St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1
Board of Commissioners
Regular Meeting
Minutes
October 17, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
The prayer and pledge of allegiance were done.
ROLL CALL: Chairman Crowley and Commissioners Brackett, and Rich were present.
Commissioners Hoying and Gay were absent.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION-
Retirement: Russell Landesman
Promotions: Lionel Baker, Rick Kelly
Letters of Appreciation
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 19, 2017 meeting. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS – (none)
NEW BUSINESS
1. Chief’s Report
a) Significant Monthly Events
• Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP) Audit Discussion- Chief Kaufmann stated that in response to the recent article that was published, our auditor sent a letter stating that we have had no findings in the 2015 and 2016 audits that the article referenced.
• PIAL Update- The projected notification of results is Nov. 6. He further stated that we are continuing to make improvements for future ratings.
• Discussion- L-14- Chief Kaufmann stated that he originally presented that that this would be a major repair; however the repair is much less than originally projected. Additionally, we get PIAL credit for it being in service.
• EMT-A Incentive- Chief Kaufmann stated that we have one employee with this certification and a recommendation was presented that the incentive for EMT-I be replaced with EMT-A ($200/mth.)
• Discussion: Sick Leave/ Overtime- Chief Kaufmann stated that we have seven employees on extended sick leave at this time and most vacation is scheduled for November and December, He further stated that the 2018 budget was increased by $15,000 for “overtime-other” for these instances.
• 1 Employee Resignation- Chief Kaufmann stated that an employee resignation was accepted and a termination took place today; therefore, we have two open positions.
b) St. 13/ HQ – Update – Chief of Administration Duffaut stated that they will pour the station slab on 10/20 and the slab for Headquarters will be poured on 10/25.
c) OVERVIEW: 2017 Budget Revision/ 2018 Budget Draft- A committee meeting was held on Sept. 28 and Commissioners Rich and Gay were in attendance. He stated that revisions were made to the “Rolling Stock/Facilities” area of the budget based on the capital replacement plan.
The 2017 budget revision reflects only the changes that were made by Board resolutions.
Chief Kaufmann stated that the 2018 press version of the budget was presented to be voted on to advertise.
d) Public Campaign/ Outreach- Citizen’s Academy – Final evolution/ceremony was held September 23.
e) Operations Reports – Chief of Operations Kuhn discussed the “Operations” report (September) which covers YTD call totals, Hydrants Inspected, NFIRS Incidents, Dollar Loss/ Dollar Save (by Station location), Average Response Time (by Station) and EMS Call Type and Number of Incidents.
f) Maintenance Report- Chief of Operations Kuhn discussed the “Maintenance” report (September) which covered preventative maintenances and major repairs performed.
g) Fire Prevention Report- Chief of Administration Duffaut discussed the monthly “Fire Prevention” report (September) which included Inspections, Public Fire Safety & Education Events, Investigations, and Economic Impact.
h) Training Report – Chief of Training Bauer discussed the monthly “Training” report (September) which included Classes, Certifications and Revenues.
Chief of Training Bauer stated that we took delivery of the car fire prop and have begun training with it.
i) General Comments- Family Fun Day is October 28, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Chief Kaufmann stated that the parade truck will be at the event and we will officially dedicate the Training Academy to Mr. Norman Francioni (at 1:00 p.m.).
Chief Kaufmann stated that he was very satisfied with the preparations that took place for Hurricane Nate. The impact to our “Disaster Fund” will be approx. $15,000 and we will submit for reimbursement.
Chief Kaufmann stated that there was a discussion on prepaying for a ladder truck in 2017. The truck committee prepared specifications and worked with a Pierce salesman and we received an estimate of approx. $875,000. Chief Kaufmann stated that he requested the prepayment discount price and well as a multi-unit purchase price. The prepayment discount is approx. 4% and the multi-unit discount is approx. $15,000 (total savings of approx. $81,000) for two 75’ aluminum ladder aerial trucks, which would replace exiting ladders that are currently in service. Chief Kaufmann stated that we would request to purchase these units off of Texas state contract, which is cheaper than Louisiana state contract.
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to accept the Chief’s report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
2. SFFA (Slidell Firefighters Association) – (none)
3. PMI Report
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to amend the agenda to move Resolution 2017-047 to the first resolution for discussion. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
a.) Employee Benefits – (none)
b.) Human Resource
1) 2017-047: BOC Resolution (Approve Financial Institution- Whitney Bank)
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 207-047, Relating to the Approval of Commercial Banking and Financial Services for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.
Chief Kaufmann stated that the Administration recommends approval to accept the Whitney Bank contract for a five year period, at 1.5%.
The motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Waniewski stated that Resolutions 2017-040 to 2017-045 are the result of the budget workshop, which Commissioners Rich and Gay attended.
2) 2017-040: BOC Resolution (Re Name Contingency Fund to Reserve (LLA) Restricted Fund
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Rich made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-040, Relating to the Approval to Re Name the Contingency Fund to Reserve Fund (LLA) for District No.1. Commissioner Brackett seconded the motion.
Mr. Waniewski stated that the Legislative Auditor recommends reserves to cover 3-6 months. This Resolution will reflect 4 ½ months of reserves.
The motion carried unanimously.
3) 2017-041: BOC Resolution (Transfer $1,500,000 of Unrestricted Funds to Reserve Fund (LLA))
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-041, Relating to the Approval to Transfer Unrestricted Funds to Reserve Funds (LLA) for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.
Mr. Waniewski stated that this will move funds from a general fund to a restricted fund.
The motion carried unanimously.
4) 2017-042: BOC Resolution (Transfer $1,000,000 of Unrestricted Funds to Disaster Restricted Fund)
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Rich made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-042, Relating to the Approval to Transfer Unrestricted Funds to Disaster Fund for District No.1. Commissioner Brackett seconded the motion.
The motion carried unanimously.
5) 2017-043: BOC Resolution (Approve 2017 Increase to Major Apparatus Funding from $250,000 to $750,000)
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-043, Relating to the Approval to Increase the Annual Funding for Major Apparatus for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
6) 2017-044: BOC Resolution (Approve 2017 Revised Budget)
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-044, Relating to the Approval of the 2017 Revised Budget for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.
Chairman Crowley inquired about the 2017 and 2018 “Station Equipment” budget. He stated that he knows we will not be buying the Station 13/ HQ furniture in 2017 and it is budgeted again in 2018. Chief Kaufmann stated that we have a zero based budget and the funds will go back into the general fund, which by Board resolution all surplus is “restricted”.
The motion carried unanimously.
7) 2017-045: BOC Resolution (Advertise 2018 Budget)
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-045, Relating to the Approval to Advertise the 2018 Proposed Budget for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
8) 2017-046: BOC Resolution (Incentive Pay: EMT- Advanced)
ACTION ITEM: APPROVAL
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 2017-046, Relating to the Addition of Incentive Pay Certification for District No.1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
c.) Payroll – (none)
d.) FRS (Firefighters Retirement System) – (none)
e.) VFIS Special Risk Insurance & LWCC- (none)
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to accept the PMI report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
4. Duplantier Hrapman Hogan & Maher, LLP- Mrs. Gaudin discussed the September financial report.
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to accept the September financial report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
5. Attorney’s Report- (none)
6. Board of Commissioner Comments – Commissioner Brackett commended the Administration for the Hurricane Nate updates that were continuously sent out.
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.