In attendance were Vince Volpe, President, presiding; and Keith Savage, Vice President; Nina North-Murphy, and Tom Schlafly. David Sweeney attended virtually. Lisa Stump attended from Lashly & Baer.
Newly appointed Board members, not yet sworn in, Gregory Glore, Kathy Surratt-States, and Sharon Shahid attended.
Also present were Chief Executive Officer Waller McGuire and staff members Maryann Brickey,, Jon Drakesmith, Cathy Heimberger, Mary Meyer, Joe Monahan, Tiffany Peck, Liz Reeves, Jim Slattery, and Justin Struttmann.
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by President Volpe.
Minutes:
Mr. Schlafly's motion, seconded by Ms. North-Murphy, to approve the minutes of the June 1, 2026 meeting was approved.
There was no public comment.
President's Report:
President Volpe acknowledged three Board members who will be retiring from the Board shortly: Mr. Schlafly, Mr. Land, and Ms. Rainford, and said that the Library would be acknowledging their service. He then welcomed three new Board members who had been appointed but not yet sworn in: Gregory Glore, Sharon Shahid, and Kathy Surratt-States. Work is underway to reappoint the remaining six Board positions and restore Board positions to staggered three-year terms.
President Volpe stated that a Nominating Committee consisting of President Volpe, John Dubinsky and Nina North-Murphy, is being formed to identify candidates for president and vice-president before the October election.
Lastly, he stated that Isaacson, Miller is moving forward with the CEO search process and that meetings have been scheduled for August 5th and August 31st.
Chief Executive Officer's Report:
Mr. McGuire mentioned that an orientation for new Board members would be planned at the new member's convenience and he would be in contact with members shortly to schedule a meeting. He summarized the current meeting schedule and the process for sending out materials for Board meetings. He discussed the budget process and schedule, with the Library's fiscal year ending in September. He is planning for his last day of work at the Library to be October 7th.
Finance Report:
Mr. Slattery described for new Board members how he manages cash flow for the Library, where and how tax revenue is invested until it is needed for expenses, the financial reserves the Library maintains for financial security, and major expenses that require careful planning, including wages and benefits, and bond payments.
Revenue:
Mr. Slattery reported that revenue from the City was $248,000 in May, which is $35,000 lower than last year. Although this is the second consecutive month lower than last year, on a fiscal year-to-date basis, City tax revenue for real estate, personal property and surtax is $1.920,000 higher than our last fiscal year through 8 months. The Business Office is tracking down over $460,000 from the City for the Excess Commission and Miscellaneous Income payments. We received no communication that those funds were available, but we now have the backup documentation and have submitted our request for payment (last year we were not notified either and the auditors found out the City was holding our money). In May, the Library received $80,000 from the State of Missouri for the bi-annual Athletes & Entertainers distribution and $686,000 from the Federal government for the tax credits applied for last year for the geothermal project at Carpenter. Year to date revenue of $37,300,000 is $883,000 higher than the Library's FY26 Budget.
Expenses:
Through 8 months, total Operating Expenses of $20,000,000 represent 62.4% of the annual budget and are only $15,000 higher than fiscal year 2025. Compensation and Benefits as a whole are tracking as planned but Unemployment will come in over budget. There have been a handful of payments over the last few weeks for old claims. Compared to last fiscal year, there have been the same number of payroll periods through May, and this year's expense is only 2.9% higher than fiscal 2025. As stated previously, Technology Software and Security is well over budget, but since those expenses were budgeted in Capital, the total is fine. Total Expenses year to date are $24,000,000 which is 62.9% of the annual budget and $949,000 lower than fiscal year 2025.
Mr. Savage complimented Mr. Slattery and the Library on progress made on modernizing and clarifying financial processes, and the state of the Library's finances.
Mr. Schlafly noted that though the Library's revenue comes through the City, it is not appropriated by the City: the Library has a dedicated property tax, approved by the voters. The Library receives no funds from City government. Further, political subdivisions are limited by state law in the instruments in which they can invest to fully collateralized investments.
Mr. McGuire noted that in addition to the Library's finances, Mr. Slattery managed the Foundation's finances, which are held completely separate from the Library. This money is all raised by the Foundation, which has more options for investment. The monies have been carefully managed, and all Foundation funds are for the sole benefit of the St. Louis Public Library. Both entities have had a clean audit every year since he has been CEO.
Mr. McGuire introduced staff in attendance to new Board members.
Mr. Struttmann, Chief Operating Officer, summarized the Human Resources report that had been distributed to the Board, noting that the "time to fill" metric to fill open positions had dropped significantly.
Liz Reeves, Chief Development Officer, summarized the Foundation report and upcoming events.
Joe Monahan, Director of Youth Services, provided a report on Youth Services activities, including STL Summer Adventure programming, the Hero Quest program in partnership with Magic House, the Summer Camp program providing 70 camps for children across St. Louis, and special programming such as our Riverboat Storytime. He demonstrated how the Library uses and helps City teens through volunteering and interning opportunities at the Library, and provided critical services such as meals for children, diaper distribution, and Eye Thrive vision clinics.
New Business:
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy that had been presented to the Board in July by the Chief Public Services Officer and the Director of Collection Management was sent to the Board in its final draft and was recommended for approval.
Mr. Schlafly's motion that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy be approved, seconded by Ms. North-Murphy, was approved.
Mr. Schlafly spoke briefly of the pride and usefulness he had felt in his years on the Library Board, finding the work important for the entire community, and the Board diverse but united in its mission. and always working toward consensus.
As his last official action after more than forty-two years on the Board, Mr. Schlafly moved the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Ms. North-Murphy. The motion was approved.
At the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Public Library on July 3, 2026, the following actions were taken:
| Mr. Schlafly moved: |
that the Board approve the minutes of the June 1, 2026 meeting. MOTION APPROVED (In favor Mr. Volpe, Mr. Savage, Ms. North-Murphy, Mr. Schlafly, and Mr. Sweeney.) |
| Mr. Schalfly moved: |
that the proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy be approved. MOTION APPROVED (In favor Mr. Volpe, Mr. Savage, Ms. North-Murphy, Mr. Schlafly, and Mr. Sweeney.) |
| Mr. Schlafly moved: |
that the meeting be adjourned. MOTION APPROVED (In favor Mr. Volpe, Mr. Savage, Ms. North-Murphy, Mr. Schlafly, and Mr. Sweeney.) |