Record of Proceedings
Ritter Public Library Board of Trustees
Regular Session
Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The Board of Trustees of Ritter Public Library convened in regular session at 7:00 PM in the Ritter Public Library Ritter Room. Warden called the meeting to order with the following members and visitors present:
Julie Armstrong-Sexton: Present
Lois Arnold: Present
Doug Brown: Present
Chad Coolidge: Present
Mary Deucher: Present
Jacob Raffo: Present
Marie Warden: Present
Employees:
C. Grizzell, C. Springer, A. Folley
Visitors:
Wes Weaver – VLSD Superintendent
Certification of Notification:
Springer certified that a notice of the meeting had been published on the Ritter Public Library social media outlets and Library Website.
Approval of Minutes:
Arnold moved that the July Regular Board Meeting minutes be approved as presented, and Deucher seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Coolidge moved that the August Special Meeting minutes be approved as presented, and Raffo seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Correspondence:
None
Director’s Report:
Grizzell reviewed the Director’s report (attached).
Reviewed the Facility Report. Westland has been onsite multiple times within the last couple of weeks. One leak was fixed, but there is more to come. They were here today working. Sattelight Electric has been here doing some repair work.
Discussed the new reading program for children. Received a $5,000.00 grant and have created a program called Ritter Readers. Will run the whole school year for all ages. We will have a kick-off at Showse Park, will be at Trunk-or-Treat, and will also hold a play.
Reminder that Connect to a Cause is coming up on September 17th. Tell your friends and family!
Will send out the flyer for a Trustee Meeting that is upcoming.
Financial Report:
Springer reviewed the Fiscal Officer’s report (attached).
Arnold moved to accept the financials as presented, and Armstrong-Sexton seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Committee Reports:
None
Public Comment:
Wes Weaver, the Superintendent of VLSD, came to speak about the upcoming renewal levy for VHS. Distributed some levy materials (attached). Renewal of the 2011 levy – 6 mils – will either lower property tax or keep it the same – about $120.00 per $100,000.00 value. Had to cut $1.6 million in cuts already. If this renewal fails, they will have to cut 39 positions, extracurriculars, and bussing services. Have meetings scheduled around the town to inform the public.
Old Business:
Facility Assessment
We received the final full Facility Assessment from GPD Group. We will print a hard copy for anyone who is unable to access the report. Brown was not comfortable with the parking lot forecast. He also felt that we would like to reprioritize the parking lot and some of the roof areas. Arnold stated she also was not comfortable with waiting on the parking lot.
Now that report is available, the Building & Grounds committee will meet and go over everything in detail.
New Business:
Budget Commission Update
Grizzell and Springer had a successful meeting with the Erie County Budget Commission. They were very pleased with our budget and carryover numbers. They expressed that Ritter is a model for library budgeting. No concerns about losing an extra levy funds this year.
New Email Domain
We have switched over our email domain. It has changed from “ritter.lib.oh.us” to “ritterpl.org.” IT Manager, Lima, came in to speak with the Board about the change. Anyone who would like assistance, please contact Paul to set up a time to come in.
OLC Conference – Staff Day
Reminder that the OLC Conference is coming up in October. The Library will be closed on October 22, 2026, so we can send the full staff. It is at Kalahari in Sandusky. Trustees interested in joining us, just let us know.
Move to Adjourn:
Deucher motioned to adjourn and Arnold seconded.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:42pm until Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the Ritter Public Library.