Texas State Library and Archives Commission
September 9, 2020

Minutes

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission met on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 via telephone and videoconference.

Commissioners Present:

Martha Wong, Chair

Larry G. Holt, Vice Chair

David C. Garza

F. Lynwood Givens

Arthur T. Mann

Bradley S. Tegeler

Darryl Tocker

 

Staff Present:

Mark Smith, Director and Librarian

Gloria Meraz, Assistant State Librarian

Donna Osborne, Chief Operations and Fiscal Officer

Sarah Swanson, General Counsel

Jelain Chubb, Director, Archives and Information Services

Craig Kelso, Director, State and Local Records Management

Jennifer Peters, Director, Library Development and Networking

Sarah Jacobson, Director, Talking Book Program

Tracy Kuhn Lash, Executive Assistant

Susan Floyd, Communications Officer

 

Guests:

Wendy Woodland, Texas Library Association

 
  1. Welcome and introductions.

    Chairman Wong called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m., welcomed everyone and stated that the meeting was being conducted via videoconference pursuant to the Governor's March 13, 2020 proclamation of a state of disaster affecting all counties in Texas due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Governor’s March 16, 2020 suspension of certain provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  Chairman Wong said the meeting was posted on the Texas Register on, August 31, 2020, and that notice indicated the meeting would be conducted via videoconference providing a weblink and phone number for the public to use to access, listen and participate in the meeting. She said that all commissioners would leave their video on during the meeting but mute their audio when they are not speaking. Staff will only share video and audio when making a presentation or participating in a discussion. She said that all attendees will be muted unless specifically unmuted for public comment.
  2. Roll Call for members and establishment of a quorum.

    Chairman Wong took a roll call of commissioners and established that a quorum was present.

  3. Public Comment. There was no public comment.

  4. Conflict of interest disclosures. No conflicts were disclosed by the commissioners.

  5. Review and approval of TSLAC Legislative Appropriations Request.

    Mark Smith requested approval for the agency’s FY2022-23 Legislative Appropriations Request noting that the commission had previously approved an LAR for the agency in July before the agency had received preparation instructions from the Legislative Budget Board. The instructions received were quite different requiring staff create a new LAR that includes a list of agency programs in priority order. He said the assumption among staff is that budget cuts would be made from the bottom up on this list and explained the priorities to the commission and responded to questions. He noted that the first seven programs are the core programs that the agency is historically mandated to provide and where the largest number of staff are grouped. He said his goal for any budget cuts is to retain staff.  Commissioner Tegeler commended staff for an exceptional job on the LAR and moved approval. Commissioner Mann seconded. Chairman Wong conducted a roll call vote which passed unanimously.

  6. Adjournment.

    Chairman Wong thanked everyone for being and thanked staff for their good work and hard work on the LAR. Commissioner Tocker moved to adjourn the meeting and Vice Chair Holt seconded. Chairman Wong conducted a roll call vote which passed unanimously and adjourned the meeting at 1:32 p.m.

Page last modified: January 27, 2021