January 12, 2017 Minutes

Fire District Commissioner Meeting

Opening Prayer:  Roger called the meeting to order at 8pm. Jim Deuel offered the opening prayer. Present were Battalion Chiefs Jim Kelly, Roy Kennedy, and Mitch Bingham. Station Captain Mike Johnson was present for station 2. Also present was Assistant Fire Chief Carl Anderson. Commissioners Dallin Gambles, Gordon Ball, Roger Anderson, Jim Deuel, and Mike Miller were in attendance, as were several patrons. The minutes were being recorded by Melanie Sullivan.

Agenda Approval: Jim moved that legal issues be added to the agenda. Mike seconded the motion. The vote by Jim, Mike, Dallin, Roger, and Gordon was unanimous. Jim also asked to include discussion of Melanie’s salary.

Minutes: The minutes were previously reviewed by the commissioners and they were approved. Mike moved to accept the minutes from the previous meeting. Gordon seconded.   The vote by Jim, Mike, Dallin, Roger, and Gordon was unanimous.

Budget Review: Melanie reported that 83% of the planned December budget was used. We are under budget for the year. Jim moved to accept the budget review. Dallin seconded. The vote by Jim, Mike, Dallin, Roger, and Gordon was unanimous.

Approval of Expenditures: Jim reviewed the expenditures. They appeared to be consistent with the level of activity. Jim moved to accept the expenditures as presented. Gordon seconded. The vote by Jim, Mike, Dallin, Roger, and Gordon was unanimous.

Patron Input: There were several patrons present. None had any input.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Robert Hardy & Assoc., CPA review audit: He praised the process of the commissioners reviewing the bills every month. The records of audit belong to Central Fire District. Robert Renna presented the findings of the audit for the last fiscal year. The expenditures were a little higher this year, but the expenses is dependent on the number of calls. There were fluctuations in expenditures but not outside of what would be expected for the number of calls. Of note, the bank accounts exceed the FDIC limits, but the security of the bank is not in question and the accountants are not concerned. The receivables cover the payables, which is a healthy measure. The accountants are pleased with the results of the audit.
2. Idaho Falls dispatch & mutual aid: Carl reported that dispatch has made big improvements in calling out the QRU in a timely manner.Idaho Falls has approved the mutual aid agreement. Roger will call Dwayne Nelson to get a signed copy.
3. Ririe generator: Carl reported that all the electrical work is done. They will get bids from gas contractors to hook up the generators. The two sections of the Ririe station are now on one meter. The hook up with the gas is estimated to cost less than $1000. The gas contractor will get the permit.
4. Lewisville land discussion: Mike asked the city council where they are at. The legal description needed for the title is causing a slow down. They are actively working on it but the original deed was made so long ago and is hard to find an accurate legal description. Lewisville wants to deed the land that the fire department sits on to Central Fire so that there will be no zoning or other issues later on. Central Fire owns the building.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Joann Jones-Menan Library district: Joann expressed gratitude to the CFD. The Menan library is part of the Jefferson County Library Board. They are looking for a new location for a new building. The fire district purchased the land that is across from the big rock city building before they joined Central Fire. Jim asked if the land was sold to Menan for the express use of a fire station and if there would be issues with anyone other than the fire district building on that land. Jim suggested that because the library district serves the patrons just as CFD serves the community, that CFD donate the property to the Menan library. Carl said that the current user of the ground would like to be notified if that property is going to be used. Roger suggested that they look at deed restrictions and if they are in compliance with land transfers. Mitch suggested that a clause be included in the transfer that it can only be used as a library. The motion will be tabled until study on the deed and other compliance issues can be done.
2. Demolition bids for Menan property: Carl reported that they will be putting an announcement in the paper for bids on the demolition. They will ask for one bid with several phases of demolition. Jim suggested that when Bryan gets the ad written, Dennis should approve the ad. Mitch estimates that demolition will start in March. He asks that concrete and asphalt removal be included in each bid.
3. Design of Menan property: Mike reported that he met with an architect last week who is donating his time on the conceptualization of the design. After the conceptual design is done, they will put out bids to architects.
4. Truck phones: Carl reported that they are currently paying for 9 cell phones. 7 phones are in trucks. They are old and some are not working. He learned that as long as they have a way to be in contact, such as radios, they can get rid of the seven phones. It will save the district money to get rid of the phones  The BC’s did suggest getting phone chargers for the trucks so when a fire fighter uses his/her personal phone, he/she can charge it on an extended call. The Commissioners agreed that this is a good move.
5. Pubic work issues: Dennis said that there are legal issues that arise commonly when dealing with running a fire district. The current legal issue is a contractor did not have a permit do some construction on the Ririe building a few years ago. Dennis talked to Terry Blessing with the Division of Building Safety in the State of Idaho. The consequences of the compliance issue is yet to be known. Mr. Blessing wants to educate constituents so that they can be in compliance with the laws going forward. Dennis recommended that the training recommended by Mr. Blessing be done with the commissioners, chief, and assistant chief. Dennis admonished the district to take this training seriously to show the Division of Building Safety that we are concerned about this compliance issue. The commissioners will meet next month a half hour early to go through the PowerPoint training.
6. Melanie’s stipend: Jim explained that when Melanie was hired as the treasurer, it was under the understanding that if she was putting in hours than was originally thought, that the commissioners would discuss increasing her salary. Jim recommended increasing her monthly salary to $400/ month. He included in the motion that her salary could be discussed in the future. Mike seconded. The vote by Jim, Mike, Dallin, Roger, and Gordon was unanimous.

FIRE CHIEF REPORT: Bryan was absent this evening.

ASST. CHIEF REPORT: Carl referred to the newsletter for the comparison from last year to this year. There were 1015 EMS calls last year and 199 fire calls last year. This month has been a busy month for fires and there were many learning opportunities.

B.C. reports:

Station 1: Jim Kelly: 60 EMS calls and 13 fire calls. Volunteers have been awesome. He appreciates the training that the volunteers go through so that they are prepared for the situations they encounter. Responded to a car accident where three teenagers were ejected. QRU got close to delivering a baby. They assisted with the Ucon fire. Morale is great.

Station 2: Mike: They had17 EMS calls and 5 fire calls. They assisted with the Swan Valley Fire and the Ucon fire.

station 3:   Roy Kennedy: 8 EMS, 5 fire. EMS calls doubled this past year. He is not retiring, but will be stepping down as Battalion Chief as of Jan 31. He will still be associated with the fire district, but not in leadership.

Station 4:  Mitch: 12 EMS calls, no fire calls. They are excited about the new station.

COMMISSIONER REPORT: Roger adjourned the meeting. Mike moved to adjourn. Gordon seconded. The vote by Jim, Mike, Dallin, Roger, and Gordon was unanimous.

Roger-EMS & Training, Gordon-Equipment, Dallin-Facilities, Jim-Budget, Mike-PR