Lebanon Public Library Taxpayer Friendly Action Plan

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Watchdog Indiana will attempt to have our Lebanon Public Library (LPL) Board of Trustees implement the Taxpayer Friendly Plan of Action listed next.

1. (PROGRESS MADE) Post meeting agendas for our LPL Board of Trustees on the LPL website at least 48 hours in advance. (Board meeting agendas are not now posted beforehand on the LPL website.) Our LPL Board of Trustees will consider implementing at its January 22 meeting a policy to post Board meeting agendas on the LPL website at least 48 hours in advance of meeting times.

2. (PROGRESS MADE) Post meeting minutes for our LPL Board of Trustees on the LPL website. (Board minutes have not been posted on the LPL website since September 2011.) Our LPL Board of Trustees will consider implementing at its January 22 meeting a policy to post Board meeting minutes on the LPL website.

3. (COMPLETED) Post the LPL Annual Reports on the LPL website. (The LPL Annual Report has not been posted online since 2006.) Kay Martin, LPL Director, relates that an LPL Annual Report brochure has not been prepared by the LPL staff since 2006. However, all of the pertinent LPL Annual Report data – library service area; operating, lease rental, and capital project property tax rates; registered borrowers; non resident fees; operating income; operating expenditures; physical units or licenses and circulation; database holdings; library services and programs; internet access and computers; library staff; expenditures per capita; output measures – is available on the Indiana State Library website at http://www.in.gov/library/plstats.htm.

4. (PROGRESS MADE) Decrease, or do not increase, the total annual LPL budgeted expenditures until the total annual LPL expenditure per capita is maintained at a level no more than 33.3% higher than the Indiana Library Systems average. (The latest available data from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance shows that the total annual LPL expenditure per capita is 53.6% higher than the Indiana Library Systems average: see http://www.finplaneducation.net/lebanon_library_expenditures.htm. Also, the section of the Indiana Transparency Portal dedicated to local government can be used to access LPL budgeted and actual spending and revenue data, detailed indebtedness information, annual reports submitted to the State Board of Accounts, and State Board of Accounts audits: see http://www.in.gov/itp/2341.htm.) Our LPL Board has begun a discussion about refinancing the LPL bonds. If the term of the bonds is not extended, taxpayers should benefit from a lower bonds interest rate that will lower the $717,000 annual lease rental payments.

5. Determine if nepotism conflicts make it too difficult to effectively and efficiently manage LPL operations.

6. Continue using our LPL resources to help improve and enrich the education of Lebanon’s school children. Pertinent LPL Children’s Department programs include the Livengood Play and Learn Social Hour, Boone County In-Home Daycare Storytime, Read with DEVON, Winter Reading, Little Readers Book Reviews, Winter Reading Scavenger Hunt, Story Times, and Roving Books.

7. Better utilize our LPL resources to promote and improve continuing adult education to help Boone County residents fill existing good jobs and attract more good jobs. The LPL outreach program to help promote inmate literacy is helpful. It appears the LPL Young Adult Department for teens can be improved to better emphasize the importance of continuing education after high school graduation.

Please send an E-mail to taxless3@comcast.net if you have any opinions and improvements to offer regarding the LPL Taxpayer Friendly Plan of Action.

PLEASE contact your LPL Board of Trustees to let them know what you think of the LPL Taxpayer Friendly Action Plan and the progress they are making: Karen Galvin (galvin.karen@att.net), Richard Milam (rkmilam@comcast.net), Lori Monn (765-483-1448), Karen Richards (richards.karen@comcast.net) Barb Sears (Searsb@leb.k12.in.us) Barby Strange (StrangeB@leb.k12.in.us) Aaron Wilhoite (?).

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This page was last updated on 12/19/12.