The Medina County District Library Board of Trustees met in regular session on Monday, May 18, 2026, at Brunswick 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, Sarah Vachon, Ann Marie Flannery, William Koran, and Christopher Jakab.

Library staff members in attendance: Julianne Bedel, Executive Director; Allison Gaebelein, Fiscal Officer; Suzie Muniak, Deputy Director; Tina Sabol, Community Engagement Director; Emily Henry, Human Resources Director; Christine Gramm, Medina Branch Manager; Connie Sureck, Brunswick Branch Manager and Jennifer O’Neill, Deputy Fiscal Officer acting as recording secretary.

Approval of the Agenda: Mr. Jakab motioned, and Ms. Vachon 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 Ms. Flannery seconded the motion to approve the April 20, 2026, regular meeting minutes. Motion carried.

Facilities Plan Presentation: Aaron Hill and Emily Williams of Bialosky & Associates gave an overview of MCDL’s completed Facilities Plan. They reviewed the plan process, community analysis, current library trends, and design principles. They provided an overview of estimated maintenance costs and recommendations with renovation ideas for each of MCDL’s locations over the next ten years. Ms. Bedel stated that the plan can be used to prioritize needed work over time. Mr. Harr asked if changes could be made to the Seville location since MCDL does not own the building. Ms. Bedel replied that the Library does not own the Seville and Brunswick locations, and that improvements historically have been the library’s investment per the respective contracts.

Approval of Financial Report: Mr. Koran motioned, and Mr. Jakab seconded the motion to approve the April 2026 financial report. Motion carried.

Fiscal Officer Allison Gaebelein highlighted that April 2026 receipts totaled $2,827,763.70, while expenses totaled $2,927,419.97. Both totals include the $1,800,000 transfer from the 101 General Fund to the 401 Building / Repair Fund this month for the Medina Library Roof Project. There was an unexpended cash balance of $19,137,154.54 minus outstanding encumbrances of $5,977,599.00 leaving an ending unencumbered balance of $13,159,555.54.

General Fund revenues are down 0.8% over prior year-to-date, and General Fund expenses (excluding the $1.8M transfer) are up 1.9% compared to the same year-to-date period.

April 2026 PLF came in at $365,922.16. This is $60,580.52 (19.84%) higher than April 2025. The year-to-date total for the PLF is $1,486,711.42, which is a 0.64% decrease from 2025.

April 2026 investments earned $53,850.54 at an average weighted interest rate of 3.623%. The year-to-date total investment earnings in 2026 are $209,920.35.

There is a new worksheet include with this month’s financial reports titled “Operating Cost per Location.” The worksheet provides internal documentation regarding operating costs per location; however, these figures are not tracked or required for State reporting purposes. The worksheet was discussed at last month’s Finance Committee meeting as an additional way to review Library expenditures from a different perspective.

Executive Director’s Report: Executive Director Julianne Bedel highlighted that circulation for April 2026 increased by 1% over April 2025, with physical items being down 7% and digital circulation up 15%. Overall year-to-date circulation is up 3% from this time last year. The door count decreased by 5%, while computer usage remained the same. The number of library programs offered increased by 11%, and overall program attendance was up 3%. Community meeting room bookings increased 3% from last April, and the number of people attending community meetings increased 8%. The number of passport applications being processed was down 7%.

The scheduled masonry repair and cleaning on the west and south sections of Medina Library have been completed. New seasonal bunting has been hung, and two planted urns were scheduled for delivery this week. Staff planted the raised flower beds at the main entrance in preparation for visitors walking over from the square celebrating the many America 250 events that are planned this summer.

The Library contracted with HolyCow! Consultants to conduct a community assessment survey. At the end of the month, the consultants presented an analysis of the responses. A total of 2,628 individuals participated in the survey. An executive summary of the responses for the Board will be shared later this month. Areas receiving the highest satisfaction levels in the survey included collection, programs, technology, and service by staff (respectively).

The Library received an initial project outline from Medina County Parks Department for the Lodi Woods trail, which will be located adjacent to the Lodi Library. The Buildings Committee will meet in early June to review the information and make a recommendation to the Board. 

Ms. Bedel thanked Mr. Jakab, Mr. Parker, and Mr. Koran for attending OLC’s annual Northeast Region Trustee dinner last week to hear a legislative update and gather with other trustees in our region. It’s always a great opportunity to connect with others in Ohio’s public library community. Ms. Bedel congratulated Collection Resources Director Chris Weaver-Pieh on being elected Vice Chair/Chair Elect of the Northern Ohio Technical Services Librarians board. Founded in 1947, the group is a community of library professionals dedicated to advancing technical services in libraries across Northern Ohio through collaboration, professional development and mutual support among catalogers, metadata specialists, and acquisitions staff.

Librarian Kitty Murphy has been selected for the 2026 cohort of Library Leadership Ohio. This is a collaborative leadership program of the State Library of Ohio and OhioNet. Participants are selected based on demonstrated leadership potential, collaborative spirit, and commitment to the library profession.

Finally, Ms. Bedel congratulated Ms. Gaebelein on her graduation from Leadership Medina County’s Signature program. The Legacy 35 class project was titled "Leadership Medina County: A Strategic Review to Shape the Next Chapter," aimed at ensuring LMC remains sustainable and impactful. Ms. Gaebelein represented the Library well within the community and took this opportunity to form many new connections.

Mr. Harr and Mr. Jakab inquired about any updates on property tax legislation. Ms. Bedel responded that petitioners had not yet filed the collected signatures and that they have until July 1 to have the signatures certified and accepted to be placed on the November ballot. She also noted that updates are available on the Ohioan to Protect Public Services website.

Communication: The Library received a thank you letter from Feeding Medina County for the April mac and cheese drive that collected 350 pounds of food valued at $689.50.

Personnel Report: Ms. Vachon motioned, and Ms. Flannery seconded the motion to approve the April Personnel Report. Motion carried.

Human Resources highlights from April 2026 include welcoming two new staff members while four left employment. There were no transfers or promotions during the month. There were nine people in active leave status.

On April 21, the Admin Team attended a DiSC profile workshop facilitated by Kathy Sullivan of Talent Principles. The workshop expanded the work that the Directors Team did last year and widens the conversation around communication styles to include our branch managers. Later this summer, a supervisor training is scheduled to address performance reviews. This will focus on employee engagement and workplace actualization, which is where human potential, interpersonal dynamics, and organizational performance align. Staff Development Day has been confirmed for November 11, 2026, at Williams on the Lake.

Madison Thomas, FHLC librarian, celebrated five years with MCDL. Congratulations, Madison!

Board Committee Reports:

Buildings Committee: No Meeting

Finance Committee: Mr. Jakab reported the committee met on Monday, April 27, 2026, at Medina Library. They received a first quarter fiscal update from Ms. Gaebelein. They discussed a new worksheet on operating costs per location. Next meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 13, 2026, at 5 p.m. at Medina Library.

Personnel Committee: No Meeting

Policy and By-laws Committee: No Meeting. Next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 1, 2026, at 5 p.m. at Medina Library.

Unfinished Business: Collective Bargaining Matters - Ms. Bedel reported that the May 15 and 18 bargaining sessions were cancelled by the Union. The next scheduled dates are June 1 and 15.

New Business

Brunswick Branch Presentation: Branch Manager Connie Sureck gave a presentation highlighting the Brunswick Page team. Page responsibilities include shelving, assisting with programs, shelf reading, filling empty displays, keeping toys and the activity room orderly, and shifting projects. Ms. Sureck thanked the Pages for all their hard work and contributions.

Donations: Mr. Harr motioned, and Ms. Vachon seconded the motion to approve the following donations for April. Motion carried.

1. Erin Bostrom: $20
2. Steven Andrews: Two copies of his book Chicky’s Adventures on the Farm
3. Heidi Smith: $100 in memory of Barbara (Bobbi) Repp

The donations were accepted with gratitude.

Trustees Comments

Ms. Flannery thanked Ms. Sureck for her engaging presentation. She also thanked the Bialosky team for the Facilities Plan overview. She congratulated Ms. Weaver-Pieh on her election as Vice Chair/Chair Elect of NOTSL and Ms. Thomas on her milestone work anniversary.

Mr. Harr thanked Ms. Sureck for her presentation. He appreciated the work put into the Facilities Plan. He congratulated the Library’s Match Wits team on their Project Learn trivia night win.

Mr. Koran thanked Ms. Sureck for her presentation. He thanked the Pages for all their work. He encouraged the other trustees to attend future OLC trustee dinners when possible.

Ms. Vachon echoed the sentiments of the other Board members. She congratulated Ms. Gaebelein on her graduation from Leadership Medina County’s Signature program. She congratulated Ms. Murphy on her selection to the Library Leadership Ohio program.

Mr. Jakab appreciated Ms. Sureck’s presentation. He enjoyed her enthusiasm.

Mr. Parker thanked Ms. Sureck for her presentation. He appreciated the work staff contributed to the Facilities plan. He congratulated Ms. Gaebelein on her graduation from Leadership Medina County’s Signature program.

Adjournment: There being no further business, Mr. Koran motioned, and Ms. Vachon seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:17 p.m. Motion carried.

Caleb Parker, President
Ann Marie Flannery, Secretary

Next Board Meeting
Monday, June 15, 2026
6:00 p.m. Medina Library