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April 2024 Board Meeting - Minutes
April 11, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
City Centre Branch, Room 120
Present: Trustee Gurm (Chair), Trustee Gillies, Trustee Kaluarachchi, Trustee Pascal, Trustee Pham, Trustee Smith, Trustee Sohal, and Trustee Werring
Regrets: Councillor Kooner, Trustee Cuenca,
Staff:
- Surinder Bhogal, Chief Librarian
- Michael Ho, Director, Administrative Services
- Jenny Fry, Director, Programs and Partnerships
- Seline Kutan, Director, Communications and Advancement
- Nav Gill, Administrative Coordinator
Guests:
- Kayan Yu, BDO Canada LLP
1. Call To Order & Land Acknowledgement
Trustee Gurm, in her first meeting as the Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and expressed appreciation working on the traditional territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Qayqayt, Musqueam and Tsawwassen First Nations.
2. Adoption Of The Agenda
MOTION: “That the Board adopts the agenda for its regular meeting scheduled for April 11, 2024 with an addition of 4.d and removal of 5.i.”
Trustee Smith moved and Trustee Kaluarachchi seconded – CARRIED
3. Adoption Of The Consent Agenda
- Approval of February 22, 2024 minutes of Regular Meeting of the Surrey Public Library Board
- Financial Statement for the period ending February 29, 2024
Trustee Gillies moved and Trustee Werring seconded – CARRIED
4. New Business/Discussion
2023 Audited Financial Statements and Audit Findings: Director, Administrative Services & BDO Canada LLP, Kayan Yu, CPA, CA
Kayan Yu, BDO auditor, presented audit findings report, concluding that the Library’s financial statements were presented fairly, with no issues or errors, in all material respects, in accordance with the Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards. With the new Accounting Standard for 2024, PSG-8, management has agreed to perform an analysis during 2024 to assess the potential impact of e-books.
MOTION: “To approve 2023 Audited Financial Statements.”Trustee Werring moved and Trustee Smith seconded – CARRIED
- 2023 Statement of Financial Information: Director, Administrative Services
MOTION: “To approve 2023 Statement of Financial Information.”
Trustee Kaluarachchi moved and Trustee Sohal seconded – CARRIED - Trustee Sohal was appointed as the Vice Chair.
Revisions to Provincial Enhancement Grant Allocations
The following revisions were endorsed for any changes to the provincial enhancement grant spending if varying from the original Board-approved proposal in December 2023:
- Authorize staff to reallocate expenditures below $300,000 without Board approval.
- Potential reallocations above $300,000 require Board approval.
- Ensure all expenditures are reflected in the year-end report to the Board.
Trustee Gillies added that approvals cannot broken into multiple separate approvals for the same expenditure to ensure that authorization does not exceed a total of $300,000 for a single initiative.
5.Staff Presentation
Jenny Fry, Director Programs & Partnerships, presented an overview of the mobile library.
6.Information Items
- Reports
- 2023 Fund Development Activity Report
- Verbal Updates
- Committees: No committee updates, but there was a question regarding the future of the Planning and Advocacy Committee (PAC), with a suggestion for the Governance Committee to review terms of reference for PAC and bring a recommendation to the Board.
- InterLINK: Trustee Gillies reported the first meeting was an orientation for new members.
- Chief Librarian
- Draft City 2024 Budgets were posted online on April 8. The capital budget includes a 45,000 sq ft new library at the Newton Community Centre. Operating budgets include funding for mobile service. All pending approval of city budget on May 6.
- Library is seeking candidates for an inaugural Indigenous Elder program.
- Project Street Smart, a program managed by the City through federal grant funding, ends in May as the funding runs out. The program includes a component where outreach workers are based at City Centre branch to connect with unsheltered people. Library is working with the City to explore ways to extend the program further.
7. Next Library Board Meeting
May 23, 2024, 6pm, Semiahmoo Branch
8. Motion For Moving In-Camera
Trustee Smith moved and Trustee Pascal seconded – CARRIED
9. Motion to Adjourn
Trustee Kular moved and Trustee Pham seconded – CARRIED
Meeting adjourned at 7:29 pm.