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[EBR Library Board of Control on March 20, 2025.]
EVENING.WELCOME TO THE EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL MEETING OF MARCH 20TH, 2025.
WOULD YOU LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE? MY PLEASURE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC OF WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
LET THE RECORD REFLECT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 20TH.
ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? UH, THERE'S ONE CORRECTION, UH, STAFF PRESENT.
PRESENT SHOULD BE KATRINA WITH A, A KATRINA STOKES.
DO I HAVE A MOTION? UM, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE WITH THE ONE CORRECTION.
THE MOTION CARRIES ANY PUBLIC COMMENT UNDER THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES IN THE CORRECTIONS.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL ORDERS AT THIS TIME.
MOVING ON THE REPORTS BY THE DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL REPORTS.
FINANCIAL REPORTS WILL BE READ BY LAURIE JUDE, OKAY.
UH, FOR 2024, OPERATING EXPENDITURES THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST ARE $45,511,503 AND 4 CENTS, OR 86.98% OF THE OPERATING BUDGET 20 20 24.
2024 WILL CLOSE ON MARCH 14TH.
SO WE DON'T EXPECT MANY MORE ADJUSTMENTS TO BE MADE TO OUR EXPENDITURES THIS YEAR.
FOR LAST YEAR, UM, FOR 2025 OPERATING EXPENDITURES THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH, OR 6,629,238 THOU $238 AND 67 CENTS, OR 12.05% OF THE OPERATING BUDGET THROUGH FEBRUARY, WE SHOULD HAVE SPENT NO MORE THAN 16.67% OF THE BUDGET.
CASH COLLECTIONS FROM PROPERTY TAXES FOR 2025 ARE STARTING OUT STRONG AT AHEAD OF THOSE COLLECTED IN 2024, AS WE'RE APPROXIMATELY $2.6 MILLION AND 4.82% AHEAD OF THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
SO THE ACTUAL INCREASE OVER 2024 IS $2,585,303 AND 3 CENTS.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, LORD.
SYSTEM REPORTS WILL BE READ BY MS. MAYOR STEIN.
SO SOME FUN THINGS HAPPENING DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY THROUGH MARCH.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO YET ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION WITH PUBLIC TELEVISION, THE LPB DOCUMENTARY SCREENING.
HOW WE GOT OVER, AND THIS WAS A PASSION PROJECT FROM ONE OF THEIR PRODUCERS, MS. DOROTHY KENDRICK.
SHE'S A SENIOR PRODUCER THERE.
AND IT, IT WAS TALKING ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY TO THE IMMEDIATE NORTH OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AND THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND THEIR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OVER THE PAST MANY DECADES.
SO THAT WAS REALLY A LOVELY THING TO BE PART OF.
UH, WE'VE HAD REALLY WONDERFUL COLLABORATIONS WITH PUBLIC TELEVISION.
EACH TIME WE HAVE THE SCREENING AND THERE'S A PANEL DISCUSSION, AND THEY'RE REALLY WELL RECEIVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
AND OF COURSE, THERE'S A RIPPLE EFFECT TO ALL OF THESE WITH, UM, YOU MIGHT SAY SERVICE AFTER THE SALE.
PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN GENEALOGY.
PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN LOCAL HISTORY.
PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT'S AVAILABLE ON PUBLIC TELEVISION AND WHAT OUR DOCUMENTARY COLLECTION IS LIKE.
MUSIC HAS BEEN EVERYWHERE LAST MONTH AND THIS MONTH, THERE YOU SEE IN
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THE BOTTOM SCREEN, MAMA SABA.AT THE TOP WE HAVE THE YOUNG MAN PLAYING THE QUORA, THAT 21 STRING INS INSTRUMENT FROM WEST AFRICA.
I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE PLAYING 21 STRINGS.
AND, UH, ON THE FAR RIGHT AT JONES CREEK, YOU'LL SEE, UH, THE CELTIC CONCERTS WITH THE MADAME DULCIMER AND LADY CHOPS, GETTING THEM ALL REVVED UP.
A LOT OF DRUMMING GOING ON REDICK RHYTHMS. ALSO DRUMMING COM ON REDS STICK RHYTHMS. WE ANNOUNCED OUR OWN MUSICAL PLATFORM FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS, UH, A FEW WEEKS AGO OUTSIDE WITH, UH, SOME CONCERTS BY SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE WORK WAS SELECTED TO BE IN THE INAUGURAL PLATFORM COLLECTION.
AND THEN WE HAD CONCERTS INSIDE THE LIBRARY AS WELL.
SO IT WAS REALLY A WONDERFUL WAY TO, AGAIN, MAKE MUSIC, CELEBRATE OUR LOCAL MUSIC MAKERS, DRAW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT MUSIC IS FOR EVERYONE AT EVERY AGE.
UH, CELEBRATE THE COLLECTIONS THAT WE HAVE OF PERFORMANCES THAT YOU CAN LISTEN TO, DOWNLOAD, STREAM, CHECK OUT, OR EVEN GET THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HERE AND TAKE THEM HOME.
SO REALLY NICE REDICK RHYTHMS, COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS.
RIGHT NOW YOU'LL SEE ON DISPLAY THE STUDENT EXHIBIT OF GIFTED AND TALENTED.
UH, I BELIEVE HIGH SCHOOL ART IS ON DISPLAY RIGHT NOW.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME OTHER COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS.
WE HAD THE DEBOS LAST MONTH, AND WE HAD A FUN THING IN 2, 2 5 WITH ROMANCE NOVELS THERE, HOT FOR HOT IN BATON ROUGE.
THEY INTERVIEWED US TO TALK ABOUT HOW READING HAS CHANGED AND HOW WRITING HAS CHANGED IN THE ROMANCE WRITING INDUSTRY OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES.
AND PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON A COLLECTION THAT REALLY CIRCULATES.
PROFESSOR BOB MANN WAS HERE WITH BIOGRAPHY OF A SONG.
WE HEARD THE MANY RENDITIONS OF YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE.
AND FOUND OUT TO OUR SHOCK AND DISMAY THAT THE GOVERNOR DID NOT WRITE IT, BUT HE CERTAINLY MADE IT BIG AND POPULAR.
UH, IN FACT, THIS RECORDING THAT YOU SEE, THIS PICTURE IS A, IT'S, THAT IS A RECORD THAT IS OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
AND IT IS NOT THE GOVERNOR SINGING YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE.
BUT IT WAS REALLY A MARVELOUS, UH, PRESENTATION.
WE DID HEAR DIFFERENT RENDITIONS, AND WE HEARD HOW IT HAD BEEN INTERPRETED THROUGH THE DECADES.
AND IT, IT WAS REALLY FASCINATING TO HEAR ABOUT THIS.
AND EVERYONE SAID, YOU KNOW, PROFESSOR BOB MANN IS WIDELY KNOWN AS A WRITER OF HISTORY AND POLITICS, BUT WHO KNEW HE WAS ALSO A MUSICOLOGIST? SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY FASCINATING.
AND HE CONTINUED, UH, SPEAKING AT BLUE BONNET, UH, AS PART OF AN OLLIE LECTURE.
AND YOU'LL SEE HIM, UH, AT THE LIBRARY CONFERENCE TOMORROW NIGHT FOR THE PRESIDENT'S PROGRAM.
WE HAD ALMOST 800 PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME FOR TRAIN DAY, AND WE'VE ALREADY SCHEDULED NEXT YEAR.
THEY SET UP THE DAY BEFORE, ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT.
WE LOCK THE ROOM AND THEN GET THEM HERE BRIGHT AND EARLY THE NEXT MORNING.
AND THE PEOPLE WERE HERE BEFORE THE DOORS OPENED TO COME IN AND BRING MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY.
OF COURSE, YOU HAD YOUNG PEOPLE AS YOU CAN SEE IN THESE PICTURES, BUT WE ALSO HAD TRAIN AFICIONADOS OF EVERY AGE HERE AND NOT JUST TRAINS.
BATTLESHIP BATTLESHIPS WERE HERE, MILLENNIUM FALCONS WERE HERE.
UH, AND THERE WERE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS TO ALSO PARTAKE IN.
IT WASN'T JUST LOOKING AT THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE OR, UM, OR THE SOME FLYER COMING DOWN THE TRACK.
UH, THERE WERE SOME ACTIVITIES SO THEY COULD KIND OF GET EXCITED ABOUT THE WAY THINGS MOVE.
AND WHAT MAKES SOMETHING WORK.
WE DID KICK OFF WITH SOME FOOTBALL HERE LAST FRIDAY NIGHT.
UH, JEFFREY MARKS THERE, HE IS WITH ME.
HE IS THE AUTHOR OF OUR SELECTED BOOK SEASON OF LIFE.
IT'S THE COVER, OF COURSE, OF THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF THE NEWSLETTER.
IT WILL BE THE COVER OF NEXT MONTH'S ISSUE AS WELL.
HE WILL BE HERE IN AT THE END OF APRIL IN THIS ROOM SPEAKING.
AND MATT MOSCON WILL INTERVIEW HIM FOR THAT, UH, TALK.
BUT IT WAS REALLY A MARVELOUS EVENING.
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YOU CAN SEE, WE HAD TAILGATE TREATS.UH, THERE THEY WERE MAKING SOME SPIRIT BRACELETS THERE.
WERE CERTAINLY ENJOYING THE FOOD BROUGHT TO US BY OUR FRIENDS AT THE PATRONS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY WHO PAID FOR THE EVENT.
UM, THEY MADE THEIR BUTTONS, UM, ALL AGES.
AND WE HAD THE FLORIDA STREET BLOW HARDS OUTSIDE TO KICK US OFF IN STYLE WAS WONDERFUL.
WE HADN'T HAD THEM AS A FEATURE PERFORMER GROUP BEFORE, AND IT WAS REALLY LOVELY.
WE'VE ALREADY GOT THEM SCHEDULED FOR THEIR OWN EVENT.
UH, THE BATON ROUGE MAGNET, HIGH SIFY ALPHA STEP TEAM.
THEY WERE SO FUN AND ENERGETIC AND THEY GOT EVERYBODY REALLY IN THE SPIRIT.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE THEM BACK.
AND MASCOTS TO GO, Y'ALL, THESE ARE PAPER, WELL CARD STOCK.
THAT'S ME WEARING THE LION'S HEAD.
UM, AND PEOPLE LEARNED HOW TO, UH, THE KITS TO DO THAT AS WELL.
OF COURSE, THERE WAS FACE PAINTING.
THERE WERE BALLOONS, THERE WERE SHAKES.
I LOVE THIS, THIS LOVELY, UH, FAN RIGHT THERE.
AND WE HAD, UM, FRIENDS TO JOIN US, ADULT LITERACY ADVOCATES, THE Y BRATA.
SOME OTHER HEALTHY PEOPLE WERE HERE.
UH, AND, UH, WE HAD OF COURSE, GAMES OUT ON THE PLAZA FOR ANYONE TO ENJOY DIFFERENT KINDS OF GAMES.
RONNIE RAN WAS IN THIS ROOM LAST NIGHT TALKING ABOUT HIS LIFE IN SPORTS.
AND COMING UP ON SUNDAY, WE WILL FEATURE JILL GARNER WITH STRONG HEART, HER NEW BOOK.
AGAIN, THIS CONTINUES EITHER THE THEME OF SPORTS OR INTENTIONALITY OR RAISING CHILDREN TO BE WONDERFUL CITIZENS OF THE WORLD.
PRIDE CHENEY WILL WELCOME YOU SOON TO COUNTRY CRAFTS AND HOBBIES FOR THEIR 15TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY HISTORY FESTIVAL.
AND I WANTED TO BRING YOUR EYE TO TWO KIND OF INTERESTING EXHIBITS.
WE, I'M NOT, WE HAVE NO, UH, WE TAKE NO CREDIT, BUT WE ARE ENJOYING THE FACT THAT THE LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS ARE ON DISPLAY THROUGH MAY AT THE LSU MUSEUM OF ART MOA DOWNTOWN.
AND THEY'VE HAD SOME SPECIAL PROGRAMS. THE LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS HAVE A RICH HISTORY FOR READERS OF ALL AGES.
I GREW UP WITH LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS AND THEY'RE CELEBRATE THERE.
UM, SO THEY'RE CELEBRATING THE ART OF THE BOOK, UH, DOWNTOWN.
AND WE HAVE HELPED PROMOTE THAT.
WE TAKE NO CREDIT FOR IT, BUT WE CERTAINLY LOVE IT.
BUT WE ARE TAKING FULL CREDIT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR ALL OF THE BAD PUNS THAT ARE COMING YOUR WAY SOON WHEN WE BRING YOU THE EDIBLE BOOK FEST, APRIL 6TH.
IN THIS ROOM, I ALREADY HAVE TWO IDEAS.
JUST SEE IF YOU CAN REMEMBER THE WORST THE PUN, THE BETTER.
NOBODY ACTUALLY EATS THE FOOD, SO YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT FOOD POISONING.
UM, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT OUR CREATIONS ARE.
THIS YEAR, MORE AND MORE KIDS COMPETED.
LAST YEAR WE HAD FAMILIES COMPETING.
WE HAD GRANDMAS COMPETING LIKE ME.
AND, UM, THE PUNS WERE FLYING.
THAT WILL BE PART OF NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, WHICH WE, WHICH WE WILL END WITH A LOVELY CELEBRATION ALSO IN THIS ROOM, BROUGHT TO US BY THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, WHO ARE CELEBRATING ALL THINGS LIBRARY VIRTUAL AUTHOR SERIES.
WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT AUTHORS LINED UP COMING AND REMEMBER, THOSE OLD AUTHOR SHOWS ARE ALL ARCHIVED.
UH, WE HAD SOME WONDERFUL, HELPFUL PROGRAMS LAST MONTH WITH, UH, WE HAD ALREADY DONE SUPER TAX DAY, BUT MONEY MOVES BATON ROUGE.
WE'LL BE FEATURING, UH, A NEW STRICTLY BUSINESS NEXT WEEK WITH THE CEO EJ.
I THINK IT'S KIPER, UH, WITH LADY OF THE LAKE.
UH, TALKING ABOUT HEALTHCARE GROWTH AND REGULATORY CHALLENGES.
THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OR ANYONE WHO HAS STAFF.
SO WE DO CARE, UH, LIBRARIES CHANGED ITS LIVES.
OUR NEW FEATURE IS GONNA BE REGINA BERGAL.
AND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WANNA DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS POST BY LIBRARY BOARD PRESIDENT CANDACE TEMPLE.
WHEN WE POST THESE THINGS ONLINE, WE'D LOVE IT IF YOU TAGGED US AND POSTED AND REPOSTED AND SHARED WITH YOUR CYCLE AND CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES THAT HELPS MAGNIFY THE MESSAGE.
BUT REGINA WAS TALKING ABOUT HER ASSISTANCE IN GENEALOGY UPSTAIRS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS.
AND, UH, ONCE AGAIN, BRINGING TO YOUR ATTENTION THE PEOPLE THAT HELPED US BRING THE ONE BOOK ONE COMMUNITY TO YOU ALL LAST FRIDAY.
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OUR FRIENDS, THE PATRONS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, POPPLE EBR P L.ORG.AND THERE, YOU SEE WHAT THAT NEW LIBRARY, I'M STILL GETTING USED TO IT.
Y'ALL WE'RE ALL STILL GETTING USED TO WHERE THINGS ARE IN THE NEW WEBSITE.
THEY'RE STILL CONTINUING TO MAKE CHANGES, UH, CORRECTIONS AS WE FIND THEM, AS LINKS DIDN'T WORK WHEN WE BROUGHT 'EM OVER.
SO IT IS, UH, A MOVABLE FEAST THERE WITH THE WEBSITE.
BUT, UH, KEEP HAVING PATIENCE WITH US AND, UH, ALL IT'S, IT'S WORKING ITS WAY SLOWLY.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA GET OUTTA THE WAY.
ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON TO OTHER REPORTS, MAINTENANCE AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS.
OKAY, FOR THE MAINTENANCE REPORT AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, WE'RE GETTING THE COOLING TOWER REPAIRS DONE, UH, AT ALL OF THE BRANCHES.
OUR FACILITY STAFF ARE WORKING ON OBTAINING A QUOTE FOR PAINTING THE CURBS AND FOR, UH, OBTAINING A NEW SERVICE CONTRACT FOR ALL AUTOMATED SLIDING DOORS AT ALL LOCATIONS.
UNDER MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE OUTREACH AND MULTI-BRANCH PROJECT, WE'RE STILL WAITING ON FIGHT ON ACCEPTANCE, UH, FOR THE ROOFING PROJECT AND THE BLUEBONNET BRANCH LIBRARY RENOVATIONS.
THERE'S STILL CURRENTLY NOTHING NEW TO REPORT FOR THE BOILERS FOR EDEN PARK AND GREENWELL SPRINGS BRANCHES ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES IS REVIEWING THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR THE CHILLER PROJECT.
FINAL INSPECTIONS TO COMPILE THE PUNCH LIST FOR EACH LOCATION ARE BEING MADE THIS WEEK.
AND FINAL ACCEPTANCE IS ANTICIPATED FOR NEXT MONTH NOW FOR THE BAKER BRANCH RENOVATION LIBRARY STAFF AND ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES ARE IN DISCUSSIONS AND WE'RE WAITING FOR THE PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES FROM THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, WHICH SHOULD BE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
BEFORE WE PROCEED WITH THAT PROJECT, UH, THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, THE MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS VISITED EACH BRANCH TO EVALUATE THE EXISTING FACILITIES AND TO HELP WITH COST ESTIMATES.
UH, PRELIMINARY DRAWINGS WERE PRESENTED TO STAFF EARLIER THIS MONTH.
MR. BABCOCK WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK TO FINALIZE THE PRELIMINARY CONCEPT DRAWINGS AND HE'LL RETURN IN APRIL TO PRESENT THOSE CONCEPT DRAWINGS TO THE BOARD.
MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS, MS. MARY STEIN, THIS WILL BE SO SHORT.
FIRST OF ALL, UM, BECAUSE THE APRIL BOARD MEETING TAKES PLACE ON THE THURSDAY BEFORE GOOD FRIDAY.
THAT'S ACTUALLY THE DAY THAT WE'RE CLOSING THE LIBRARY FOR ALL STAFF TRAINING DAY.
A MANDATORY TRAINING FOR STAFF.
UM, WE FIGURED THAT THURSDAY, FRIDAY, UM, CLOSURE WOULD CAUSE THE LEAST DISRUPTION OF LIBRARY SERVICE FOR OUR PATRONS AND WE'D BE OPEN LIKE NORMAL ON SATURDAY.
UM, SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE'LL BE RUNNING STAFF DAY HERE IN THIS ROOM.
UM, AND SO WE WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU COULD MOVE YOUR APRIL MONTHLY BOARD MEETING, YOUR REGULAR BOARD MEETING TO THE WEDNESDAY, WHICH IS APRIL 16TH AT FOUR OR FIVE, WHICHEVER WAS MORE CONVENIENT FOR YOU INSTEAD.
SO, UM, I KNOW AT LEAST ONE PERSON CANNOT MAKE THAT.
UH, BUT DO YOU THINK THE REST OF YOU COULD DO, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE FOR A QUORUM? IS IT, WHAT'S THE DATE? WEDNESDAY THE 16TH? APRIL 16TH AND TIME.
SO IT COULD BE FOUR O'CLOCK LIKE YOU'RE USED TO, OR IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT LATER IF THAT WAS BETTER.
SO ONE, TWO, RONNIE, YOU'RE GOOD.
IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR US.
ALRIGHT, WELL WE DO, UM, NEED IT.
SO, MADAM CHAIR, OH, I'M SORRY.
UM, I MOVED TO MOVE OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED, UH, LIBRARY BOARD MEETING TO WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15TH.
UM, TIME TO BE, UH, FOUR, FOUR O'CLOCK AT 4:00 PM OKAY.
WELL THEN I MOVE TO, UM, MOVE OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED LIBRARY BOARD MEETING TO APRIL 16TH AT 4:00 PM EXCELLENT.
AND AND THE REASON WE REALLY NEED A QUORUM AT THAT MEETING, IN MY OPINION, IS BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA NEED TO DEFER ITEM C UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS DUE TO,
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UM, OUR DIRECTOR'S ILLNESS.UM, AND SINCE SHE'S, UH, COULD GET US ALL SICK, WE DON'T WANT HER HERE TODAY
UM, SO WE NEED TO DEFER THAT TO APRIL.
SO IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT, I THINK, FOR THERE TO BE A QUORUM.
SHE GAVE US HER THING LAST TIME, DIDN'T SHE? YEAH.
HOW DO WE HER HERE FOR THAT OR, I MEAN, TYPICALLY SHE IS, BUT I, I'M, I'M HEAD OVER HEELS FOR HER, SO I'M, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT'S UP TO Y'ALL.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE TO SKIP IT IF YOU DON'T WANNA SKIP IT.
WE USUALLY HAVE THAT, UM, THE SURVEY AND SO WE DIDN'T DO THE SURVEY AND THE SURVEY TIME.
SO ANTOINETTE SENT Y'ALL THE SURVEY.
YOU CAN'T FIND WELL, YEAH, THEY ARE SEARCHING FOR OKAY THEN, THEN WE'LL SEND YOU THAT SURVEY BY NEXT MONDAY.
ARE THERE ANY, UM, OBJECTIONS TO THE MOTION? HEARING NONE.
AND UM, THEN WE REALLY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO REPORT UNDER MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS.
MOVING ON TO REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS AT THIS TIME.
SO NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS, THE UPDATE ON THE SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY, MS. LAURIE, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN STILL FIND IT.
I DID, BUT WHERE IS IT? YOU PULL IT BACK UP? NO, HERE IT IS.
WE, WE PUT ON IT DOESN'T MATTER.
SO FOR THE SOUTH BRANCH, WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR COMPLETION OF THE PUNCH LIST AND FINAL ACCEPTANCE.
HOWEVER, WE ARE EXCITED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE PLANNING TO HAVE A SOFT OPENING FOR THE SOUTH BRANCH.
AND THAT DATE WILL BE MONDAY, MARCH 24TH.
WHILE WE ARE WAITING FOR STAFF TO BE HIRED AND TRAINED, WE'LL BE OPERATING ON MODIFIED HOURS AND THAT WILL BE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FROM 10 TO SEVEN, FRIDAY FROM NINE TO SIX, AND SATURDAY FROM 10 TO TWO.
MOST OF THE FURNITURE HAS BEEN INSTALLED EXCEPT FOR THE SERVICE DESK.
A FEW END TABLES AND OTHER ITEMS. THE SERVICE DESKS ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN MID-APRIL, BUT WE'RE HOPING THAT THEY'LL ARRIVE SOONER.
UH, AN OFFICIAL DEDICATION WILL TAKE PLACE ONCE THE BRANCH IS COMPLETE.
AND WE HAVE THIS CUTE LITTLE VIDEO THAT OUR SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR PR CLAIRE DELON DID AND POST IT ON FACEBOOK.
LET SEE IF I CAN GET IT TO PLAY FOR YOU ALL.
IS THERE A TIME FOR THE SOFT OPENING OR IS THAT JUST GONNA BE AN ALL DAY EVENT? WE'RE OPENING AT 10.
AND WHAT IS THE ADDRESS? I KNOW HOW TO GET THERE, BUT I DON'T 2210 GLASGOW.
IT'LL BE AT 10 O'CLOCK ON MONDAY.
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ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SOUTH BRANCH? LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.UM, DO YOU ANTICIPATE ONCE THE BRANCH IS OPEN, UM, THAT THERE WILL BE A DIP IN CIRCULATION AT, AT MAINE OR ANY OF THE OTHER BRANCHES? OR DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT THAT, UM, OVERALL THAT THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASE IN, IN CIRCULATION AND, AND AND OTHER NUMBERS? I THINK WE'LL SEE A DIP AT BLUE BONNET.
AND THEN BLUE BONNET WILL RISE UP AGAIN.
AND THEN WE'LL ALSO GET SOME FRESH PEOPLE.
THAT, THAT'S GENERALLY WHAT HAPPENS.
THE NEAREST BRANCH DIPS, MAYBE EVEN BY A THIRD, AND THEN CLOSETS WAY BACK UP.
BUT YOU GET AT LEAST A THIRD NEW FRESH PATRONS.
AND THE FAMILIES IN THIS AREA ARE SO EXCITED.
AND THE SCHOOLS, UH, IN THE NEARBY, THERE'S MULTIPLE SCHOOLS IN THE NEARBY AREA.
IN FACT, SOME OF THEIR WORK IS ALREADY ON DISPLAY INSIDE THE LIBRARY.
AND CAN COME SOMEONE TELL ME HOW MUCH WE OWE FOR THIS? I MEAN, WE GO BONDED THIS OUT OR ANYTHING.
OH, MR. LUTHER, THIS IS A PAY AS YOU GO PROJECT.
IT IS PAID FOR FULLY LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL.
THE DAY YOU WALK IN THAT BUILDING, YOU OWE NOTHING.
PERFECT UPDATE ON THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY.
THIS IS GONNA BE SHORT AND SWEET.
THE METRO COUNCIL APPROVED THE LOW BID FOR PHASE TWO SCOTLAND BILL PROJECT, AND WE'RE WAITING ON APPROVAL FROM PURCHASING TO PROCEED WITH THAT PROJECT.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU TO OUR COUNCIL PEOPLE.
AND THE LOW BID CAME IN UNDER BUDGET.
YOU GIVE US A, A BALLPARK GENERAL IDEA OF THE FIGURES OF HOW MUCH IT WOULD BE.
MOVING ON TO, UH, WELL WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE'RE MOVING IT TO THE, UM, THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.
IS THERE ANY NEW BUSINESS? ALL RIGHT.
UM, ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL? NOT SO MUCH A COMMENT AS A QUESTION, MARY, WHAT HAS THE PUBLIC REACTION THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED BEEN SINCE OUR COMPROMISE WAS ANNOUNCED? THANK YOU, RONNIE, FOR ASKING.
UH, THE PUBLIC ALL THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS WAS ENGAGED.
THEY WERE ENGAGED IN HOUSE, IN PERSON, ON THE PHONE, VIA EMAIL TO COMMENTS TO METRO COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMENTS TO OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, COMMENTS TO THEIR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, THEIR HOMEOWNERS.
AND, UM, THEY'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE BOARD AND THE LIBRARY STAFF BEING TRANSPARENT AND, AND BEING, BEING VISIBLY PART OF THE POP PROCESS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.
THEY ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE THAT THERE WAS INFORMATION CONSTANTLY PUT OUT THERE.
AND AS PEOPLE ASKED FOR INFORMATION IN DIFFERENT FORMS, WE DID OUR BEST TO MEET THOSE NEEDS.
UM, SO, SO THE WEBSITE KEEPS CHANGING, UH, WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE MILLAGE.
IN FACT, LORI CAN BRING IT UP.
UM, ARROW OVER MAYBE A COUPLE TIMES AND WE'LL GET TO IT.
UM, WE GOT RID OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS NO LONGER, UH, THAT WAS SUPERSEDED, I SHOULD SAY.
BUT THE, THE PUBLIC STILL CARES VERY MUCH.
AND THEY WANT EVERYONE TO BE TOTALLY ACCOUNTABLE.
UM, THEY'RE VERY CONFUSED BY THE PROCESS.
UH, THEY, THEY WANT TO BE HEARD AND LISTENED TO, AND THEY, UM, ARE HAPPY TO TALK TO US AND THE STAFF AT EVERY SINGLE LOCATION.
EVERYWHERE I GO,
IT DIDN'T JUST DIE AFTER A PRESS CONFERENCE.
AND WE'RE NOT COMPLETE WITH THIS PROCESS.
UH, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE WE GET TO A BALLOT IN THE
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FALL.SO, UH, THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND FOR YOUR BEING AVAILABLE ON THE PHONE AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT.
AND, UH, WE'LL JUST TRY TO KEEP Y'ALL APPRISED AS WE HEAR NEW INFORMATION.
OH, I CAN ATTEST TO, TO A LOT OF THAT.
UM, I ONLY, I USED TO SEE ONE OR TWO, UM, YARD SIGNS, BUT SINCE ALL THIS IS THIS MANIFEST, I SEE THEM EVERYWHERE IN MY SUBDIVISION.
I LIVE RIGHT BEHIND EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL OKAY.
AND THE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT IT.
THEY ARE ENGAGED AND THEY, THEY WANT TO TAKE PART AND DO WHATEVER THEY CAN DO TO, UH, SUPPORT US.
WELL, IT'S, IT'S REALLY BEEN AN EXERCISE TO THE COMMUNITY IN UNDERSTANDING SOME OF HOW OUR VERY COMPLICATED GOVERNMENT WORKS, RIGHT? BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WERE JUST A FREE AGENT, RIGHT? AND WE ARE NOT.
WE ARE PART OF THE CITY PARISH GOVERNMENT.
THE CITY PARISH HEALTH IS PARTLY OUR HEALTH.
UM, ONE ANALOGY THAT SEEMED TO WORK FOR ME WAS, YOU KNOW, IF I HAD A BAD LEG, I'M NOT GONNA CUT IT OFF.
RIGHT? UM, WE, WE DEPEND ON EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT IN CITY PARISH TO ACCOMPLISH THE WORK THAT WE NEED TO DO.
SO WE NEED THEM TO BE SHORED UP AND HEALTHY AND, AND WE NEED THEM TO BE THERE FOR US OR WE CAN'T FUNCTION.
SO, SO THAT'S BEEN QUITE THE EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE SO INTERTWINED WITH EVERYTHING ELSE.
UM, FOR WHATEVER, FOR GOOD OR BAD.
AND NICOLE AND KATHY HAD A QUESTION.
I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THIS TIME TO THANK THE STAFF IMMENSELY.
UM, THE COMMITMENT THAT YOU ALL LEADING YOUR, YOUR STAFF AND STAFF FOLLOWING, UM, SHOWED UP AND WAS THERE FOR THE PUBLIC, LIKE YOU SAID, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, TO BE VISIBLE, TO SPEAK OUT, UM, AS THIS PROCESS, UM, DEVELOPED AND, AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, CONTINUED ON WAS, UH, JUST NO SHORT OF COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION AND IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT THEY HAD TO DO.
AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO REALLY CONVEY TO THE STAFF ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD THAT WE TRULY APPRECIATE THEM GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT.
UM, BUT THOSE STORIES THAT WE HEAR EVERY MONTH WHEN YOU INVITE, UM, DIFFERENT STAFF MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, LIBRARY, UM, DIRECTORS AND MANAGERS TO COME AND SPEAK TO US, SHOWS JUST HOW IMPORTANT THE LIBRARY IS.
IT'S NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S NOT JUST THEIR CAREER.
IT'S AN INTEGRAL PART OF THEIR LIVES AS, AS WE FEEL THAT THE LIBRARY IS.
DO WE KNOW IF, UH, A RESOLUTION HAS BEEN DRAWN UP AS OF NOON TODAY? I AM UNAWARE OF A RESOLUTION THAT MADE IT TO THE AGENDA, BUT COUNCILMAN HURST MAY HAVE OTHER KNOWLEDGE.
YEAH, SO I HAD A, UM, JUST BEING EXTREMELY TRANSPARENT.
UH, THE DEAL IS NOT ALL THE WAY DONE YET.
SO MOSQUITO ABATEMENT AND ROAD AND CONTROL HAD NOT COMMITTED TO ANY SOLID NUMBERS.
AND SO THERE WAS AN ASSUMPTION VERSUS A, UH, UH, UH, CONFIRMATION THAT THEY WOULD BE AT A CERTAIN LEVEL.
SO YESTERDAY, A MOSQUITO ABATEMENT AND ROAD OF CONTROL HELD A SPECIAL MEETING, UM, TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY NEEDED TO BE.
AND I TALKED TO DR. BECKER AND WHEN I SPOKE WITH HIM, UM, HE DIDN'T REALIZE WE HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE.
UH, OTHERWISE HE WOULD'VE BEEN THERE.
HE DIDN'T KNOW SOME OF THOSE, THE THINGS WERE GOING ON.
AND SO, I MEAN, HE DID HAVE A CONVERSATION.
AND THAT CONVERSATION ENDED WITH, UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE DO HAVE ACCESS.
I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN SHARE THE WEALTH.
WE WANNA SAVE OUR CITY PARISH AND BE A PART OF THAT SOLUTION.
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BE ABLE TO SAVE.
AND LET ME WORK THOSE NUMBERS OUT.
UH, WHEN I TALKED TO 'EM, AN EXAMPLE IS THAT PART OF THAT PROPOSAL TOOK, I BELIEVE IT WAS ABOUT 14 MILLION FROM THEM.
SO THE EIGHT IS THE ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSE.
HE HAS A SAFETY NET OF ABOUT $2 MILLION IN CASE IT HAS A SECOND DISASTER.
UM, SO THAT HE CAN GO AND SPRAY TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T SPREAD DISEASES THROUGH MOSQUITOES.
AND THEN CURRENTLY HIS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ARE BEING STORED IN THIS OLD BUILDING THAT'S NOW BEING OPERATED BY THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
[00:35:01]
TO BUILD, UH, HAVE A CAPITAL PROJECTAND THE OTHER THING THAT'S AN UNKNOWN IS THEY HAVE A NEW HELICOPTER MM-HMM
AND THE HELICOPTER, IT CAN SPRAY BOTH PESTICIDE AND LARVA SIDE, BUT THE LARVA SIDE OBVIOUSLY GETS THEM BEFORE THEY TURN INTO MOSQUITOES AND ALLOWS 'EM TO GO INTO LOWER, UM, AREAS AND, AND, AND WHERE A PLANE COULDN'T FLY.
SO ONE THING I'VE EXPLAINED IS THAT ANYBODY I KNOW HAS AN AIRCRAFT OR A BOAT, IT'S EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN.
AND WHAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY, BY THE WAY, WAS HE HAD, UH, TWO PLANES.
ONE WAS A PART PLANE, ONE WAS THE ACTUAL ONE THAT THEY FLEW.
SO THEY WOULD TAKE PARTS OFF THE OLD PLANE MM-HMM
WE DON'T HAVE A PART HELICOPTER MM-HMM
SO IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, IT BECOMES A, I SAY A MAJOR EXPENSE, BUT AN ONGOING MAINTENANCE, UH, RIGHT.
EXPENSE THAT THOSE ARE UNKNOWN NUMBERS FOR HIM.
SO I'M JUST KINDA GIVING YOU ALL THE GROSS DETAIL MM-HMM
BUT THE BOARD MEETING YESTERDAY, NO DECISION WAS MADE.
THEY ACTUALLY DEFERRED THAT ITEM TO THE NEXT, I BELIEVE THAT THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING.
AND, UM, AT THAT POINT, WE'LL KNOW WHAT THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE.
AND I KNOW AT A MINIMUM THEY'RE GONNA NEED $13 MILLION IN THE COFFER.
AND THEN MOVING FORWARD AND ON THE PHONE, HE SAID, WHAT IF MY BOARD SAYS WE WANT 0.65, WE WANT TO GET 0.35.
WHAT IF MY BOARD SAYS WE WANT A 0.5 AND 0.5 MM-HMM
HE SAYS, I CAN'T MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.
I CAN ONLY MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE KIND OF IN NO MAN'S LANE.
I DO BELIEVE A DEAL'S GONNA GET DONE.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW AT WHAT NUMBERS.
AND SO, UM, THERE'S SOME HESITANCY AND FRUSTRATION, BUT I BELIEVE THE WHOLE PLAN ITSELF WILL WORK OUT LONG TERM.
BUT WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO GET TO A NOVEMBER ELECTION COR.
BUT AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY.
UM, EVEN THE BOARD MEMBERS, WE DIDN'T ALWAYS THINK ALIKE, BUT EVEN WHEN WE DIDN'T THINK ALIKE, WE WERE STILL THINKING FOR THE LIBRARY, WHICH MEANS EVERYBODY'S HEART, MIND, AND, AND, AND SPIRIT WERE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, WHICH WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GREAT WORKING LIBRARY THAT DOESN'T LOSE RESOURCES AND TOOLS.
AND I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW, I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MARY, YOU ARE A HEAVY HITTER
AND WHEN SHE STARTED TALKING ABOUT HARD DECISIONS THAT HAD TO BE MADE AND WHERE THOSE HARD DECISIONS WOULD BE CUT, I KNEW SHE WAS A HARD HITTER.
SO HATS OFF TO YOU FOR PUTTING YOUR BOXING GLOVES ON, GETTING IN THE RING AND BEING WILLING TO COMPROMISE YOU KATRINA AND MS. HUGE.
AND, UH, SO WE APPRE AND REALLY RALLYING THE TROOPS.
I THINK THEY SAW HOW STRONG THE LIBRARY WAS.
'CAUSE AT FIRST IT WAS LIKE A LIBRARY IS NOT AS STRONG AS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU GONNA, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT A RICH POOR, THIS IS NOT A BLACK AND WHITE ASIAN.
THIS IS, THIS IS EVERYBODY IN THE CITY, REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, RACE, CREED, COLOR, UM, CAN COME AND CONVENE IN ONE PLACE.
NOBODY KNOWS HOW MUCH YOU'RE WORTH.
NOBODY KNOWS WHAT KIND OF CARS IN THE PARKING LOT.
WE'RE ALL HERE BECAUSE WE LOVE BOOKS AND WE LOVE, UM, TO MAKE OUR CITY BETTER IN, IN NON-TRADITIONAL EDUCATION SETTINGS.
BUT, UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY RALLIED AROUND Y'ALLS EFFORTS.
EVERY MEMBER
AND, UM, I YOU, YOUR PHONES WERE BURNING, YOU LOST SO MANY MINUTES BECAUSE OF THIS
AND IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT DONE, BUT WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS, UM, A, A GOOD SOLUTION THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO MANAGE.
UM, IT, IT'LL BE A TIM GUNN MOMENT.
AND I, I DO WANT TO MAKE ONE POINT ON THIS TOO.
I DON'T ANY WANT ANY OF US TO LET OUR GUARD DOWN.
AND I'M GONNA EXPLAIN A PIECE OF LEG, TWO PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT ARE AT THE STATE CAPITOL RIGHT NOW.
AND THE ONE THING I DON'T LIKE ABOUT LOUISIANA IS THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUT LOCAL BILLS AT THE STATE LEVEL WHEN WE CAN'T PASS 'EM WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE.
AND SO, ONE, TWO BILLS THAT ARE BEING PUT OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, Y'ALL, I'M VERY DIRECT.
THE MILLAGE FOR BRE PASSED PASSED VERY STRONGLY.
SAME WAY OURS PASSED PAST AND FIREMEN AND WHAT PEOPLE LOVE.
WELL, THE POWERS THAT BE, EXCUSE ME, THAT DIDN'T WANT IT TO PASS, WHICH IS PROBABLY 1% OF OUR POPULATION, OR MAYBE 20%.
UM, TO BE REAL, REAL, THOSE FOLKS ARE SOMETIMES CAN BE SORE LOSERS.
[00:40:01]
BE VERY CLEAR.SO WHEN BREX MILL HAS PASSED, IT IS A STATE STATUTE FOR BRE.
IT'S NOT LOCAL, RIGHT? SO NOW THEY'RE GOING TO, THEY HAVE A PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT THEY'RE PUTTING UP THAT SAYS, OR THAT HAS BEEN PUT UP THAT SAYS THAT THE BOARD WILL BE DISMANTLED AND THAT ONLY THE MAYORS FROM EACH CITY AND THE PARISH WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO APPOINT SOMEBODY.
SO YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MAYORS, AND I'M VERY REAL ABOUT THIS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
THE HEAVIEST POPULATED CITY IS BATON ROUGE.
THE MOST DEMOCRATIC, THE MOST MODERATE CITY WHERE VOTES CAN GO.
BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FOUR MAYORS THAT, AND I'VE BEEN IN, LEMME TELL YOU SINCE THIS TRANSITION, I'VE BEEN IN A LOT OF ROOMS WITH A LOT OF THESE FOLKS.
NOW ONE TIME, DO I HEAR NOR BATON ROUGE OR BAK? NEVER, I'VE NEVER, I HAD TO ASK MAYOR WAITES, WHY ARE YOU NOT IN THE ROOM? BECAUSE I'VE NEVER HEARD YOUR CITY COME UP IN THESE ROOMS. I WANT YOU TO BE THERE.
AND HE WAS GOING THROUGH SOME STUFF, BUT, UM, HE SAID, DARRYL, I'M ALWAYS IN THE ROOM EVEN WHEN I'M NOT THERE.
SO I'M GLAD THAT HE'S ALWAYS KEEPING HIS EAR TO THE GROUND, BUT WHEN THEY CAN'T GET WHAT THEY WANT, THEY'VE TRIED TO FIND A BACK DOOR.
AND SO WE NEED TO FIGHT AS MUCH FOR BRECK AS THOSE FOLKS CAME OUT AND FOUGHT FOR US.
BECAUSE THE WHOLE POINT IS TO TEAR THEIR MILLAGE DOWN, DISMANTLE THEM.
AND THEY'RE ALSO DOING THE SAME THING FOR CATS, RIGHT? THEY WANNA BRING CATS UNDER THE GENERAL FUND AND DISMANTLE THEIR BOARDS.
I DON'T WANT CASH AS A COUNCIL MEMBER.
I'M NOT A LOGISTICS SPECIALIST.
SO I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO KEEP YOUR, YOUR EARS PINNED TO THE SKY.
BECAUSE IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN NOW THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO FIND A BACK DOOR TO MAKE IT HAPPEN LATER.
DISMANTLING, I'M SORRY, MADAM CHAIR.
MAY I, MAY I DISMANTLING THEIR BOARD OR ALL BOARDS? WELL, THEY, THO THESE ARE TWO BOARDS CREATED BY STATE, STATE LEGISLATION.
SO BREX DISMANTLING BREX BOARD.
SO THAT ONLY, SO, SO LOOK, LOOK WHAT THEY DID FOR IEP.
THEY'D HAVE TO GO TO EVERY LOCAL CITY AND GET IEP APPROVED AND THAT'S WHERE IT WOULD GET SHUT DOWN.
SO NOW THEY CHANGED IT TO WHERE IT'S AN
SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GET APPROVED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD OR THE COUNCIL.
THAT WAS BECAUSE BIG, BIG BUSINESS WANTED TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITHOUT COMING TO US.
BUT WE SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE THAT PUT US IN OFFICE.
SO NOW WITH BRECK, IT IS WHERE INSTEAD OF HAVING COUNCIL APPOINT CERTAIN PEOPLE, THE SCHOOL BOARD HAVING APPOINTEE, IT WILL BE STRICTLY THE FIVE MAYORS IN THE CITY WILL APPOINT FIVE PEOPLE.
AND THAT WILL REPLACE AND BECOME THE NEW BRE BOARD.
AND AS IT RELATES TO KATZ, KATZ, WHATEVER THE GOAL IS, IS TO, IS TO DISMANTLE IT COMPLETELY AND PUT IT UNDER THE GENERAL FUND SO THAT THE CITY PARISH AND THE MAYOR WOULD RUN CATS.
AND THE ISSUE WITH CATS IS THAT ZACHARY DOESN'T PAY INTO IT.
A LOT OF ST GEORGE OUTTA PARISH DOESN'T PAY 'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANT IT OUT THERE.
SO IT WOULD ONLY AFFECT AN ALREADY MARGINALIZED AND DISINVESTED POPULATION.
UM, SO IT KIND OF TELLS YOU WHAT SOME OF THOSE MINDSETS ARE.
SO IF IT HAPPENS TO THEM, I'M JUST TELLING Y'ALL IT COULD HAPPEN TO US.
THEY COULD PASS THE STATE BILL TO DISMANTLE US AND TAKE OVER OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS 'CAUSE STATE, TRUMP CITY, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE LEGAL PIECES BEHIND IT OF WHAT CAN DO WHAT, BUT I KNOW STATE LAW ALWAYS TRUMPS LOCAL LAW.
SO Y'ALL JUST BE ON THE LOOKOUT AND KEEP THE LIBRARY EARS POINTED TO THE SKY.
WELL, CAN YOU HEAR ME THAT THE INTERESTING, UM, LEGISLATION, UH, BESIDES THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD, UH, FOR BRECK IS TO TAKE BRECK AND PUT IT BACK INTO THE CITY PARISH, INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
RIGHT? SO, UH, THE, THE LEGISLATION IS VERY SHORT, BUT YOU WOULD TAKE, UH, A BRECK AND ALL OF ITS DEDICATED FUNDING AND PUT IT BACK INTO CITY PARISH.
UH, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE ALL BACK IN THE CITY PARISH GENERAL FUND AND, UH, A BRECK WOULD BE ALLOCATED SO MUCH MONEY.
YOU DON'T KNOW, UM, WHAT THAT ACTUAL LEGISLATION WILL DO AND WHAT THE FISCAL IMPACT, UH, WILL BE TO, TO THE PARK SYSTEM AND ALSO TO THE GENERAL FUND AS, AS WE ARE, UM, PUTTING MONEY BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND THAT WAS DEDICATED TO US ALSO.
SO THAT WILL BE INTERESTING TO, UH, TO WATCH NOT ONLY THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD, THE BRICK BOARD, BUT THE, IT'S A, THE REAL PUTTING ALL THEIR DEDICATED WHEN THEY JUST PASSED A 20 YEAR DEDICATED FUND.
[00:45:01]
THAT'S HOUSE BILL 86.THAT AFFECTS THE COMMISSIONERS AND HOUSE BILL 87, WHICH BRINGS THEM BACK INTO CITY PARISH.
SO IF YOU WANNA TRACK THOSE, UM, AND, UH, MAYOR DIXON MCMAKIN PUT THOSE FORWARD.
I HAVE A, A QUESTION, UM, THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK.
UM, BOARD MEMBER, UM, MR. DARRELL, UM, CONTINGENT UPON WHAT WAS JUST STATED, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THIS, THIS, UH, HAPPENS.
UM, IT HAS TO STILL BE VOTED ON.
MY ONLY QUESTION IS TWO QUESTIONS.
NUMBER ONE, WELL REALLY ONE IS DOES IT HAVE TO GO TO THE PEOPLE MM-HMM
AND IF IT DOES HAVE TO GO TO THE PEOPLE, THEN IT'S NOT DONE BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH THE MILLAGE, IT HAS SOME OTHER STUFF.
BUT MY ONLY QUESTION IS, DOES THE LE DOES THE LEGISLATION FOR THE MILLAGE INCLUDE HOW IT'S GOVERNED AND MANAGED? IF IT DOESN'T, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAS TO GO TO BACK TO THE PEOPLE OR IF THE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE CAN JUST CHANGE AND COME UNDER THE GENERAL FUND WITHOUT HAVING THE PEOPLE VOTE ON IT.
THAT'S THE QUESTION I'M TRYING TO GET ANSWER RIGHT NOW.
SO IF IT GOES TO THE PEOPLE, IT, IT DIES AT THE POLLS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY WILL AND DEAL ALL DAY AND IT'S LIKE, HEY, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IF IT'S MANAGED BY A BOARD OR MANAGED BY, UM, IN SOME FOLKS' MIND AS LONG AS IT'S BEING MANAGED.
SO I'LL GIVE IN ON THIS ONE 'CAUSE I WANT TO GET MY, UH, I WANNA GET YOUR SUPPORT ON MINE DOWN THE ROAD AS, AS, AS IT HOPEFULLY IT COMES OUTTA COMMITTEE AND MAKES THE FLOOR.
SO, UM, AND THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION STARTS APRIL 14TH, CORRECT? YES.
I WANNA TAKE A POINT, A PERSONAL PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE MY DAUGHTER HAILEY HURST.
SHE IS A U HIGH STANDOUT ATHLETE HERE TO LISTEN ANYWHERE YOU WANNA SIT.
WELL, I WANT TO ECHO EVERYTHING EVERYONE HAS SAID.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE STAFF.
I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH FOR THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD UP LATE ALL THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND THE BOARD DONE, AND EVERYBODY, WE'VE BEEN CALLING ALL DAY EVERY DAY.
SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A TEAM EFFORT.
AND LIKE DARRYL SAID, WE DIDN'T ALWAYS AGREE ON EVERYTHING, BUT WE, WE WERE A TEAM.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT, UM, MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE WITH EVERYTHING.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE AND, UM, LET'S CONTINUE, UH, WORKING HARD.
CANDACE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
YOU, YOU WERE A, A STRONG FORCE AND, AND EVERYONE ELSE WAS THERE TOO.
THE WHOLE BOARD WAS WORKING ON IT.
THE STAFF WERE ALL ROCK STARS.
UH, I MEAN, WE, WE SAW STAFF MEMBERS AT EVERY EVENT.
UH, THEY WERE TEXTING EARLY IN THE MORNING, LATE AT NIGHT, UH, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNEW ABOUT EVERYTHING.
WE HAD, UH, PEOPLE COMING IN FROM OUTSIDE OF THE PARISH TO HELP US, UH, WHICH WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE SOME OTHER LIBRARY SUPPORTERS, UH, WE'RE OUT.
AND KEITH, YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT PATRON.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT AND, AND, AND DOING STUFF FOR US TOO.
UM, SO JUST THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT AND, AND TRYING TO HELP US TO GET THIS, UH, RESOLVED AND HOPEFULLY, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE IT FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO HAVE, UH, THE BEST LIBRARY SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY.
IS THERE ANY, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT? YES.
KEITH, YOU HAVE, UM, YES, YOU CAN STEP FORWARD TO THE MIC.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK NOW.
UH, KEITH BERG SIDE, UH, YOUR NEWEST ADVOCATE FOR YOUR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY SYSTEM.
UM,
THIS IS THE LIGHTEST ATTENDANCE I'VE SEEN
THAT'S WHY
UM, I JUST WANTED TO ALSO COME FORWARD AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO, UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT YOU PUT IN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
I KNOW THE HARD WORK ISN'T OVER YET.
I KNOW THAT IT'S REALLY JUST BEGINNING, YOU KNOW, YOU STILL GOTTA GET THE PUSH TO THE, THE RESOLUTION AND GET IT BEFORE THE PUBLIC.
AND REALLY AND TRULY, YOUR, YOUR HARD WORK IS ALSO GONNA CONTINUE ON INTO, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR'S ALREADY IN THE BUCKET, IF YOU WILL.
BUT NEXT YEAR YOU'RE GONNA BE FACED WITH KIND OF A NEW BUDGET IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
AND SO, I KNOW THE HARD WORK IS REALLY GONNA BEGIN THEN.
BUT, UM, I, I JUST WANNA SAY I'VE LEARNED A LOT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
I'VE LEARNED, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I CAN'T SAY WE'VE BECOME FRIENDS, BUT WE'VE BECOME ACQUAINTANCES.
UM, I, I'VE CERTAINLY BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE TENACITY OF THE, OF THE BOARD.
[00:50:01]
UH, Y'ALL WERE JUST DOGGED IN YOUR EFFORT TO KEEP FIGHTING, YOU KNOW, A SHOUT OUT OF COURSE TO COUNCILMAN HURST AND THE METRO COUNCIL FOR PARTNERING WITH YOU ON THAT.WE WANTED TO SEE A PARTNERSHIP, WE WANTED TO SEE AN EFFORT.
AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE LIBRARY STAFF AND THE GREAT JOB THAT THEY'VE DONE TO PULL THIS ALL TOGETHER.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY IT DIDN'T HAVE TO GO LIKE THIS.
UM, Y'ALL HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY GRACIOUS IN, IN GIVING THE MAYOR'S OFFICE KUDOS FOR WORKING WITH YOU ON THIS.
BUT REALLY AND TRULY, THE, THE MAYOR SHOULD HAVE COME TO YOU FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
THEY, THEY DIDN'T NEED TO PULL THE END AROUND ON YOU AND, AND, AND COME OUT WITH A RESOLUTION THAT SURPRISED YOU.
THEY, THEY SHOULD HAVE SAT DOWN WITH YOU AND, AND TALKED WITH YOU FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND IT, IT WOULD'VE LOOKED A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT.
I THINK, UH, OR THE, THE RESOLUTION MAY HAVE BEEN THE SAME, BUT, BUT, UH, I, I'VE ALSO LEARNED ABOUT WHAT AN OUTSTANDING SUPPORT AND HEARTFELT, UH, BELIEF THAT THE, THAT THE PARISH HAS IN THE, IN THE LIBRARY SYSTEM.
AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT'S JUST AN EFFORT.
UH, I, I MEAN A REFLECTION REALLY OF YOUR EFFORTS, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BUILD A LIBRARY SYSTEM THAT WE ALL COULD BE PROUD OF.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I'M PROUD OF YOU AND I THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
HE WAS LIKE, LIKE ALMOST EVERY EVENT.
AND I'D LIKE TO ALSO, UH, TELL OUR, LIKE, TO TELL OUR, UH, SICK STAFF THAT THEY'RE IN MY PRAYERS, I HOPE FOR THEIR SPEEDY RECOVERY.
UH, IT, IT WAS A CONCERN BECAUSE STRESS IS A SILENT KILLER.
AND SO THE STAFF HAS BEEN VERY MINDFUL OF THE OTHER STAFF
AND YOU AS THE BOARD HAS MADE THE DIFFERENCE.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS? I HAVE ONE FURTHER THING.
UM, I HA I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THAT REGISTRATION FOR A LA IS OPEN.
AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I BELIEVE WE APPROVED TWO BOARD MEMBERS TO GO TO THE CONFERENCE THIS YEAR.
AND SO WITH REGISTRATION BEING OPEN, IT'S IN PHILADELPHIA JUNE 26TH THROUGH 30TH, I THINK ARE THE EXACT DATES.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, IF ANYONE WANTS TO GO THIS YEAR, I WOULD URGE YOU TO, UM, TO GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, SIGN UP AND, AND GET ONE OF THE CONFERENCE RATE ROOMS BEFORE THEY ALL ARE BOOKED UP, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS THE KILLER AS FAR AS EXPENSES GO, THAT WAS THE KILLER TO MY TRIP LAST YEAR WAS THE, THE HIGH RATE THAT I, THAT Y'ALL WERE FORCED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR, FOR THE HOTEL ROOM.
SO, UH, THAT, THAT CONFERENCE RATE WOULD'VE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
AND SO IF ANYONE DOES WANT TO GO DECIDE AMONG, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO DECIDE AMONG OURSELVES AND, AND TRY TO GET REGISTERED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
ANY, UM, IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS IRE MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN? IRE SECOND.