MINUTES
MALIBU LIBRARY SUBCOMMITTEE
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 2, 2022
TELECONFERENCED - VARIOUS LOCATIONS
3:30 P.M.
The following meeting was held pursuant t0 AB 361 and fully teleconferenced from various locations during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
CALL TO ORDER
Councilmember Farrer called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm.
ROLL CALL
The following persons were recorded in attendance:
PRESENT: Councilmember Karen Farrer and Councilmember Mikke Pierson ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Steve McClary; Assistant to the City Manager Elizabeth Shavelson; Media Technician Parker Davis; and Senior Administrative Assistant Brandie Ayala
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION Councilmember Pierson moved, and Councilmember Farrer seconded a motion to approve the agenda. The question was called, and the motion carried unanimously.
REPORT ON POSTING OF AGENDA
Senior Administrative Assistant Ayala reported that the agenda for the meeting was properly posted on April 29, 2022.
ITEM 1 PRESENTATIONS
None.
ITEM 2 OLD BUSINESS
A. Malibu Library Set Aside Funds for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 (continued from April 20, 2022)
Recommended Action: Provide a recommendation to the City Council concerning the use of the Malibu Library Set Aside Funds for Fiscal Year 2022—2023.
Assistant to the City Manager Shavelson presented the report. She introduced Jesse Walker-Lanz, Los Angeles County Library Assistant Director of Public Services, Gladstone Buckner, Regional Administrator for Los Angeles County Library North Regional Offlce, and Melissa Stallings, Malibu Librarian.
Malibu Library Subcommittee
Special Meeting
Minutes of May 2, 2022
Teresa Earle thanked the City for requesting ’a reclariflcation of the expense proposal previously submitted. She discussed the joint use request.
John Mazza stated he had reviewed past expenses and had questions for County staff. He stated the City budgeted for 60 hours per week but received only 50 hours per week over the past two years. He stated there was no Executive Director for the Foundation in 202 1 , and there was no credit for a Malibu Librarian used for COVID tracing. With regard to allocations, he questioned the need for two security guards, maintenance reserve, an outreach librarian, and Family Place Program. He stated the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu (BGCM) allocation was doubled from last year. He requested $25,000 for a consultant to look into a western branch of the library.
Sarah Ryan, Malibu High School and Middle School Librarian, thanked the City for its ongoing support. She discussed programs and equipment financed with the funds. She stated the joint use agreement was valuable, and the Teen Librarian provided great projects for the students.
Laura Rosenthal expressed support for providing funds to BGCM and the high school. She stated $140,000 previously allocated to a Library Fellow could be incorporated into the $500,000 endowment requested for the Los Angeles County Library Foundation (Foundation). She stated it would be very impactful to the Malibu Library and all County libraries.
Kasey Earnest thanked the City for the opportunity to submit an additional request for funding for the student population recovering from the pandemic. She stated the proposal was focused on mental health services offered. She stated Set Aside Funds could help fund a curriculum developed in partnership with Malibu High School.
In response to Mr. Mazza, Mr. Walker-Lanz stated only actual expenses were billed to the City for the last two years. He stated only one security guard was on duty and applied. He stated Malibu was not charged for hours when the Library was closed. i He stated a CARES Act reimbursement to the City offset Library staff salaries.
In response to Councilmember Farrer, Mr. Walker-Lanz stated that the direction to hire a consultant for an assessment of a western branch was before his time, and he was not aware of it.
Andrea Carroll, Foundation Executive Director, stated a previous City grant funded the Executive Director position in 2019 and 2020, after which the Foundation became fully self-sustaining.
In response to Mr. Mazza, Ms. Rosenthal stated the City provided $100,000 annually for deferred maintenance since the Set Aside Fund began. She stated the Family Place programs were supported for the past 10 years. She stated she would reach out to Linda Demmers, the City’s Library Needs Assessment consultant.
Malibu Library Subcommittee
Special Meeting
Minutes of May 2, 2022
MOTION
Assistant to the City Manager Shavelson stated studying the feasibility of westside services was part of the Council’s direction when it accepted the Library Needs Assessment in October 2018. She stated it was not included in the Subcommittee’s subsequent recommendation nor Council’s adoption of the uses for Set Aside Funds.
In response to Councilmember Farrer, Assistant to the City Manager Shavelson stated she WOuld research any decisions regarding studying the feasibility of a western branch.
Mr. Mazza stated discussion of the Library Needs Assessment included the possibility of a westside branch. He stated the consultant advised that a separate study would be required. He stated certain libraries could use City land to provide meeting and community rooms. He stated there was no reimbursement for deferred maintenance in 2019 or 2020. He said it was not listed as either spent or not spent.
Inresponse to Mr. Mazza, Assistant to the City Manager Shavelson stated that in the 2020-2021 County report, deferred maintenance was listed as an approved expense but was noted as unspent. She agreed with Mr. Mazza that it was not listed in the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 report in the expenditures approved by Council for 2019-2020, but equipment replacements were noted.
In response to Councilmember Farrer, Mr. Walker-Lanz stated he would report back to the Subcommittee with answers to those questions.
Councilmember Farrer thanked everyone who submitted written proposals.
Councilmember Pierson moved, and Councilmember Farrer seconded a motion to recommend that the City Council approve the use of the Malibu Library Set Aside Funds for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 to: 1) provide funding for ongoing expenses as follows:
$100,000 ......... Increased service hours of 60 hours a week $260,000 ......... Two dedicated security guards
$100,000 ......... Fund the deferred maintenance reserve $100,000 ......... Full-time Teen Librarian
$125,000 ......... Malibu Library Speaker Series program $1 16,000 ......... Outreach Librarian
$50,000 ......... Family Place Programs throughout the County library system
$50,000 ......... Boys & Girls Club of Malibu (books and other libraryrelated supplies and services) $17,000 ......... Malibu Public Schools (library-related supplies) Subtotal = $91 8,000
2) fulfill the requests for funds submitted by the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu and Malibu High School, understanding the Teen Librarian may not work out, and 3) Malibu Library Subcommittee
Special Meeting ,
Minutes of May 2, 2022
bring forward for Council discussion the Los Angeles County Library Foundation request for endowment funds.
In response to Councilmember Pierson, Councilmember Farrer confirmed funds for the Library Fellow were removed from the ongoing expenses.
The question was called, and the motion carried unanimously.
ITEM 3 NEW BUSINESS
A. Approval of Minutes — April 20, 2022
Recommended action: Approve the minutes for the Library Subcommittee Special meeting of April 20, 2022.
MOTION Councilmember Farrer moved, and Councilmember Pierson seconded a motion to approve the minutes for the Library Subcommittee Special meeting of April 20, 2022. The question was called, and the motion carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION At 4: 12 p.m., Councilmember Farrer adjoumed the meeting.
Approved and adopted by the Library Subcommittee of the City of Malibu on March 27 2024
MARIANNE RIGGINS Co rlmember
ATTEST:
CYNT A ALBA, Executive Assistant