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TO THE EAST BATON[EBR Library Board of Control on September 18, 2025. ]
ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL.DON, CAN 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 FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE UNDER INDIVISIBLE, THE LIBERTY JUSTICE FOR ALL.
LET THE RECORD REFLECT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA, THE APPROVE OF THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF AUGUST 21ST, 2025.
ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? HEARING NONE.
IF THERE'S NO OBJECTIONS, THE MINUTES WILL BE APPROVED AS DISTRIBUTED HERE.
YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL ORDERS AT THIS TIME.
MOVING ON TO REPORTS BY THE DIRECTOR.
THE FINANCIAL REPORT FINANCIAL REPORT WILL BE READ BY MS. RHONDA
OPERATING EXPENDITURES THROUGH AUGUST 31ST ARE $30,845,905 AND 89 CENTS ARE 56.07% OF THE OPERATING BUDGET THROUGH AUGUST.
WE SHOULD HAVE SPENT NO MORE THAN 67% OF THE BUDGET CASH COLLECTIONS FROM PROPERTY TAXES FOR 2025 REMAIN AHEAD OF THOSE COLLECTED IN 2024 AS WE ARE APPROXIMATELY $2.9 MILLION AND 5.44% AHEAD OF THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS? ONE QUICK ONE.
UM, ON THE TWO ADVERTISING LINE ITEMS FOR THE 2025 BUDGET, SHOULDN'T THOSE TWO AMOUNTS BE SWITCHED? 'CAUSE YOU'VE GOT A $704,000 APPROPRIATION UNDER LEGAL AND PUBLIC NOTICES RATHER THAN GENERAL PROMOTIONS.
YEAH, WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T DO THAT THOUGH.
MOVING THE CHARGES, WE WEREN'T CHARGING.
THAT'S A SEPARATE LINE ITEM THAT JUST GOT ADDED LIKE LAST MONTH.
AND THEY'RE SEPARATING THE CHARGES AS WE GO ALONG NOW.
SO NOTHING THAT WE INPUT WRONG, THEY'RE SEPARATING AND THEY ACTUALLY, IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING IT, YOU CAN SEE THEM THAT THEY'RE MOVING THE CHARGES.
OKAY, WELL THEN, UNLESS THE ACCOUNT NAMES HAVE BEEN SWITCHED THE ACCOUNT, I DIDN'T SWITCH THE ACCOUNT NAMES.
IS THAT IT? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA SYSTEM REPORTS, SYSTEM REPORTS WILL BE READ BY MARY STEIN.
FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE THRIVING ALL OVER THE TOWN AT YOUR DESK, YOU HAVE CAUGHT OFF THE PRESS, THE UPDATED BOOKMARK.
YOU HAVE A LITTLE BOOKLET THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE TO KIND OF QUICK, QUICKLY REFER TO.
UH, THE SLIDES THAT ARE IN THIS BOOKLET ARE ALL ON THE WEBSITE AS PART OF THE BIG POWERPOINT.
THE BOOKMARK INFORMATION IS ON THE WEBSITE.
YOU ALSO HAVE A SCHEDULE OF, UH, FUTURE EVENTS PAST SEPTEMBER.
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE SEPTEMBER IS PAST THE HALFWAY POINT.
NOW WE HAVE SOME POINT FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER.
AND SINCE NO POINT IN WASTING THE BACKSIDE OF THE PIECE OF PAPER, WE'VE PUT THE, UH, THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF THE THRIVE CAMPAIGN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE.
THE FAQS HAVE BEEN FRESHLY UPDATED AS OF YESTERDAY.
WE HAD SOME WONDERFUL PRESENTATION ATTENDEES YESTERDAY WHO BROUGHT UP SOME REALLY GOOD POINTS AND WE ARRIVED AT SOME CLARITY ON SOME ANSWERS.
SO THE NINE 17, THAT'S WHY THERE'S A DATE ON THE TOP OF THE FAQS ON THE WEBSITE.
UH, AND IF YOU WANT, I WILL GIVE YOU A COPY.
BUT WHAT WE DID WAS POST SOME, UH, SENTENCES THAT HELPED CLARIFY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE TAX MILLAGE FAILS BECAUSE WE GOT VERY POINTED QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE.
UH, WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE, UM, VERY ASTUTE AUDIENCE MEMBERS YESTERDAY IN THE MORNING AND IN THE AFTERNOON TO ASK REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS.
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WENT AND UPDATED OUR POWERPOINT AND OUR FAQS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.UM, YOU'LL HAVE SEEN ADS IN THE SUNDAY PAPER, UH, ADS ON BULLETIN BOARDS.
SOCIAL MEDIA ADS ARE STARTING TO CHANGE THEIR MESSAGING.
THESE ARE THINGS PUT OUT BY THRIVE AND WIN EBR, UH, EARLIER IN THE MONTH AND LAST MONTH, IT WAS JUST NAME AWARENESS, THRIVE THRIVE.
BUT NOW IT'S STARTING TO SAY THRIVE.
AND THERE WAS ALSO A TELEVISION COMMERCIAL THAT I'VE SEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURING OUR OWN DON LUTHER.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE SHORT AND SWEET.
1, 2, 3, DON SPOKE REPRESENTING A LIBRARY.
UH, SOMEONE ELSE SPOKE REPRESENTING THE COUNCIL ON AGING, A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SPOKE, REPRESENTING THE MOSQUITO ABATEMENT ROAD CONTROL FOCUS.
AND SO QUICK, QUICK, QUICK, JUST LIKE WE, LIKE IN OUR MODERN AMERICAN QUICK CONSCIOUSNESS.
SO THOSE HAVE STARTED GOING OUT.
IT WAS REALLY GOOD AND PEOPLE HAVE SEEN IT BECAUSE THEY'VE SENT IT TO.
UM, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, SO AS YOU SEE A LOT OF STUFF ON THE WEBSITE, IT GETS UPDATED AS IT NEEDS TO BE AS NEW INFORMATION ARRIVES.
UH, AND A FULL CALENDAR OF LIBRARY PRESENTATIONS.
AND WE ARE BEING INVITED NOW TO COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO.
UH, WITH, WITH, UH, MR. KENNY DARRELL HURST HAS INVITED US TO HIS EVENTS.
WE'VE BEEN INVITED TO SOME HOMEOWNERS.
WE'VE BEEN INVITED TO SOME OTHER EVENTS, AND WE WILL SPEAKING AT THE GREATER BATON ROUGE FEDERATION CIVIC ASSOCIATION ZOOM MEETING IN OCTOBER.
SO THERE'S ROOM IN THE SCHEDULE FOR MORE.
SO IF YOU HEAR OF ALLIANCE CLUB, A KIWANIS, A ROTARY, A HOMEOWNERS, UH, JUST A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT EITHER WANTS A FIVE MINUTE PRESENTATION OR A 55 MINUTE PRESENTATION, WE CAN DO WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE.
THERE'S ABOUT 10 OF US NOW THAT SPEAK AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
UH, I AM PLEASED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, UH, OUR WONDERFUL FORMER LIBRARY DIRECTOR, JOHN B. RICHARD.
UH, THE DAYS ARE A BLUR FOR ME.
UPSTAIRS ON THE SECOND FLOOR, WE HAVE A LOVELY ARRANGEMENT OF, UM, PHOTOS COMMEMORATING HIS LONG CAREER FROM 1977 TO 2003 HERE AT THE LIBRARY.
BEFORE THAT, HE WAS AT A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY IN LSUA.
AND WE'RE HEARING FROM PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES HE TOUCHED BECAUSE HE TOUCHED THEM, NOT JUST AS A LIBRARY DIRECTOR, NOT JUST AS A BOSS, NOT JUST AS, UH, A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO AS A LEADER IN THE LIBRARY COMMUNITY FOR THE ENTIRE STATE OF LOUISIANA AND BEYOND.
HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST REPRESENTATIVE, WELL, HE WAS A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE FIRST WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON LIBRARIES AND LITERACY.
HE WAS ACTIVELY WORKING AS A MENTOR TO LIBRARIANS WHO WERE GETTING PROMOTED TO BECOME A DIRECTOR IN THEIR OWN PARISH.
HE TAUGHT AT THE LIBRARY SCHOOL.
HE WAS ACTIVE IN THE ASSOCIATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND BEYOND.
AND IT WAS MY PRIVILEGE TO SERVE UNDER MR. RICHARD, UH, FROM MY BEGINNING IN 1984 UNTIL HE RETIRED IN 2003.
SO, UH, HE PASSED AWAY AT THE END OF AUGUST AND IT WAS LOVELY.
WE BASICALLY HAD A REUNION AT HIS FUNERAL.
SO, UM, AT THE BOTTOM PICTURE, YOU WILL SEE MR. RICHARD WITH ONE OF OUR LIBRARY BOARD MEMBERS, MR. CARNAHAN, AT THE DEDICATION OF THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS ESPECIALLY AT BECAUSE, UH, BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, WE'RE GONNA BE CUTTING A DIFFERENT RIBBON OUT AT SCOTLANDVILLE.
AND ABOVE HIM IS THE VERY FIRST BARCODED BOOK, UH, BACK IN 1987 OR 88.
UH, AND THAT'S ESPECIALLY APPROPRIATE BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING OUR NEW RFID EQUIPMENT WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
AND THE NEW ILS, UH, WE ARE WORKING, UH, HARD ON THE PROSPECTS NOW.
SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING HIM TO YOUR ATTENTION.
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IT'S ALSO NATIONAL LIBRARY CARD SIGNUP MONTH.WE HAVE OVER 303,000 ACTIVE CARD HOLDERS.
BY ACTIVE, I MEAN, THESE ARE REAL CARDS.
THESE ARE NOT CARDS OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T EXIST.
THESE ARE NOT CARDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED.
THESE ARE NOT CARDS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CHICAGO AND VOTE TWICE.
THESE ARE LIBRARY PATRONS FROM EASTBOUND ROUGE PARISH.
AND OVER 123,000 OF THESE CARD HOLDERS HAVE ACTUALLY USED THAT CARD TO CHECK OUT A PHYSICAL ITEM, DOWNLOAD SOMETHING FROM LIBBY, OR USE ONE OF OUR PCS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS AS A LOT OF ACTIVITY.
UH, WE HAD A LOVELY VISIT WITH CHANNEL NINE.
UH, THEY WENT OUT AT FIVE IN THE MORNING AND MET TAMIKA ON THE BUS.
AND YOU SAW SOME NICE SHOTS OF THAT ON CHANNEL NINE AND SOME OTHER MEDIA ATTENTION TO THAT AS WELL.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE REASON WE'RE IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT IS BECAUSE WE ARE HOSTING OUR 48 ANNUAL AUTHOR ILLUSTRATOR PROGRAM.
A PROGRAM STARTED BY MR. RICHARD, OH, SO MANY YEARS AGO.
AND WE ARE FEATURING ROCK STARS OF THE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE WORLD.
BRIAN PINKY AND ANDREA DAVIS PINKNEY EARLIER THIS MORNING.
THEY ZOOMED OUT TO HUNDREDS OF SCHOOL STUDENTS, UH, THROUGH CLASSROOMS ACROSS THE REGION.
UH, WE ALSO HAD WATCH PARTIES AT VARIOUS LIBRARIES.
HOMESCHOOLERS COULD HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF IT.
TONIGHT, THEY'LL BE HERE IN PERSON.
UH, THE CHILDREN WILL PROBABLY BE SITTING ON THE FLOOR SO THE GROWN NOTES CAN SIT IN THE CHAIR SO THAT WE CAN GET EVERYONE IN.
I EXPECT A BIG CROWD AND TOMORROW WILL BE THE WORKSHOP WHERE WE GO BEHIND THE WRITING.
THE WORKSHOP WAS ALSO SOMETHING THAT OUR FRIENDS IN THE LIBRARY HELPED SUPPORT.
AND SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE WORKSHOP BECAME FREE FOR ALL.
YOU'D HAVE TO DRIVE FOR HOURS TO FIND SOMETHING SIMILAR.
AND THIS IS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY AND THE FRIENDS PATRONS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
OUR LIBRARIES CHANGED LIVES FOCUS THIS MONTH.
IT, IT WAS, IT WAS A HAPPY HOLISTIC SERENDIPITY.
OR WAS IT LIBRARIES CHANGED LIVES.
FEATURES PROFESSOR MICHAEL LIPMAN, WHO HAS A SPANISH CONVERSATION CLUB.
HE IS A VOLUNTEER WHO LEADS THIS CLUB AT THE BLUEBONNET REGIONAL BRANCH LIBRARY.
IT HAPPENS TO BE HISPANIC HERITAGE BOOK CLUB MONTH.
SO WE ARE PUSHING OUT BOOKS THAT EITHER REELECT ARE IN SPANISH OR FEATURE SPANISH HISPANIC CHARACTERS AS FOR THE TEENS AND THE CHILDREN.
AND WE ARE ALSO ANNOUNCING OUR BILINGUAL SPANISH ENGLISH STORY TIMES THAT WILL TAKE PLACE AT A VARIETY OF BRANCHES, UH, AND OUR BILINGUAL FAMILY HOUR, WHICH IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE AT THE NEW SOUTH BRANCH.
AND THAT SPECIAL PROGRAM IS, UH, BROUGHT TO US BY THE SAME PEOPLE THAT BRING TO US CARVER CUBS IN THE SUMMER OUT AT LSU.
SO A LOT OF ACTION, UM, UH, IN SUB BIBLIOTE SOCA, A LOT OF WONDERFUL HAPPENINGS GOING ON.
LAST NIGHT WE HAD A FULL ROOM OVER 75 PEOPLE FOR THE HERESY OF VIRTUE, UH, WHERE CLAIRE BATEMAN DISCUSSED HER BOOK, WHICH WAS ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION OF HUEY WON.
SHE'S A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF DR. CARL AUSTIN WEISS, THE ACCUSED ASSASSIN.
UH, THE STORY IN THIS BOOK IS TOLD THROUGH THE EYES OF HIS WIDOW.
IT WILL BE ARCHIVED AND AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN THIS, IN THIS TOPIC.
EMILY FORD WILL BE HERE TOMORROW FOR A BROWN BAG ON CEMETERY PRESERVATION IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED.
AND I AM LOOKING AT KATHY WASCOM, AND I THINK YOU'RE SO INCLINE
UH, WE, UH, ARE HOSTING OUR REDS STICK RHYTHMS FALL CONCERT SERIES.
NOW WE HAVE MARY MANHEIM COMING SOON WITH A CALL TO ROWAN, HER NEW BOOK, WHICH IS NOT A BONE LADY BOOK.
IT IS A FICTIONAL ACCOUNT OF, UH, A LOUISIANA VILLAGE, BUT IT DOES FEATURE AN ASSASSIN.
OKAY? UH, KIDS ORCHESTRA WILL BE HERE WITH MAMA DONAL.
WE HAD THE TASTE OF THE DEEP SOUTH LAST WEEK.
BATON ROUGE CONCERT BAND IS COMING TWO WEEKS, OCTOBER FU CIVIC ORCHESTRA AND MORE.
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THE SMALL BUSINESS ENGINE GOING GREAT GUNS.OH, WE HAD A GOOD, GOOD SERIES.
THE LAST TWO, UH, WE'VE ANNOUNCED THE NEXT ONE.
AND THERE YOU SEE SOME OF OUR BUS, I MEAN, WE HAD A FULL ROOM, Y'ALL BUSINESS PEOPLE TAKEN OFF FROM WORK TO COME HERE AND FILL UP THEIR TOOLBOX WITH WONDERFUL RESOURCES THAT WILL HELP THEM SAVE MONEY AND MAKE MONEY.
THE NEXT TWO ON THE SERIES, BUDGETING FOR GROWTH AND BUILDING YOUR GROWTH PIPELINE.
SO WE'RE SO THRILLED WITH THE, WITH THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM.
IT IS A GIFT THAT WILL KEEP ON GIVING.
WE MAKE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER FROM THESE PROGRAMS. THERE IS SERVICE AFTER THE SALE, AS IT WERE.
UM, AND I'M JUST SO THRILLED WITH THE RESPONSE CAREER CENTER ALSO DOING REALLY WELL.
THEY'VE BEEN HERE, THEY'VE BEEN THERE.
UH, THEY EVEN WENT TO HAMMOND FOR US, THE SECOND CHANCE JOB FAIR, THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING WITH APPRENTICESHIP LEARNING.
SO REALLY WONDERFUL THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY GREEN HERE.
THIS IS A SILVER LEED CERTIFIED BUILDING.
THE LIBRARY HAS BEEN RECYCLING THE THINGS THAT ARE VERY EASY TO RECYCLE, SUCH AS PAPER AND CARDBOARD AND SUCH.
BUT WE STARTED OUR ARRANGEMENT WITH THE C-A-C-R-C CAPITAL AREA COMPUTER RECYCLING CENTER.
AND WE HAVE, WE HAD OUR FIRST PICKUP LAST WEEK, 426 POUNDS OF STUFF.
IT, IT WAS DEAD STUFF, Y'ALL, DEAD COMPUTER DEVICES, PIECES OF THINGS, MOTHERBOARDS, YOU NAME IT.
THE C-A-C-R-C SAID, SEND IT ALL.
AND SOME OF IT, THEY'LL REPURPOSE SOME OF IT, THEY'LL TAKE APART.
SOME OF IT THEY'LL RE RECYCLE IN A DIFFERENT RESPONSIBLE WAY.
I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THEY'RE MELTING IT DOWN.
THIS STUFF CAME IN FROM THE PUBLIC.
AND THEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO RECYCLE, WE CAN'T RECYCLE JUST ANYTHING BECAUSE WE HAVE, UH, INVENTORY CONTROLS BECAUSE WE HAVE PUBLIC ITEMS. BUT, UH, SMALL THINGS THAT ARE BROKEN, WE ARE ALLOWED TO SEND ONTO THEIR NEXT LIFE.
SO 426 POUNDS SAVED OUTTA THE LANDFILL.
EACH BRANCH JUST GOT A BLACK BIN.
WHEN THE BIN IS FULL, THEY SEND IT IN.
WE WANTED TO MAKE IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE.
WE HAD, UH, BRAX LAURIE AL YESTERDAY, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF BATON ROUGE.
AND IT IS RAPIDLY CHANGING AND IT BEHOOVES US TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THAT.
AND OUR SPONSOR CONTENT THIS MONTH WAS FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
AND THAT SPOKE BACK TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ENGINE SERIES AND TALKED ABOUT THE RESOURCES THE LIBRARY OFFERS YOU AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OR ENTREPRENEUR.
I WANT YOU TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR SEVERAL THINGS.
YOU GOT A, UM, YOU HAVE A NOTE ABOUT THE MAKER FAIR, BUT THE WEEK AFTER THAT, TALK ABOUT A REVOLUTION AND YOU CAN SING THE BEATLES SONG IN YOUR HEAD.
KEN BURNS IS RELEASING HIS NEW MINISERIES ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
AND HE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION THROUGH THE EYES OF, AND THE WORDS OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T ALWAYS ON THE, THE LIST.
YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE KNOW THE BIG NAMES, BUT LET'S GO TO THE LEVEL B LIST AND THE LEVEL C LIST WHERE IT GETS REALLY INTERESTING.
SO WE WILL HAVE THE PREMIER OR THE PREVIEW SCREENING.
WE WON'T SHOW THE WHOLE SERIES.
BUT WE'LL SHOW A, A COMPENDIUM WHERE YOU CAN SEE TEASERS FROM EACH PIECE OF THE SERIES.
AND THERE'LL BE A PANEL DISCUSSION.
OUR FRIENDS AT LPB ARE HELPING WITH THIS, OR WE ARE HELPING WITH THEM.
THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WILL COME BACK AND WE WILL DRINK TEA.
WE WILL DANCE WITH THE LOUISIANA VINTAGE DANCERS.
WE WILL BLOW THINGS UP WITH TABLETOP GAMING WITH LITTLE WARS.
AND THERE'LL BE A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS HAPPENING ALL DAY ON SATURDAY, THE 25TH VIRTUAL AUTHOR TALK SERIES.
OH, I'M SO PLEASED WITH SOME OF THESE THINGS.
IT'S THE VARIETY HAS REALLY BEEN WONDERFUL.
AND Y'ALL, FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT LOVE THE KINGS AND QUEENS AND
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OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, WE ARE GOING TO DO PHILLIPA GREGORY.AND SHE'S GOT BOLAND THE TRAITOR.
UH, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL CARE ABOUT THAT.
SO REMEMBER OCTOBER 18TH, YOU MUST MARK CALENDARS AND WE WILL CALL ROLAND AT 10 IN THE MORNING.
THE MAKER FAIR WILL FEATURE ALL THINGS RELATED TO THE FILM INDUSTRY.
WE WILL HAVE STUNT STUNT PEOPLE HERE.
WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE FILM INDUSTRY FROM A BUSINESS ANGLE.
WE WILL BE DRESSING UP AS YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS DRESS UP, BUT WE WILL ALSO BE SHOWING, UH, SOME THINGS WITH THE KIDS, THE SHORTS.
AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IS FOLEY.
I LOVE HOW THEY MAKE THE SOUND EFFECTS.
IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN THE, THE SHOW WHERE THEY TALKED ABOUT JAWS WITHOUT THE SOUNDTRACK AND WITHOUT THE SOUND EFFECTS.
AND THEN THEY STARTED LAYERING THEM IN.
OH, IT BECAME A MOVIE, UH, THAT MADE YOUR BLOOD CURL.
AND THAT WAS ALL WITH THE SOUND EFFECTS AND THE MUSIC SCORE.
SO IT'LL BE A FABULOUS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18TH.
AND OF COURSE WE'VE INVITED THE LOUISIANA FILM TRAIL TO BE HERE.
ALL THE DIFFERENT FILM FESTIVALS.
IT'LL JUST BE A WONDERFUL DAY.
HARD ON THE HEELS OF ALL THESE EVENTS.
NOVEMBER 1ST, SATURDAY DOWNTOWN.
AND THAT IS WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU, OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT YOU'LL BE SEEING, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SEEN PROBABLY US ON THE FRONT PAGE OF A VARIETY OF NEWSPAPERS WITH WONDERFUL PHOTOS.
AND YOU'VE SEEN OTHER HEADLINES THAT HAVE THE WORD LIBRARY IN THEM READ DEEPLY.
JUST 'CAUSE IT HAS THE WORD LIBRARY IN THE HEADLINE DOESN'T MEAN IT'S ABOUT US.
ALRIGHT, THIS ONE TO, UH, UM, EMILY FORD, UM, IS, DOES, UM, CEMETERY RESTORATION.
SHE DOES RESTORATION WORK, UH, UH, FOR THE OF THE LARGER, UM, STONES AND MONUMENTS AT THE, UM, THE ST.
BUT THE, UM, I'M AMONG THE BOARD OF THE ST.
JOSEPH CATHOLIC CEMETERY, UM, BOARD.
AND WE, UM, AS PART OF OUR MISSION RAISE FUNDS FOR RESTORATION, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE, THE STONES AND EVERYTHING IN THE CEMETERY.
AND IT'S A REALLY, UM, IT'S A COMPLICATED ENDEAVOR.
IT JUST DON'T GO OUT THERE WITH THE SPRAY BOTTLE OF, UH, YOU KNOW, CLEANER.
AND, UM, SO I THINK THAT HER PRESENTATION, UM, MIGHT BE VERY GOOD TO COME TO.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BRING YOUR LUNCH, BUT YOU CAN.
AND IT WILL BE IN THIS ROOM TOMORROW, SEPTEMBER 19TH.
THEN SHE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE ST.
JOSEPH CATHOLIC CEMETERY, WHICH IS CELEBRATING ITS 200TH ANNIVERSARY.
AND TO PLAY NICELY WITH THAT, REMEMBER THE LIBRARY GENEALOGY BATON ROUGE ROOM IN THE OBITUARY FILE.
WELL, WHEN I DID TALK ABOUT, WE HAD A FUNDRAISER AND I, I TALKED ABOUT THE CEMETERY GALA.
I GOT SOME STRANGE LOOKS, BUT
WE HAD A CEMETERY OF, YOU KNOW, FUNDRAISERS THAT WOULD SAY, CHANGE THAT WORD.
MOVING ON TO OTHER REPORTS, MAINTENANCE AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS MAINTENANCE AND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS.
I'M JUST FILLING IN FOR MS. LORI TONIGHT.
UM, SHE'S, SHE'S RECOVERING FROM HER SURGERY, BUT SHE'S DOING WELL.
THE ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR ALSO CALLED THE ERV, WAS REPLACED AT THE MAIN LIBRARY.
THE ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR IS VITAL TO MAINTAIN LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, PARTICULARLY IN THE ARCHIVES AREA.
IT'S BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME AS A BIG WHEEL.
SO, UH, BOILER PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WAS COMPLETED AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, THE EDEN PARK LIBRARY IN THE GREENVILLE SPRINGS LIBRARY.
CHILLER PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WAS COMPLETED AT THE BLUE BONNET LIBRARY, THE JONES CREEK LIBRARY AND AT THE MAIN LIBRARY.
AND FINALLY, PRESSURE WASHING.
WASHING WAS COMPLETED AT THE MAIN LIBRARY.
UM, FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR OUTREACH, THERE IS NOTHING NEW TO REPORT, UM, FOR THE MULTI BRANCH PROJECT.
FINAL ACCEPTANCE SHOULD APPEAR ON THE METRO COUNCIL AGENDA
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FOR SEPTEMBER 24TH.UH, BOILERS FOR EATON PARK AND THE GREENVILLE SPRINGS LIBRARIES, WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR IT, UH, TO GO OUT FOR BID.
UM, BLUEBONNET BRANCH LIBRARY RENOVATIONS, WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF PROGRESS THIS MONTH.
UM, THE PATIO WORK IS COMPLETE AND IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC CONTRACTORS ARE REPLACING THE WOODEN RETAINING WALLS WITH CONCRETE RETAINING WALLS.
AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW.
IT'S STILL ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING AND THE SWAMP AREA.
OH, AND, UM, IT SHOULD BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, BARRING ANY WEATHER DELAYS AND CHILLER PROJECT.
WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE FINAL PUNCH LIST.
ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
MOVING ON TO MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS.
MS. KATRINA STOKES WILL READ THE MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS.
JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS REALLY QUICKLY.
UM, THE INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, UH, WE DID MEET EARLIER THIS MONTH AT OUR FIRST MEETING.
IN FACT, WE HAVE INTEREST FROM VENDORS AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONS WITH THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT.
I'M ALSO VERY PLEASED TO SAY THAT ERIC ROMERO IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING TWO PAYROLL SYSTEMS AND EXCU TIME TO HOPEFULLY IMPROVE THE SCHEDULE FOR OUR STAFF AND ELIMINATE THE 11 TO 14 DAY RUN WITH NO BREAKS.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE ROLLING OUT TRAINING FOR THE UPGRADE OF THE INCIDENT REPORTING PLATFORM, THAT'S ORANGE BOY AND FOR THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION PARTNERSHIP WITH JUDGE JOHNSON.
ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, THE, UH, DUAL PAYROLL.
UM, SOMEONE A WEEK OR TWO AGO TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE, UH, HIRED ON, BUT THEY WERE A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE.
DO WE HAVE CONTRACT EMPLOYEES THAT ARE HIRED ON REGULARLY? YES.
AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHO IT WAS THAT TOLD ME THAT, BUT I WAS MEANT TO, I HAD A MENTAL NOTE TO ASK ABOUT THAT.
CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT BOTH THE DUAL PAYROLL AND THE, AND UH, CONTRACT EMPLOYEES? AS FAR AS THE DUAL PAYROLL GOES, WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS CURRENTLY THEY HAVE STARTED THE WORK WEEK ON A SATURDAY.
AND OF COURSE THAT HAS CREATED A DIFFICULTY FOR SPECIFICALLY FOR US FULLY AWAY.
UH, BECAUSE, UH, WE ARE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
BELIEVE WHAT, AND UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS I THINK IT CYCLES AROUND ABOUT EVERY MONTH OR SO, UH, SOME OF OUR EMPLOYEES WIND UP WORKING 11 TO 14 DAYS STRAIGHT, NO BREAKS BECAUSE THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO WORK WEEKENDS.
AND THIS HAS UNFORTUNATELY CREATED BURNOUT.
AMONG A NUMBER OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
UM, THE BEST I PROMISED THEM WHEN I CAME ON BOARD WAS I WAS NOT GOING TO LET THAT GO.
I WAS GOING TO KEEP ASKING, CAN WE PLEASE DO SOMETHING TO ALLEVIATE THIS? WE ARE LOSING EXCELLENT STAFF MEMBERS TO OTHER LIBRARIES.
THEY'RE WILLING TO STAY ON EVEN THOUGH WE CANNOT PAY THEM AS WELL AS OTHER LIBRARIES IN THE STATE.
THE PROBLEM IS THE SCHEDULE, THE SCHEDULE IS SIMPLY TOO MUCH.
SO MR. ROMERO WENT TO ASCENSION PARISH WHERE THEY ARE ALSO USING EXECUTIVE TIME AND THEY'RE RUNNING TWO SEPARATE PAYROLL SYSTEMS BECAUSE THEY ALSO HAVE DEPARTMENTS LIKE US THAT ARE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
AND IT'S APPARENTLY WORKING FOR THEM.
IT IS A, SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE TO DO IN THE SYSTEM ITSELF.
I I, I'M NOT ENTIRELY, I DON'T GRASP THE SPECIFICS OF IT ENTIRELY, BUT REALLY THAT'S, NO ONE CAN.
I, I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO THEM, BUT, UH, IT CAN BE DONE APPARENTLY IS WORKING FOR ASCENSION PARISH.
WE ARE HOPING THAT WE CAN MAKE IT WORK FOR US, HOWEVER THAT MAY BE, AS FOR THE CONTRACT WORKERS.
SO I'M GONNA LET MARY TAKE THAT 'CAUSE SHE'S MORE FAMILIAR WITH THAT THAN I AM.
SO SEVERAL YEARS AGO WE GOT PERMISSION FROM THE METRO COUNCIL TO HIRE AT WILL HOURLY WORKERS TO WORK BETWEEN ONE HOUR OF PAYROLL TO 29 HOURS OF PAYROLL OF IN PAGES LIBRARIAN, ONES, TEXTS, LIBRARIAN TWO, THREE, AND FOUR TO HELP SUPPLEMENT THINGS.
AND WE'VE BEEN USING MOSTLY, UH, PEOPLE WHO LEFT US BECAUSE OF THE SCHEDULE, BUT WE'RE WILLING TO WORK A FEW HOURS.
SO THEY COME IN AND MAYBE COVER LUNCHES ON SUNDAY OR SATURDAY AND FRIDAY, UH, JUST A FEW HOURS AT A TIME.
WE HAD SOME, UH, PEOPLE WHO WERE ELIGIBLE, WELL, THEY WERE ELIGIBLE TO BE RETIRED.
THAT IS NO LONGER A POSSIBILITY.
UH, BUT WE HAD SOME WHO WERE RETIRED FROM US AND CAME BACK ON AN HOURLY BASIS.
AND SO THEY FILL IN IT'S STRICTLY AT WILL.
UH, THEY MAY WORK, LIKE I HAVE A COLLEGE STUDENT WHO'S WORKING, I DON'T KNOW, THREE HOURS A,
[00:30:01]
A WEEK ON SOMETHING AND WE PAY HER BY THE HOUR.AND IF WE EVER DON'T NEED HER, SHE JUST DOESN'T WORK.
AND IT REALLY HELPS ROUND OUT SOME OF THESE THINGS, SOME OF THE, THE HOLES IN THE SCHEDULE OR TASKS THAT WE LIKE TO DO TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO DO IT.
HOW QUICKLY CAN THAT THOSE PEOPLE BE ONBOARDED? IT'S THE SAME, SAME MAYBE FOUR TO SIX WEEKS TO OUCH.
THEY STILL HAVE TO HAVE A BACKGROUND CHECK.
THEY STILL HAVE TO HAVE THE, UM, HEALTH SCREENING.
UM, THEY JUST GONNA HAVE TO COME UP ON THIS.
WE PULLED DOWN LIKE DWS, UH, FROM A SEASONAL SUBSTITUTE WORKER TYPE LIST.
BUT THE, THERE'S PLUS AND MINUSES.
THE PLUS SIDE IS, AS SHE SAID, THEY'RE AT WILL, THEY WORK WHEN WE NEED THEM.
THEY CANNOT GO TO 29 AND A HALF PER PAY WEEK, LIKE PART-TIMERS, BUT THEY ONLY, WHERE THEY START IS WHERE THEY STAY STEP ONE.
NOW, MOST TIMES, AND THE PLUS SIDE I FIND TOO, IT GIVES THEM A CHANCE TO KIND OF GET THEIR FOOT IN THE DOOR TO SEE IF THIS SOMETHING THEY WANT TO DO.
WE'VE HIRED ALSO A LOT OF THEM WE'VE HIRED PERMANENTLY.
I'VE JUST OFFERED LIKE THREE I THINK SO FAR.
SO THAT KIND OF HELPS WITH THAT ASPECT OF IT.
SO ONCE THEY COME UP ON A LIST, SO THEY'VE GOT THEIR FOOT IN THE DOOR AND NOTICE SOMETHING THEY WANT TO DO, SO THEN WE ENGAGE THEM, WE BRING THEM A BOARD AS A FULLTIME EMPLOYEE.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON RIGHT NOW TO FILL OUR GAPS, WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE THE ELECTION.
SO WE PREPARE FOR WHATEVER TO HAVE ALL OUR HOURS COVERED AND OUR BASIS AND OUR RENT AND, AND UH, AS TANYA SAID AT WILL, BUT THERE ARE NO BENEFITS.
THEY'RE STRICTLY PAID AT WHAT THEY WERE STEP ONE FOREVER FOR THE HOURS THAT THEY PUT IN.
SO THEY DON'T GET VACATION, THEY DON'T GET SICK LEAVE, THEY DON'T GIVE HOLIDAY TIME EITHER.
IF THEY SHOW UP, THEY GET PAID AND IF THEY DON'T SHOW UP, THEY'RE NOT EVEN IN, IN THE SYSTEM.
AND IF THEY'RE SO INCLINED AND THERE'S AN OPENING, THEY CAN MOVE INTO THE CERTAINLY APPLY POSITION.
WE JUST HAD TWO THAT MOVE ON IT WHO HAD GONE CONTRACT AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE I MET SOMEONE.
AND OUR PROGRAMING LIBRARIAN JUST, UH, MEGA WAS A CONTRACT WORKER WHILE SHE FINISHED LIBRARY SCHOOL AND WAS A FULL-TIME MOM.
SO SHE WORKED A COUPLE HOURS A WEEK AND NOW NOW SHE'S OURS.
WE'RE VERY HAPPY FOR 40 HOURS.
I'M VERY, WE'RE ALL VERY HAPPY.
SO, AND, AND WE WERE VERY GRATEFUL OF, AGAIN, CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER CITY PARISH DEPARTMENTS MADE THIS A POSSIBILITY BECAUSE ONE OF ONE DAY I WAS WHINING ABOUT OUR HOLES AND THE HEAD OF HR SAID, WELL, WHY DON'T YOU JUST DO SUBSTITUTE WORKERS? I SAID, WHAT IS THAT? AND, AND THEN WE REALIZED WE HAD TO HAVE THEM CREATED THROUGH AN ORDINANCE WITH CITY PARISH.
SO HR WORKED WITH US TO GET THAT CREATED.
METRO COUNCIL APPROVED IT AND WE HAVE BEEN OFF TO THE RACES EVER SINCE.
WELL, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT SOMEONE FOUND OUT THAT, UH, EXECUT TIME WAS DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM SOMEONE ELSE THAT CAN WORK FOR US POTENTIALLY, BECAUSE, UH, IT'S BEEN A, THAT'S BEEN A REAL THORN IN THE SIDE OF EVERYONE AT THE LIBRARY.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN, UH, THE, UM, THE, THE, UH, LADY FROM ASCENSION WILL FINISH THE, THE WORK FOR OUR, OUR SYSTEM? UM, THE, THE EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM? I MEAN THE, UH, THE LADY YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT.
IT'S NOT THE SY IT'S NOT ASCENSION.
THEY, THEY GOT THAT THEY SHADOW ASCENSION BECAUSE OUR SYSTEM IS THE SAME AS ASCENSION.
SO THEY SHADOWED THEM TO FIND OUT IF IT CAN BE DONE.
AND NOW WE ESSENTIALLY KNOWING THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS, IT CAN BE DONE.
SO NOW WE HAVE TO GO TO THE THIRD STEP AND CONFIGURE IT NOW THE BIGGEST AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR VERSION IS NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME AS THEIRS.
BECAUSE SOFTWARE, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT HAVE VERSION TWO AND YOU MIGHT HAVE VERSION 2.0 AND YOU MIGHT HAVE VERSION 2.1, BUT AT LEAST WE KNOW IT.
WE KNEW IT COULD BE DONE WELL.
I JUST DIDN'T THINK WE NEEDED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL EXACTLY.
IF IT ALREADY HAD BEEN, UH, DONE.
AND, UH, IF, AND SO WE ARE WORKING THROUGH CITY PARISH.
SO IT'S NOT, AND CITY PARISH IS, IS MESSING WITH THE CONFIGURATIONS NOW OR EXPERIMENTING WITH THE CONFIGURATIONS NOW TO SEE IF HE CAN GET OUR VERSION OF EXCU TIME TO DELIVER THE RESULT THAT WE NEED.
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THAT'S GREAT.WE'RE JUST, WE'RE JUST THEN TO RUN THE TEST AND SEE WHAT, UH, AND, AND SO HOW DID Y'ALL FIND OUT ABOUT ASCENSION? HE, HE WENT, AND AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN MENTIONING THIS FOR A WHILE.
AND SO HE, HE WENT AS, AS A PARTNER, UH, AS A FELLOW DEPARTMENT THAT TRYING TO SOLVE OUR ISSUES BECAUSE WE SAID THIS WAS A REALLY BIG ISSUE FOR US.
IT WAS ALMOST THE NUMBER ONE ON OUR LIST OF THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO FIX.
AND SO, UH, IN THE SPIRIT OF, OF, UH, CONGENIALITY AND SUPPORT ERIC ROMERO OF THE CITY PARISH IS DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, FOUND OUT WHO WERE THE OTHER EXCU TIME USERS AND HE REACHED OUT.
I HOPE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
I HAD DARK HAIR, INVISIBLE ABS WHEN WE
ALRIGHT, I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, NEXT ON THE AGENDA REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS AT THIS TIME.
MOVING ON TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS, THE UPDATE ON THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY.
SO YOU GO BY LAYLA RILEY, AND JUST ARROW DOWN.
SO, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK DONE THIS MONTH.
UM, I'LL JUST READ THIS OUT AND THEN I'LL SHOW Y'ALL THE PICTURES.
UH, WORK IS UNDERWAY ON THE NEW DRIVEWAY AND SIDEWALKS, SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THAT ON THIS PICTURE.
UM, THE CONCRETE PAVEMENT WILL BE POURED TOMORROW MORNING AT 3:00 AM STRUCTURAL STEEL AND TRUSSES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AT THE FOLLOWING BUMP OUT AREAS, THE SOUTHEAST WING, WHERE THE NEW RESTROOMS WILL BE LOCATED, AND ALSO WHERE THE, UM, THE MEETING ROOM EXPANSION IS LOCATED.
UH, THE BUMP OUT FOR THE BLACK HERITAGE COLLECTION AND THE NORTHWEST RING WHERE CHILDREN'S AND TEENS ARE, UH, FORM WORK FOR THE NORTH COURTYARD SLAB IS COMPLETE METAL HVAC DUCT WORK AND ABOVE CEILING METAL.
ELECTRICAL CONDUIT IS MOSTLY COMPLETED.
THE MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR IS ALMOST FINISHED AND IS JUST WAITING FOR MATERIALS FOR CONTROLS.
UM, SO THEY'RE GONNA HAVE ALL NEW HVAC IN THIS BUILDING.
SO I'M, I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, THE CONTRACTOR IS STARTING ON THE METAL DECKING FOR THE BUILDING.
AND FINALLY, METAL STUDS FOR INTERIOR PARTITIONS IS ONGOING.
SO THAT ALL THE FIRST PICTURE, THIS IS THE, THOSE ARE GONNA BE THE BATHROOMS AND THEN THE MEETING ROOM IS TO THE RIGHT.
UH, THIS IS THE NEW FRONT ENTRANCE AND THEY'RE, YOU CAN SEE THEY HAVE THEIR CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES AND THEY'RE GETTING IT READY TO POUR CONCRETE, UM, THAT HOLE UP IN THE CEILING.
THAT'S WHERE THE NEW HVAC STUFF IS IN THE MEZZANINE.
NEW BUSINESS UPDATE ON THE BAKER BRANCH RENOVATION PROJECT.
SO WE ACTUALLY HAD A MEETING YESTERDAY AND I'LL SHARE THAT WITH Y'ALL.
UM, THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS WAS SEPTEMBER 12TH, WHICH WAS I THINK EARLIER, THIS IS THAT LAST WEEK.
UM, WE RECEIVED SEVERAL PROPOSALS FROM DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS. UM, AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING WAS HELD YESTERDAY WITH THE ARCHITECTURAL SELECTION BOARD COMMITTEE, WHICH IS MADE UP OF DIFFERENT ARCHITECTS, UM, NOT JUST WITH CITY PARISH, BUT IN DIFFERENT VARI.
I THINK ONE FROM SOUTHERN, ONE FROM LSU, SOMEBODY FROM IFMA WAS THERE.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE THE, THE HEAD OF THE CHIEF ARCHITECT FOR THE CITY WAS THERE.
UM, THE ARCHITECTURAL SELECTION BOARD WILL MEET ON SEPTEMBER 25TH TO SELECT, AND THIS IS THE NEW INFO, I THINK WE TOLD Y'ALL LAST MONTH, THAT WE WOULD SELECT THE ARCHITECT ON THE 25TH.
BUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA SELECT THE TOP THREE ARCHITECTS, SO THERE'LL BE A TOP THREE, AND THEN THE SELECTION BOARD WILL HEAR PRESENTATIONS FROM THE TOP THREE ARCHITECTS AT A LATER DATE.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT THOSE TIMES YET, BUT AFTER WE HEAR THOSE THREE PRESENTATIONS, THEN WE'LL PICK AN ARCHITECT FOR THE PROJECT.
GLAD WE GOT AN ARCHITECTURAL BOARD.
MOVING ON TO SECURITY CONTRACTS.
I LOVE THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
DO I'D SAY RONDA, JUST THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING IT.
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UM, LOTS OF PROBLEMS. YOU CAN HIDE BACK THERE.I HEAR WE'RE HAVING LOTS OF PROBLEMS FILLING HOLES IN THE SCHEDULES.
UH, FOR THE DEPUTIES AT ALL THE BRANCHES, IT'S, IT'S SYSTEM WIDE.
IT'S NOT ANY ONE PARTICULAR BRANCH.
UM, AND IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING PAID A LOT MORE AT OTHER EXTRA DUTY DETAILS LIKE, UM, WALMART AND OTHER PLACES AROUND THE, THE PARISH.
SO, UM, WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S TIME TO INCREASE THEIR PAY BECAUSE THE PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM DID NOT WANT TO RENEW THE CONTRACT.
THEY REFUSED TO SIGN THE RENEWAL.
AND I'M THINKING IT'S BECAUSE THEY ALSO WANT MORE MONEY.
SO THEY'RE KIND OF FORCING US TO EITHER REBID THAT OR PAY THE DEPUTIES MORE MONEY SO THAT WE CAN JUST HAVE DEPUTIES AND NOT WORRY ABOUT PRIVATE SECURITY.
UM, FOR ONE OF THE PAST EVENT, RECENT EVENTS THAT WE HAD AT MAINE, WE ASKED FOR, UH, PRIVATE SECURITY LIKE WE ALWAYS DO.
I HAD TO HAVE AN EXTRA COUPLE GUARDS ON HAND AND THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME $40 AN HOUR FOR A SPECIAL EVENT RATE FOR UNARMED SECURITY GUARDS.
AND I JUST, I JUST CAN'T DO THAT.
I MEAN, WE COULD PAY A DEPUTY $40 AN HOUR AND HAVE SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS AUTHORITY TO DO SOMETHING.
SO, UM, SO WE KIND OF NEGOTIATED WITH BLAIR AND CAME UP WITH, UH, $40 AN HOUR, WHICH IS A $10 AN HOUR INCREASE FROM WHAT WE'VE BEEN PAYING THEM FOR THE PAST.
HOW LONG HAVE Y'ALL BEEN AT 30? IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.
IT'S 10 YEARS, PROBABLY 10 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WORKING THE LIBRARY FOR 32 YEARS, SO
IT'S, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE THEY'VE BEEN AT $30 AN HOUR.
SO, UM, AND SINCE THEY'RE, THEY'RE EARNING 45 TO 50 OTHER PLACES IN THE PARISH, WE COMPROMISE THAT 40.
UM, SO THE SHERIFF JUST APPROVED OUR CONTRACT, UH, THE LITTLE UPDATED CONTRACT THAT I DID WITH THE OKAY.
UM, SO I'M GONNA NOW SEND THAT TO THE PARISH ATTORNEY AND GET THEIR STAMP OF APPROVAL ON IT.
AND THEN ONCE THAT'S APPROVED, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET ALL THE DEPUTIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON THE ROSTER TO, UM, COME AND RESIGN EVERYTHING.
SO HOPEFULLY I PREFER THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
WE WILL HAVE DEPUTIES THROUGHOUT THE PARISH INSTEAD OF THE PRIVATE SECURITY.
AND WE HAVE 30 DAYS TO CANCEL THE, UM, WE CAN CANCEL FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS.
DOES THAT IMPACT OUR BUDGET? IT DOES.
UM, THAT WAS NOT IN MY PROJECTION, SO IT IS WHAT IT IS.
WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO MOVE SOME EXPENDITURES AROUND.
AND BECAUSE THE, UM, THE CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER GROUPS THAT, THAT HAVE, UH, HIGHER OFF DUTY, UH, SHERIFF OR POLICE, THEY ARE, UM, ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO, TO PAY AT LEAST FOR 40, AT LEAST $40 AN HOUR FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, OFF DUTY, UM, UH, PATROLS.
SO THAT'S REALLY NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY OF WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, AROUND THE PARISH.
WE'VE BEEN HOLDING THEM ALL FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS,
UM, BUT WE ARE GONNA SAVE ABOUT, WELL, THE CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE BUDGETED FOR THE PRIVATE SECURITY IS $200,000 A YEAR.
SO WE ARE GONNA MAKE UP HALF OF THAT IN WHAT WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY THE PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM.
SO, UM, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO DO IT.
BUT LOOKING AT OUR YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES FOR CONTRACT EMPLOYEES, WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO COVER THE INCREASE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR, DON'T WE? WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T, WE, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF HOLES IN THE SCHEDULE.
I'M JUST, IT'S NOT SHOWING UP.
SO IF WE WERE FULLY STAFFED, RIGHT, NO, I MEAN I, YEAH, WE BUDGET IT FOR FULLY STAFFED, SO YEAH, I UNDERSTAND.
I'M JUST SAYING THE REAL IMPACT'S GONNA BE NEXT YEAR.
BUT ALTHOUGH WE ARE GONNA START IT THIS YEAR.
BUT I MEAN, WE'RE AT THE END OF THE YEAR ALREADY, SO EX YEAH.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS BY THE LIBRARY BOARD OF CONTROL? ANY? OKAY, PERFECT.
WELL, IS THERE ANY OTHER FURTHER BUSINESS? Y'ALL ARE ALL DOING A WONDERFUL JOB.
[00:45:01]
Y'ALL.HEARING, NO HEARING, NO OBJECTIONS.
UH, WE, THE MEETING WILL ADJOURN.