Record of Proceedings
Ritter Public Library Board of Trustees
Regular Session
Meeting Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2026
The Board of Trustees of Ritter Public Library convened in regular session at 7:00 PM in the Ritter Public Library Meeting Room A. Warden called the meeting to order with the following members and visitors present:
Lois Arnold: Present
Doug Brown: Present
Chad Coolidge: Present
Marie Warden: Present
Sworn In:
Mary Deucher
Employees:
C. Springer, C. Grizzell, A. Folley
Visitors:
Oath of Office for Mary Deucher:
Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Ohio; and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge your duties as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ritter Public Library, Erie County, Ohio to the best of your ability, and in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereinafter to be enacted, during your term of office?
Deucher – “I do”
Certification of Notification:
Springer certified that a notice of the meeting had been published to the Ritter Public Library social media outlets and Library Website. While the posting was sent to the Vermilion Photojournal, they did not print the posting.
Approval of Minutes:
Brown moved that the December 2025 Regular Board Meeting minutes be approved as presented, and Arnold seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Correspondence:
None
Director’s Report:
Grizzell reviewed the Director’s report (attached).
Thanked the Negotiations Committee (Springer, Arnold, and Anderson) for their hard work. We came to a tentative agreement, which will be voted on at a later date after the Union has voted.
Grizzell reported on the Pet Food Pantry (attached).
Acknowledgement to Angela Folley, who has worked for the library for 25 years as of today.
Financial Report:
Springer reviewed the Fiscal Officer’s report (attached).
Brown moved to accept the financials as presented, and Coolidge seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Grizzell stated that we would like to take the staff to Lucy’s and Lake Erie Lanes.
Warden moved to approve the estimate from SPP Mechanical at $5,400.00 to be paid from the Building Fund to replace the waterless men’s urinal. Coolidge seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Committee Reports:
Friends
Grizzell reported for the Friends. They are on target for the Chocolate Festival, which is coming up on February 7th. Still talking about having a Tea Party in the Spring. The Children’s Booksale is coming up on January 17th, 2026. Susan Havlovic is now the new President.
Public Comment:
None
Old Business:
Arnold asked after the lighting on the West side of the building. Steve is currently working on it. Brown would like to get the Building & Grounds committee together to get some of these larger projects moving forward.
New Business:
Trustee Vacancies
Pam Reese has opted not to renew her Trustee term this year. We have not yet received an official written notice from Eileen Bulan, but Brown will follow up. Grizzell contacted Jay Smith at OLC, who stated that while it is good to have official written notice, we can make an official announcement at the meeting to be in the minutes.
Brown stated that we should post both vacancies for fulfillment. He stated he will follow-up with Bulan verbally and ask her to send an email.
Resolution 1-2026
Warden moved the adoption of the following resolution:
Be it resolved by the Board of Library Trustees of the Ritter Public Library to create and increase the following appropriation by $2,500.00 to identify and track a grant received from the Community Foundation of Lorain County in partnership with the Hindmarsh Fund.
1000-110-410-0103 (Hindmarsh Grant)
These funds will be used for 2026 Family Programming.
Deucher seconded, and the roll called upon its adoption. The vote resulted as follows:
Lois Arnold – Aye; Doug Brown - Aye; Chad Coolidge – Aye; Mary Deucher - Aye; Marie Warden – Aye.
Resolution 2-2026
Warden moved the adoption of the following resolution:
Be it resolved by the Board of Library Trustees of the Ritter Public Library to create and increase the following appropriation by $25,000.00 to identify and track a donation received from the Ritter Public Library Foundation.
• 1000-110-300-0102 Purchased and Contracted Services (Foundation)
These funds will be used for the 2026 Outreach Program Series.
Brown seconded the resolution and the roll called upon its adoption. The vote resulted as follows: Lois Arnold – Aye; Doug Brown – Aye; Chad Coolidge – Aye; Mary Deucher – Aye; Marie Warden – Aye
Executive Session
Warden moved the Board into Executive Session to review collective bargaining strategy. No decisions will be made as a result of Executive Session. Brown seconded the motion. The roll call resulted as follows:
Arnold – Aye; Brown – Aye; Coolidge – Aye; Deucher – Aye; Warden – Aye.
Board moved into executive session at 7:30pm.
Board moved out of executive session at 8:02pm.
Next regular meeting – February 10, 2026.
Adjourn Sine Die:
Warden moved to adjourn sine die, and Brown seconded. The motion was unanimous.
2026 ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Call to Order:
Warden called the organizational meeting to order at 8:03pm.
Members Present: Arnold, Brown, Coolidge, Deucher, Warden
Approval of Minutes of Previous Annual Meeting:
Arnold moved that the January 2025 minutes of the annual meeting be approved, and Coolidge seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Report from Nominating Committee:
Coolidge reported for the committee – Present the slate of officers for 2026 of Ritter Public Library Trustees. President – Marie Warden, Vice President – Chad Coolidge, Corresponding Secretary – Lois Arnold. Coolidge asked three times if there were no other nominations.
Election of Officers:
Coolidge moved the election of Warden for President 2026, Coolidge for Vice President 2026, and Arnold for Corresponding Secretary 2026. Deucher seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Board nominations for 2026 are now closed.
Springer administered the Oath of Office to the Board of Trustees:
Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Ohio; and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge your duties as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ritter Public Library, Erie County, Ohio to the best of your ability, and in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereinafter to be enacted, during your term of office?
The “I do” was unanimous.
Committee Appointments:
Discussed committee assignments. Will table them for now until the new Trustees are selected. Arnold moved to postpone the assignment of committees until the new Trustees are sworn in, and Coolidge seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.
Since the Strategic Plan has been created and voted on for the next 3 years, the Strategic Planning committee will not meet again for quite some time.
Brown will be a Trustee representative for the Foundation. Warden will be the Trustee representative for the Endowment Fund Board. We will discuss who will attend the Friends meetings at a later date.
Approval of the Annual Board Meeting Calendar:
The Board will meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00PM. The Board will not meet in August 2026. Warden moved to accept the calendar, and Arnold seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
New Business:
Warden moved the Board hire Cheryl Grizzell as Library Director beginning in January of 2026. Deucher seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Brown moved to hire Caroline Springer as Fiscal Officer beginning January of 2026. Arnold seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Coolidge moved to hire Ruby Dalton as Deputy Fiscal Officer beginning January of 2026. Brown seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Warden moved to authorize the Director as the purchasing agent for the Ritter Public Library in 2026, and Arnold seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Warden moved the adoption of the following resolution:
Be it resolved that the Fiscal Officer may encumber and disburse funds during the ensuing year as long as disbursements fall within the annual appropriation resolutions adopted by the Board of Trustees, and may the Fiscal Officer be authorized to invest library monies in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code, current depository contracts, and the Fiscal Policies section of the Policy Handbook as adopted by the Ritter Public Library Board of Trustees.
Coolidge seconded the resolution, and the roll called upon its adoption. The vote resulted as follows:
Lois Arnold – Aye; Doug Brown - Aye; Chad Coolidge – Aye; Mary Deucher - Aye; Marie Warden – Aye.
The resolution passed unanimously.
Approval of Bonds for Fiscal Officer and Deputy Fiscal Officer:
Warden moved to approve bonds for the Fiscal Officer and Deputy Fiscal Officer for $50,000.00 and $25,000.00, respectively, from January 14, 2026, to January 14, 2027, Brown seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Move to Adjourn: Arnold moved to adjourn at 8:25PM, and Coolidge seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned until February 11,2025, at 7:00 PM at Ritter Public Library.