Sidney Public Library

Board Meeting

Date: 9/8/2025

Meeting Start Time: 4:30 pm

Meeting Finish Time: 5:15pm

Board Members Present:

Tanya, Lewis, Nancy Sanders, Marva Ellwanger, Makayla Neuhalfen, Rebecca Propst

Others Present: 

Kristen Breining, Heather Rohm, David Scott, Autumn Ramirez, Jeremy Lee

Meeting Called to Order At: 4:30 PM by Tanya Lewis

Affidavit of Publication in the Sidney Sun Telegraph

Acknowledgement of Open Meetings Act

Friends Report given by: Nancy Sanders – nothing to report today.

Comments from the public: None

Approval of Minutes from previous board meetings: Nancy Sanders made a motion to approve meeting minutes from August 2025. Seconded by Makayla Neuhalfen, unanimous approval. Motion carried.

 Bills & Financial Reports: 

For August 2025, Beki made a motion to approve, Nancy seconded. Unanimous approval, motion carried

Communications to and from the Library Board:

Report from Director: 

  • Jimie Ridnour: Asked for update on Thompson Foundation and who to contact regarding foundation check received.

Tanya: Thompson Foundation awarded Library Foundation grant for certain items not needed by library.

  • C.A. Story Grant – Jimie needs all expenditures to produce foundation with year end report.
  • Library Website – Library will need to update website to stay in compliance. Sometimes website it down. Nebraska Library Commission no longer assists libraries with their websites. We have until October to remain in compliance. Library’s website creator is from Sweden. Jimie would like to bring all website maintenance back inhouse. No approval needed at this time. Jimie will research options and costs and bring back to the board.

 Report From Staff:

Kristen:

  • Carpet cleaning results went well but multiple stains still left around the library.
  • Oktoberfest Parade: Approval needed for library closure to attend the Oktoberfest parade on October 4, 2025 from 9AM-1PM. Nancy motion to approve, Makayla seconds. Unanimous approval.
  • Bookmobile Wrap: Heather provided the board with 3 mockups to review and decide. Normally companies charge $1,500 for mockups. The library was not charged.Jimie suggested bringing the decision to the public. For a donation the public can put in a vote for choice of mockup. Advertise vote on social media and the radio.Board agrees, no vote needed at this time.Makayla suggested allowing students/children to sign the exterior of the bookmobile for a donation. Board agrees to stay with choice from mockups as it would be preferable to keep the Sidney Public Library design.Heather: Final cost will be $3,263. Normal price would be $3,500. Not sure of warranty at this time.Tanya asked if there is money to pay for the wrap and investigate a warranty further. There is a worry that bubbles may appear underneath wrap. Jimie responded: “So for or the question that you’re saying do we have one trying we’re trying to go through on like the donations and what our balances are on the donations and we are kind of still trying to track where those are at. I think that if we know if the… the same thing with my thoughts on a few ideas going forward with different parades and those kind of things, if we are able to know where the donations are going to be going like the book sale we have a pretty good plan on what we’re going to do for the book sale and kind of make it more public. If we know those things are going to be going to the foundation I would have a better idea to forecast what we can spend. For right now I’m having a hard time tracking certain donations and I’ve been going through getting some things from Kegan like where they are at and what the balances are but I’m not sure…to tell you that yeah we have this somewhere to be able to pay for it. Tanya requests to put wrap on the agenda for October. 

Unfinished Business:

Tanya: No unfinished business

New Business:

  • Public library survey training registration: Continuing education for board members. Each board member agrees to do four hours. The deadline for completion of hours is 2028. Nancy recommends the board meets on a specific day to go through several courses together. Each board member receives their own hours regardless of attending class together. 
  • Tanya introduced new Library Director Jimie Ridnour to the library
  • Job description overview:
    • Autumn has Nancy’s changes – yearly changes should be based on job description. 
    • Staff employee evaluation performed by the Director and the board performs the Director’s evaluation.
    • Staff evaluations need to be completed by September 19th, 2025
    • Jimie will perform evaluations for Sara and Kristen within 6 months of their hire date and the board will perform Jimie’s evaluation within 6 months of her hire date. 
    • Each job description includes driving the bookmobile. Nancy suggests it is a waste of the Director’s time driving the bookmobile.
    • Autumn: All employees are under city insurance policy and can drive bookmobile
    • Also add to job description each employee must maintain CE hours
  • February Report
    • The library Director is required to produce a February report and present it to the board and then the board presents the report to the state.
    • Beki: The Director is required to create an annual budget for the library, then present it to the board for approval. This process was not done this year. 
    • Suggested to write a letter or go to the City Council to let them know the process in the library for providing them with their budget.
    • David Scott: Stated there is a format for the budget process that he can provide the library. 
    • Tanya: In prior years the previous Library Director, Amanda, would present the board with a budget. 
    • Kristen: Her understanding was that David Scott was the Acting Director.
    • Beki: Stated that a lot of money had been cut from Library budget for 2026 and the board had no say in it.
    • Tanya: Agreed the budget was not presented to them this year.
    • Autumn: Explained annual employee budget increase procedures
    • David Scott: Explained he was not involved until the departure of the last Director of the Library. He explained that Kegan sends budget worksheets to each department and that a worksheet was filled out and returned to him. He agreed that a significant amount of the budget was cut due to the parking lot fund. Beki then mentioned that there were other items cut from the Library’s budget including the book budget.
    • Tanya: Asked for clarification from David on who sent the worksheet to him and when it was sent.
    • David: Said that he was not aware that the board did not see the budget.
    • Tanya requested that the worksheet be found to review.
    • Autumn believes that Kegan and the previous Office Manager Naomi completed the worksheet together.
  • Election of Officers for the Sidney Public Library board:
    • The election was postponed in January 2025 because there were only three members on the board. 

President:

Beki nominates Tanya Lewis for president. Nancy seconds. Unanimous approval.

Vice President:

Makayla nominates Marva Ellwanger. Nancy seconds. Unanimous approval.

Treasurer:

Nancy nominates Beki. Makayla seconds. Unanimous approval.

Secretary:

Policy needs revision and will be discussed in the next board meeting. 

  • Tanya will schedule staff evaluations for next week. One or two board members should be present. Larami, Sandy and Heather’s evaluations are due.
  • Tanya stated she will not be present for the October meeting. Tanya requested the November meeting be moved to 5:30pm.

Adjournment and date of the next board meeting: Tuesday, October 14th, 2025. A meeting of the Sidney Public Library Foundation will follow the regular board meeting.

Meeting adjourned 5:15pm

Sidney Public Library Foundation

Board Meeting

September 8, 2025

Meeting Start Time: 5:17 pm

Meeting Finish Time: 5:36pm

Board Members Present: 

Nancy Sanders, Marva Ellwanger, Makayla Neuhalfen, Rebecca Propst

Others Present:

Kristen Breining, David Scott, Autumn Ramirez, Jeremy Lee

Board Members Absent:

Tanya Lewis

  • Marva motion to excuse Tanya from meeting. Nancy seconded, unanimous approval. Motion approved..

Meeting Called to Order At 5:17pm: 

Affidavit of Publication in the Sidney Sun Telegraph

Acknowledgement of Open Meetings Act

Approval of Minutes from previous boarding meetings

  • Nancy motions to approve previous meeting minutes, Makayla seconds. Unanimous approval

Bills & Financial Reports: 

Beki: Stated that all foundation money should be located in a separate place from the city. She stated it appears funds are going to the city for expenditures.

David Scott: Stated that he was not aware of that and that the foundation money is separate from the city.

Kristen: Stated all library donations, book sales and all other donations are going to the city general fund.

David Scott: Stated yes they are going to the city and asked if the board would prefer if the donations came to the library.

Beki: All foundation expenditures should stay with the library foundation so that they remain tax exempt.

Kristen: After reconciling the foundation bank accounts it appeared that donations started to go to the city in January 2023.

Autumn: Stated it could be due to the bookmobile and fundraising for the bookmobile.

Jimie: There is difficulty in tracking where all donations went as they were placed in the city general fund and she is not sure how to untangle the web.

Marva: Would like all future donations go to the foundation account.

Beki motion to approve, Marva seconded. Unanimous approval. Motion approved.

Report From Staff:  None

Comments from the public: None

Unfinished Business: None

Old Business: None

New Business

  • Jimie: Would like to have book sales included in e-commerce possibly through Amazon and possibly other sites. 
  • Beki: Spoke with Krista from NLC and the foundation will need to register with the Nebraska Library Commission.
  • Marva: Has requested Kegan be present for the next foundation board meeting.

Next Regular Meeting: October 14, 2025

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at:  5:36PM.

Adjournment and date of the next board meeting: Tuesday, October 14th, 2025. A meeting of the Sidney Public Library Foundation will follow the regular board meeting.