St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1

Board of Commissioners

Regular Meeting
Minutes

October 16, 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 Rich, Hoying and Gay were present.
Commissioner Brackett was absent.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION–

Medal of Valor: Robert Furchak
SWAT Medics:  Matthew Ellison, Eric Dupuy (2 year members)
25 Years of Service: Billy Dekemel

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Commissioner Gay made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 18, 2018 meeting. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS – (none)

NEW BUSINESS

1. Chief’s Report

1. Significant Monthly Events

• 2019 Budget- Chief Kaufmann stated that a draft was presented to the BOC and he is proposing that it be advertised for public comment. He further stated that he has included the following additional proposals:
  • 3 Firefighters
  • Records Clerk (assist Deputy Chief’s)
  • Asst. Chief of Fire Prevention (Jason Gaubert)
  • Training Academy Capital Project (addition)

Chief Kaufmann stated that Chief’s Kuhn and Bauer have met with a manager from the City regarding the possible use of a room in the DISA Building, for training purposes. This would allow for certain classes, crew meetings, medical training, etc. to be held in a better area to minimize exposure to response times.

• 3 Employment Offers (2 working, 1 in processing)
• Medical Director Contract- LSU Emergency Medicine- Chief Kaufmann stated that a draft of the contract was sent to the BOC. He further stated that we have worked with University Hospital and have been presented the opportunity to enhance what we currently have, from a Medical Director standpoint.
• D.H. Horton Development Meeting- Lakeshore Villages (approx. 2,500 homes)
• Attended County Club HOA Quarterly Meeting (C. Duffaut)
• Citizen’s Academy- Final Evolution- 13 participants, 12 completed the evolution
• SMH- Pinking the Fountain

1. Station 13/HQ- Update– Chief Kaufmann stated that we have met with the bond company and they have made contact with a local contractor to come to an agreement on the scope of work to be performed. When that is done, the Architect and Bond Company will meet and see if they agree on the scope of work. Once all parties are in agreement, the turnaround time for completion is approx. 60 days.

1. Public Campaign/ Outreach
   • Fire Prevention Month

1. 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.

1.  Maintenance Report- Chief of Operations Kuhn discussed the “Maintenance” report      (September) which covered preventative maintenances and major repairs performed.

1. 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.

1.   Training Report – Chief of Training Bauer discussed the monthly “Training” report (September) which included Classes, Certifications and Revenues.

1.  Communications Report – Chief of Communications Watson discussed the monthly “Communications” report (September) which included call volume and statistics.

1.   General Comments- Chief Kaufmann stated that the 2 new Ladder trucks will be set up     outside to look at, after the meeting.

Commissioner Hoying made a motion to accept the Chief’s report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

1. SFFA (Slidell Firefighters Association) – President Dekemel stated that 3 new members have been sworn in, and there are currently 120 members in the Association.

President Dekemel thanked A-1 Towing, Solutions of New Orleans and Acadian Ambulance for their continued contributions to the Citizen’s Academy.

1. PMI Report –

1. Employee Benefits – (none)
2. Human Resource

1.    2018-039: BOC Resolution (Approve LWCC Workers’ Compensation Renewal)

Commissioner Hoying made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-039, Relating to the Approval of the Workers’ Compensation Insurance for District No. 1. Commissioner Gay seconded the motion.

Mr. Waniewski stated that the renewal is a 5% savings.

The floor was opened for public comment. There was no public comment.

The motion carried unanimously.

1. 2018-040: BOC Resolution (Approve 2018 Audit Engagement Letter)

Commissioner Gay made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-040, Relating to the Approval of the Audit Engagement for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.

The floor was opened for public comment. There was no public comment.

The motion carried unanimously.

1. 2018-041: BOC Resolution (Advertise the 2019 Proposed Budget)

Commissioner Hoying made a motion to approve Resolution 2018-041, Relating to the Approval to Advertise the 2019 Proposed Budget for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.

Chief Kaufmann requested that any changes be presented, before advertising. Chairman Crowley stated that any comments/questions should be submitted by Nov. 1.

Chief Kaufmann stated his concerns with not spending all of the money, in 2018, for Stat.13/ HQ and the Architect for Stat. 11. He further stated that there will need to be a vote to allocate those remaining funds in 2019.

Mr. DiGiovanni stated that the budget presented has the millage just below the 35 mills; however, 2020 is a reassessment year, which will determine the funding for 2021 and future years.

Chairman Crowley stated that we should identify the areas were budget cuts were made in an effort to educate the public. Chief Kaufmann stated that we have identified some of the accomplishments (cost avoidances) in the ‘Department Overview” presentation that is updated annually. Commissioner Hoying suggested that the PIAL rate change be included to reflect the cost savings to homeowners.

The floor was opened for public comment. There was no public comment.

The motion carried unanimously.

1. Payroll – 2019 Budget Forecast
2. FRS (Firefighters Retirement System) – none
3. VFIS Special Risk Insurance & LWCC- none

Commissioner Hoying made a motion to accept the PMI report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

1.  Duplantier Hrapman Hogan & Maher, LLP-

Mr. DiGiovanni discussed the September financial report.

There was a brief discussion on the collection of a large amount of the following years ad valorem in the current year. It was determined that we will continue to do the accounting transfer as we have in the past.

Commissioner Gay made a motion to accept the September financial report. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

1. Attorney’s Report–

                                                EXECUTIVE SESSION:

1. Stevens Construction & Design, L.L.C. v. St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District No. 1,   bearing Docket No. 2018-14143, Division “F” on the docket of the 22^nd Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Tammany, State of Louisiana.

b)  St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1 v. Henry Muller, et al., bearing Docket No. 2018-13332, Division “A” on the docket of the 22^nd Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Tammany, State of Louisiana.

Commissioner Hoying made a motion to go in to Executive Session. Commissioner Gay seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

Executive Session convened at 7:37 p.m.

The meeting reconvened at 7:58 p.m.

There was no action taken

1. Board of Commissioner Comments –  none

Commissioner Hoying made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

 The meeting adjourned at 7:59 p.m.