Allison Basta: $100 in memory of Michael A. Phillipp
- Ken & Wendy Turocy: $250 in memory of Kathleen Connor
- Harold & Linda Young: $250 in memory of Kathleen Connor
- Judah LeBlang: 2 copies of his book: Expiration Date
- Lori Zoss: 4 copies of her book: Under Caution
- Jeffrey & Sandra Twardzik: $50
- Marc Mitchell: $1,000 in memory of his mother, Tracy Mitchell
- Ohio Early Intervention: 1,035 board books for care giver kits
- Brad Rice: 1 copy of his book Irpin’s Big Adventure
- Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates: 8 boxes of copy paper
- Andy Watson: 1 copy of his book The Pilot’s Guide to Air Traffic Control
- David Mervis: $100
August
- Sweets and Geeks: Gift basket of candy, snacks and drinks for Game Con raffle prize
- Barbara Starre: Children’s book by Brad Rice Irpin’s Big Adventure
The donations were accepted with gratitude.
Trustees Comments:
Ms. Flannery thanked Ms. Kuntzman for her presentation. She is excited to hear more about the local Makerspace cohort going forward. She wishes the best of luck to Beth Shepherd in her retirement. She noted the many memorial donations that have been made in the past year and appreciates the community's recognition of the library in their time of loss.
Mr. Harr thanked Ms. Kuntzman for her presentation. He thanked the staff and management for the effort put into the daily operation of the Library. Congratulations to Beth Shepherd on her retirement.
Ms. Vachon was excited to learn more about what is happening at the Family History and Learning Center (FHLC) and thanked Ms. Kuntzman for her presentation. She offered congratulations to Beth Shepherd on her retirement.
Mr. Parker thanked Ms. Kuntzman for her presentation. He congratulated all the staff on the great SRG stats for 2025. He offered congratulations to Beverly Henry and Carol Hinegardner on their milestone anniversaries.
Mr. Jakab offered thanks to Mr. Brzezinski for all his work on the Buildings Committee and thanked Ms. Kuntzman for her presentation.
Mr. Krosse thanked Ms. Kuntzman for being such an asset to MCDL and to the community. He was impressed with the SRG stats and appreciated the staff’s fantastic effort this year.
Mr. Koran thanked Ms. Kuntzman for her outstanding presentation and complimented the growth and expansion of the FHLC. He offered congratulations to Beth Shepherd on her retirement and was impressed to hear that Mary Olson served as keynote speaker at an OLC conference.
Adjournment: There being no further business, Mr. Krosse motioned, and Mr. Jakab the motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:55 p.m. Motion Carried.
William Koran, President
Sarah Vachon, Secretary
NEXT BOARD MEETING
Monday, October 20, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Lodi Library