This report is intended to provide the Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees with a report of activities during the period September 10 – November 12, 2019.
Financial Report
Current Reporting Period
The current financial report is a statement of resources and expenses for a two-month period ending November 1, 2019. Operational expenses for the bi-monthly period totaled $18,873.71. Year-to date expenditures total $35,541.31, representing a $33.92% increase over the same period a year ago. This increase reflects replacing three new staff computers ($5,406.55). An item shown in account 5240 (VA Database User Fee) of $4,000 to ProQuest covers license fees for two online services, one a database by which to access military records and another providing access to worldwide newspapers. Both items are used extensively in historical and genealogical research.
Salaries and Related Expenses
The amount budgeted for salaries and related benefits for FY 2019-2020 is $275,184, or $22,932 per month. For the first four months of the current year, expenses total $90,309.42 or 32.81% of budgeted amount, averaging approximately $22,577 per month.
Budget
Information has been received from the Office of the County Administrator concerning the submission of budget request materials. The process is going to be handled a little differently this year: ”Department Heads and Constitutional Officers are asked to present budget requests to the Board of Supervisors as part of the Board’s Annual Organizational Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 8, 2020. The Board will spend the first part of the day on organizational matters, and then a Budget Work Session will be held in the afternoon. Those submitting requests may attend the entire meeting or just the afternoon Budget Work Session The Board is interested in hearing an overview from each department/office about your mission and activities, as well as your goals for the upcoming fiscal year.”
The submission schedule presents a challenge for review and approval of a budget submission to be prepared by library staff since the next meeting of the Board of Trustees would ordinarily occur on January14, 2020.
Patrons
The number of patrons now stands at 9885 The number of new patrons added during the report period totaled 81.
Library Meeting
The quarterly meeting of the Three Rivers Library Directors Group met at Mathews Memorial Library on Friday, November 8th The organization is composed of library directors from the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. A representative from the Library of Virginia joined the 9 directors in attendance. Following the meeting, the group enjoyed a tour of the library and lunch at Southwind Café.
Programs
Youth staff members are to be congratulated on the successful youth programs occurring during the autumn season. These include a weekly book club for 4, 5 and 6 graders which is held at the library. Attendance averages 18 students per session.
Howl-a-Palooza, a very labor-intensive activity, was extremely successful with attendance of parents and children exceeding 90. The event included a party at the library, a costume as well as a pumpkin carving contest, concluding with a trick or treat parade through downtown. Merchants had been given a heads-up that visitors would be calling.
Upcoming Events
The holiday season promises to be memorable. We begin on November 14th with a chamber music concert featuring the Ambrosia Quartet. The concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. This group is very popular each time they appear.
As we have done in the past, we will launch the Christmas season with the tree-decorating event, Deck the Halls, on December 8. Several youth programs will take place as well as an afternoon tea on December 18th. One of the highlights planned for 2019 is a chartered trip to the Jefferson Hotel. The cost for the trip is $55.00 per person. This amount, assuming we have 45 registrations, will cover all costs, including lunch at the hotel and transportation