April 10th, 2023 - Trustee Melkorka Kjarval’s Agenda Reports
Red Hook Together: The Red Hook Together met at 5:30 pm on April 6th at the VFW. There was no themed discussion set, and the dozen or so attendees were encouraged to share updates of their organizations in a round table forum.
Red Hook Town Economic Development Committee: Bi-weekly meetings have been taking place at Village Hall on alternating Wednesdays at 8:40 am. March 22nd’s meeting hosted Melaine Rottkamp, President of Dutchess County Tourism who presented an update on the state of dutchess county tourism and new programs and initiatives they have been working on.
Village of Red Hook Communications Committee: The Communications committee meets every first Wednesday of the month at 1:30 pm in the Village Hall conference room. This month’s meeting was not held due to travel of some of the members.
Village of Red Hook Hardscrabble / Events Committee: The events committee meets on the 3rd monday of each month at 6pm at Village Hall. We had a productive meeting on March 20th where we discussed the upcoming Friday Neighbors Nights (on May 19th, July 14th and September 22nd) as well as timelines for this year's Hardscrabble (September 23, 2023).
If you would like to sponsor a picnic table, volunteer for an event, or sign up for a booth on Hardscrabble day please contact us by email at events@redhooknyvillage.org
Village of Red Hook Human Relations Committee: The Human Relations Committee meets every first Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Village Hall conference room. This month's meeting took place March 15th, 2023. We are happy to announce that Renee Zhang has been accepted the position as the chair of the committee. We currently are working on three projects, a pamphlet on tools available when you witness a bias incident, the InsideOut “We are Neighbors” portrait project and the Village of Red Hook Indigenous History project. Look for our portrait sessions at various local public events this spring.
Red Hook Public Library Report: The RHPL board has public meetings on the third Thursday of each month; the next meeting is Thursday April 20th, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the library’s third-floor community room.
Prompted by the public comments at the last Village Board meeting, I attended RHPL Board of Trustees’ general meeting on March 16.
Over two dozen public commenters talked about their experiences as users of Red Hook Public Library, explaining how their active use of the library is what motivated them to come speak to the Board. The main themes expressed were the following:
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Concern about the lack of transparency in the library board’s decisions on hiring new leadership and their choice for Interim Director;
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Requests for minutes and budget documents that are missing from the library’s website and public binder;
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And, worries over the future of programs and community partnerships that were most meaningful to library users.
There are three main outcomes to report from that general meeting.
One was greater awareness on the part of Board members and the public that the 2023 budget adopted in November had not been made public. Concerned by the library board’s inability to produce the approved budget, I placed a FOIA request for it. The Interim Director then shared a document he said he believes is the budget approved in November. Additionally, his email indicated that the library’s newly hired bookkeeper (Rose Woodowrth, CPA) is still working to make necessary changes to the 2023 budget; thus a “final budget” cannot yet be shared with the public.
Though the library board gave no specific explanation about the nature of the necessary changes, the minutes from the Finance Committee’s January 17th meeting cite several issues regarding the Library’s accounting methods, formatting of financial statements and use of depreciation. Presumably the changes needed for the 2023 budget relate to the past errors in how the library’s finances were managed and reported.
Another outcome from the March 16 general meeting was a suggestion by Town resident and local farmer, Sam Rose that the library board have a third party review their hiring process. Trustee Josh Bardfield proposed a motion to put the idea past legal council. Thus far, no subsequent committee meeting minutes indicate whether this has been done.
The third outcome relates to the continued pattern of library board documents missing from the public record. The Board vice president attended the March 16 meeting via Zoom, and the Interim Manager told the assembled attendees that he was recording the meeting. However, the recording was not shared. The Interim Manager’s response to a FOIA request for it was that the recording does not exist. Minutes from the meeting that were subsequently posted omit how extensive the public comment was as well as the questions about the 2023 budget.
Finally, the library board’s search for new leadership continues. On March 22, at what is described in the minutes as the inaugural meeting of the personnel committee, the six board members present voted to offer a part time position for 15-20 weeks to the former director. At a supplementary meeting of the board on April 4, I requested an update on the search for this report. The Board secretary informed me it was an “emergency meeting” regarding staffing issues and the search for a new director. Board President O’Shea added that they had no updates for the public at the time. The Board went directly into executive session with the assurance that they did not plan any public votes as a result of their discussions in executive session.
Following the meeting, I requested confirmation that no decisions were made after the executive session. The Interim Manager and Board declined to answer, citing their right to withhold the information until April 18. Per NYS law, 14 days is the maximum wait until draft minutes must be shared publicly.