St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1
Board of Commissioners
Regular Meeting
Minutes
April 17, 2018
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 Hoying, Gay and Rich were present.
Commissioner Brackett was absent.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION-
LWCC Check Retirement: (May presentation)
20 Years of Service: Julie Watson
Firefighters of the Year: Brett Gleason (2 years of service), Christian Ruiz (3 years of service)
Communications Officer of the Year: Matthew Parish (20 Years of service)
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Gay made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 20, 2018 meeting. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS – (none)
NEW BUSINESS
1. Chief’s Report
a) Significant Monthly Events
• 2017 Audit- In Progress (due to Parish May 1)
• 2017 Year End Report was presented
• Leadership Development Program/ Supervisor Training- Captain Wrublewski presented a Leadership Development program that has been implemented
• Mar. 22- Guest Speaker- Utility Council (Atmos, WSTE)
• Apr. 4- Attended 2018 Millage Workshop
• Apr. 4-7- Attended Labor Management Alliance Conference
• Apr. 7- VFW Firefighter of the Year- (Chief Kuhn attended)
• Apr. 7- Fallen Firefighters Memorial- (Honor Guard participated)
• Apr. 8- Attended Chamale HOA meeting
b) Dispatch Proposal (City of Covington & STFPD #13) – Resolutions under “PMI”
c) DISCUSSION: Millage Offset Resolution- Chief Kaufmann stated that we have future budget projections and have assessed how the department would sustain, within the 35 voter approved mills. Chief Kaufmann requested the Board’s consideration to modify the existing Resolution that carryover funds be put into the “Rolling Stock/ Facilities” fund and allow us, by Resolution, to create a “Millage Offset Fund” to fund any budget deficits.
d) Station 13/HQ- Update- There is an on- site meeting on April 20. Chief Kaufmann stated that there are concerns with the timeline and some untimely payments. At the meeting, the projected completion date (July 18) will be discussed and if the project is not complete, there is an $800/day fine.
e) Public Campaign/ Outreach- Camellia City Kids Festival, April 21- Jr. Firefighter Combat Challenge
f) Operations Reports – Chief of Administration Duffaut discussed the “Operations” report (March) 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.
g) Maintenance Report- Chief of Administration Duffaut discussed the “Maintenance” report (March) which covered preventative maintenances and major repairs performed.
h) Fire Prevention Report- Chief of Fire Prevention Marquette discussed the monthly “Fire Prevention” report (March) which included Inspections, Public Fire Safety & Education Events, Investigations, and Economic Impact.
i) Training Report – Chief of Training Bauer discussed the monthly “Training” report (March) which included Classes, Certifications and Revenues.
j) Communications Report – Chief of Communications Watson discussed the monthly “Communications” report (March) which included call volume and statistics.
k) General Comments
• Red & Blue Gala- April 27
• Compensation Package Proposal- (to be discussed under “Board Comments”
• Truck Committee- Captain Kleck stated that we took delivery of the new Rescue truck last week. He further stated that this project started in January 2016 and the committee went through eight sets of specifications before recommending the one selected.
Captain Kleck stated that a pre-build trip was taken and the committee met with a Rescue truck specialist to make sure we got the most out of compartmentation. He further stated that throughout the truck build, they usually take pictures and post online; however, the committee is always looking online throughout the process and taking notes to prepare for the final inspection.
Commissioner Hoying made a motion to accept the Chief’s report. Commissioner Gay seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
2. SFFA (Slidell Firefighters Association) – MDA Golf Tournament- postponed to June 1
Billy Dekemel thanked Chiefs Kaufmann and Duffaut for attending the Labor Management Conference and stated that it validates what we are doing within our organization.
3. PMI Report –
a.) Employee Benefits – (none)
b.) Human Resource
1) 2018-019: BOC Resolution (Approve VFIS Renewal- Commercial Property, Casualty & Automotive Insurance)
Commissioner Rich made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-019, Relating to Approval of the Commercial Property, Casualty & Automotive Insurance for District No. 1. Commissioner Hoying seconded the motion.
Mr. Waniewski stated that the renewal increase was under $10,000.
The motion carried unanimously.
2) 2018-020: BOC Resolution (Approve Intergovernmental Agreement for Dispatch Services for STFPD No. 13)
Commissioner Gay made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-020, Relating to the Approval of the Intergovernmental Agreement by and between St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District No. 13 & District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.
Chief Kaufmann referenced the PowerPoint proposal that was presented to the Board.
The motion carried unanimously.
3) 2018-021: BOC Resolution (Approve Intergovernmental Agreement for City of Covington Fire Dept.)
Commissioner Gay made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-021, Relating to the Approval of the Intergovernmental Agreement by and between the City of Covington, Louisiana Fire Department & District No. 1. Commissioner Hoying seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
4) Fire Chief Evaluation- Mr. Waniewski released the results of the evaluation. The composite score was 3.37 which indicates “Distinguished Performance/Exceeds Job Requirements” and Consistently Exceeds all Expectations”.
Chairman Crowley stated that he feels it would be important if the Board members provided/offered feedback for any concerns or recommendations.
The Board members thanked Chief Kaufmann for the job he has done. Chairman Crowley stated that the next big project will be the strategic plan, and educating the public.
c.) Payroll – (none)
d.) FRS (Firefighters Retirement System) – 26.50 % (Effective Date- 07/01/2018)
e.) VFIS Special Risk Insurance & LWCC- Mr. Waniewski stated that the LWCC 2017 dividend check is $271,393 (presented in May) and we will also receive a “Safest 70” award.
Commissioner Rich made a motion to accept the PMI report. Commissioner Hoying seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
4. Duplantier Hrapman Hogan & Maher, LLP-
Mr. DiGiovanni discussed the March financial report.
Commissioner Hoying made a motion to accept the March financial report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
5. Attorney’s Report- Millage/ Parcel Fee vote- May 15
Commissioner Gay made a motion to accept the Attorney report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
6. Board of Commissioner Comments – Compensation Package Proposal
Chairman Crowley stated that four years ago we looked at the compensation package, from a competitive standpoint, and we were in the 17 percentile, compared to other districts in the Southeast region. He further stated that from a business standpoint, we shouldn’t invest in employees that could leave for higher paying jobs, and we should be competitive; therefore, a pay scale adjustment was done, which put us in the mid-40th percentile.
Chairman Crowley stated that we have to continue to evaluate where we stand, as we have hired trained, qualified candidates due to a competitive salary, which has been a cost savings to the department.
Commissioner Hoying stated that he would like to see a three year COLA projection, and feels that the employees should be compensated fairly, to the extent that we are able to maintain a good budget going forward. Mr. Waniewski stated that Chief Kaufmann wanted to stay under $250,000 with his recommended proposal, which over three years is still under the $250,000. Mr. Waniewski stated that the goal was to increase the take home pay for the employees.
Chief Kaufmann proposed a 1.25% pay scale adjustment, as well as 1% FRS offset. Mr. DiGiovanni stated that this would not be a burden on future budget projections. Commissioner Hoying requested a projection on 1.5%. This will be on the agenda for the May meeting.
Commissioner Gay made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Hoying seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m.