Earlville Library District Board Meeting Minutes
6:00 PM Tuesday, July 21, 2026
On July 21, 2026, the hearing on the proposed budget and appropriations ordinance was held from 6:00 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. Librarian Nina Dexter was the only member of the public present, and no comments were made by members of the public regarding the budget.
The meeting of the Earlville Library District Board was called to order by President Ann Hecathorn at 6:10 p.m. at the library.
Present for the meeting were board members: Ann Hecathorn, Mary Bender, Stephanie Eller, Janice Wolff, Skip Nanzer, and Ben Hoffman. Matt Johnson was absent. Also present was Director Paige Frechmann.
Review of agenda: No additions or changes were made to the agenda.
Public participation: No public participation occurred.
Review of minutes from previous meeting: Janice Wolff motioned to accept the minutes from the June 2026 meeting and the July 13 emergency board meeting, Mary Bender seconded the motion, and the motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.
Financial report: The library received a $75 credit from NuMark. We are hoping that with the replacement of the AC/heating unit that the operating costs of maintaining building temperature will help those bills decrease. Mary Bender motioned to accept the financial report; Ann Hecathorn seconded the motion. The motion passed with a unanimous roll-call vote.
Library director’s report: The library saw strong participation with its summer children’s programs, which are now winding down. Paige described how Lacie is planning to expand programming offerings to teens in the fall as well. The library received two more CPPRT checks which brings us closer to where we anticipated regarding the budget. Terminix service prices are increasing. With the city soon changing garbage service providers, the library is unsure as of right now how they will be affected by the change. The Per Capita grant amount that the library received this year is higher than last year, and Palace Project (eBooks) is now supported through browsers, expanding use to Kindle and computer-based users as well.
New business: The board reviewed contact information for all trustees and reviewed the library’s emergency plan, making some changes and updates regarding the frequency of some required tests of equipment (fire alarms, emergency lights, etc). Stephanie Eller motioned to accept the emergency plan with these revisions included, Ann Hecathorn seconded the motion, and the motion passed with a unanimous roll-call vote. Changes were proposed for the working budget: the Snow fund projected income was changed from $1800 to $3000, and the changes to the capital tax were reviewed as well. Skip Nanzer motioned to accept the changes to the budget, Mary Bender seconded the motion, and the motion passed with a unanimous roll-call vote. The building maintenance tax ordinance was discussed, with no changes being made to it this year. Ben Hoffman motioned to adopt the ordinance, Janice Wolff seconded the motion, and the motion passed with a unanimous roll-call vote. Paige discussed with the board how she wanted to show appreciation to library staff members for their hard work and continued dedication during the time without working AC during a very warm week! Ann Hecathorn motioned to provide each staff member a $50 bonus, Skip Nanzer seconded the motion, and the motion passed with a unanimous roll-call vote. Janice Wolff and Stephanie Eller agreed to stay after the meeting to conduct an audit for the past year’s agendas and minutes, and the entire board completed our annual walk-through of the library.
Unfinished business: The library’s AC/furnace unit has been replaced and is working well! Anthony Finnell finished sealing the windows of the library, and will provide the library a quote for finishing up the tile section that needs to be replaced in the basement. He recommends painting the outside windows to prevent them from rotting, but this will likely have to be completed at a later date. There were no new updates regarding elevator inspection or the Illinois Public Library Standards Checklist.
Items for the next agenda:
- Windows update
- Elevator update
- AC/furnace update (as Malley will have a chance to test the furnace, which has not been completed yet)
- Garbage update
The motion to adjourn was made by Ann Hecathorn, and Janice Wolff seconded the motion. The motion was passed with a unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 7:18 p.m.
Next meeting date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Earlville Library District.