REGULAR BOARD MEETING Station # Southwest Drive Sedona Multipurpose Room Tuesday, November 20, 2018 / 4:30 PM ~ MINUTES ~

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1 Approved by the Board on December 18, 2018 Sedona Fire District 2860 Southwest Drive, Sedona, Arizona Telephone (928) FAX (928) REGULAR BOARD MEETING Station # Southwest Drive Sedona Multipurpose Room Tuesday, November 20, 2018 / 4:30 PM ~ MINUTES ~ I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to notice, a regular meeting of the SFD (Sedona Fire District) was called to order by Chairman Dave Soto at 4:30 PM on Tuesday November 20, Administrative Specialist, Kerrie Tarver recorded the minutes. A quorum was present, and the meeting, having been duly convened, was ready to proceed with business. Board Present: Dave Soto Chairman; Corrie Cooperman Clerk; Abe Koniarsky, Gene McCarthy, Ty Montgomery Members Others Present: Fire Chief Kris Kazian; Administrative Services Manager Heidi Robinson; Finance Director Gabe Buldra; William Whittington, Attorney, Administrative Specialist II Kerrie Tarver Recorder; approximately 7 citizens. A. Salute to the Flag of the United States of America and Moment of Silence to Honor all American Men and Women in Service to Our Country, Firefighters, and Police Officers. Chairman Soto led the Pledge of Allegiance and Fire Chief Kris Kazian requested a Moment of Silence for the 11 Police Officers and 8 Firefighters who were killed in the line of duty since the previous Board Meeting II. REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING A. Public Forum: 1. Public Comments 2. Executive Staff Response to Public Comments There were no requests to speak B. Consent Agenda Discussion/Possible Actions: 1. October 16, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes 2. October 16, 2018 Executive Session Minutes Clerk Corrie Cooperman moved to approve the consent agenda; Board Member Abe Koniarsky seconded and the motion passed unanimously C. Financial Report and Updates Finance Director Gabe Buldra 1. Discussion/Possible Action: Review and Approval of October 2018 Finance Report Finance Director Gabe Buldra reviewed the finance report with the Board. Last month expenses and non-levy revenue were recorded but the Yavapai County tax revenue was missing due to a system changeover. This month the statements were accurate and both months were reconciled For the month of October tax levy revenue was $5,562,034, which was over budget by $202,873. The revenue was not broken down by month on the statements from the county. The amount reflects both September and October and were reconciled as a combined total. Page 1

2 Non levy revenue was over by $75,561 totaling $269,752. The largest percentage was ambulance revenue which has been trending over budget on a month to month basis as well as Year to Date. Personnel expenses were under budget by $91,928 due to vacancies and savings realized on step up costs compared to budgeted salaries for the vacant positions. Vehicles & Equipment were under budget by $58,195 totaling $40,091. Utilities & Communications expenses were in line with the budget at $24,290. Managerial was $91,492 and Capital and Contingency was $22,395 which was related to debt service payments. Year to Date total revenue was $6,658,965 which was under budget by $382,971 due to timing on property tax collection. Total expenses were $4,960,737 which was under by $526,882 and trending under in all categories. Mr. Buldra clarified, there is not a budgeted capital amount in the operating portion of the budget; the funds are coming from the capital fund but are reported for the Board to see expenditures. 31% of the budget has been expended with 69% remaining for next 8 months. Of that expended budget, personnel expenses were 83%, operations 7%, managerial 6% and Capital and Contingency was 4%. October ended with an increase in cash by $400,000 compared to last year. Other assets have decreased from $1.1 Million to $921,000 due to receivables on ambulances being less compared to last year at the same time. There was discussion on the percentage of personnel expenses, the normal range being 80-85%. Mr. Buldra explained with the expenses being under budget and personnel expenses staying consistent the percentage was higher and as the other expenses come in line with the budget the percentage for personnel will decline. Board Member Ty Montgomery moved to approve the October 2018 Financial Report, Board Member Gene McCarthy seconded. There was no further discussion and the motion passed unanimously. D. Staff Items: 1. October 2018 Monthly Fire Chief Report Chief Kris Kazian a. Incident Summary and Response Times Year to Date b. Incident Responses by Station c. Incidents by Time of Day d. Community Risk Management Update e. Update of Grant Activity f. SFD Training Report g. Donations to SFD h. Correspondence/Thank You Letters to SFD i. Update of Significant Incidents in the District j. Update of Recent/Upcoming SFD Activities and Events and other matters relating to: 1. Special Olympics Over the Edge 2. No Shave November 3. Toys for Tots Chief Kazian presented the Chief s report to the Board. He stated the EMS calls were trending close to last year, but the back country calls increased about 50%. There were 115 rescues year to date and total calls trending to be 50 more than last year. He stated staff is looking at data to find ways to improve the average response time. The 90 th percentile response time indicates that 90% of the time crews arrived 9:50 after the call was Page 2

3 received by dispatch. The response time is impacted by several indicators such as location of calls and time of day for emergency responses. The faraway calls with long response times skew the numbers, if there are not calls with long response times the average will be lower. The responses by station and time of day continues to remain on trend. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant that was presented at the last board meeting was submitted. The application was for 85 mobile radios. If awarded, the district will provide matching funds of $16,000. Results should be available in 6 or 7 months. Training: refocused the training module and completed a 5 part series of hose training at the training center providing consistent training and language. Thank you: from a woman who fell 5 stories, Assistant Chief Jayson Coil brought her flowers on behalf of SFD. She was grateful for all the efforts. Thank you card for an EMS service and one for changing smoke detector batteries. SFD sent 2 type 6 engines to California, crews were there for 7 days and returned safely. They worked at Woolsey fire in southern California. Upcoming events: In partnership with the Sedona Police Department and the school district, Chief Kazian is going to go over the edge for special Olympics on December 8 th. He will repel off a 415 foot building and is collecting donations. For No Shave November there is an internal mustache contest for worthless prizes and bragging rights. Toys for Tots collection will be at Safeway and Clarks on December 15 th for collecting unwrapped toys and cash donations. The Employee Appreciation dinner is January 12 th. 2. Discussion/Information: Disposal of Surplus Property - Wildland Type 3 Engine Chief Kazian stated the type 3 engine is on order and it is time to surplus the old engine and place it on the auction site. The engine is in significant disrepair and operation; it is not worth fixing the engine as discussed in the past. The new financial policies do not require permission for disposal of equipment. The item was placed on the agenda to inform the Board of the decision to surplus it and provide an opportunity for discussion if the Board had any concerns. The Board did not state any concerns with the decision to surplus the Wildland Type 3 Engine as discussed. 3. Discussion/Presentation: Analysis of Tourism and Impacts to SFD Budget To determine the impacts of tourism on the SFD Budget it was determined to use Rounds Consulting Group to perform an economic study. Mr. Buldra explained that the Rounds Consulting Group developed a complex economic model for direct, indirect and induced impacts of tourism on the economy. Using the model, they were able to determine if there was no tourism there would be a loss of jobs, income earned, and value of commercial properties. Through the analysis they were able to quantify if Sedona did not have tourism within its area what the impact would be on the local economy. Chief Kazian stated the analysis is not in depth and that one is not necessary, as it gives confidence that the tourism industry benefits everyone. He elaborated on value the fire district residents realize by means of the level of service without incurring the full costs. He stated the Mil Rate is lower than other districts but a lot more services are available due to tourism. He informed the Board that if they want a more detailed report it will cost more for a comprehensive study. There was further discussion on the amount of taxes a hotel pays in comparison to the actual use of services from the fire district which is one example of a tourism related contribution. 4. Discussion/Possible Action: Status of Fire Chief Kris Kazian s Pending Resignation and Direction to Staff on Recruitment Process Page 3

4 Chief Kazian announced his last day would be January 11, 2019 as he has accepted an offer from Windsor Severance Fire. He feels SFD is in a good position to be successful with his departure. Board Member Montgomery stated one of the proudest things he did was hire Chief Kazian and he took the district where it needed to go. Chairman Soto made a motion to accept Fire Chief Kris Kazian s resignation from SFD as of January 11, Board Member McCarthy seconded, there was no further discussion and the motion passed unanimously. Chief Kazian stated that staff is looking for direction from the Board and are prepared to help with the process. Staff needs to know what parameters the Board is looking for and he suggested taking the next month to work on a job announcement and timeline. Chief Kazian recommended Assistant Chief Jayson Coil step in as interim Chief and the Battalion Chiefs are prepared to take on some interim Assistant Chief duties. There was discussion and concern about the workload on Chief Coil during the interim period and splitting the workload but no need to back fill for the short term. The Board gave direction to staff that the search for a new fire chief should start. It was stated that Chief Coil has not declared but would like to reserve the option to apply for the position and will remove himself from the process as necessary. There was discussion on how the Board would be involved in setting criteria and requirements and what would be dealt with in public and executive sessions. Chief Kazian recommended the organization and community be involved but the Board makes the selection. As part of direction, staff is to initiate a formal process to include staff, community and outside agencies as necessary to put together a package to move forward with the selection process. The Board was in agreement that an outside firm may be necessary in the event of an internal candidate to ensure an unbiased process. E. Board Member Items: 1. Discussion/Possible Action: Policy Regarding Courtesy Quorum Announcements for the Board Chairman Soto explained what a quorum is and what the purpose of courtesy notice is. The purpose of adding policy to the Board Handbook was to ensure transparency and consistency. Mr. Whittington suggested to change the verbiage from publish to post. Clerk Cooperman read the addition to the policy: Courtesy Notices: When Board Members plan to attend an event whether private or public and there is the potential of a quorum, a courtesy notice may be posted. The Board Members shall not discuss any business or make any decisions as this will be in violation of Open Meeting Laws. The notice will provide the date, time, and location of the event and indicate that no Sedona Fire District business shall be discussed. When possible, this notice will be posted 24 hours prior to the event. Clerk Cooperman moved to approve the addition of courtesy notice for potential quorums to the policy manual as stated. Board Member Koniarsky seconded, there was no further discussion and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Discussion/Possible Action: Approving the results of the canvass for the November 6, 2018 election. Chairman Soto read the Canvass of Election as follows: Pursuant to ARS , the Governing Board of the Sedona Fire District canvasses the results of the District s election for 3 Board Members held on November 6, 2018, and will vote to approve the results of the election, which were verified as of November 19, Total votes cast from both Yavapai and Coconino counties for SFD election were 20,407. The number of votes for Page 4

5 the candidates is as follows: Al Comello 4,711; Gene McCarthy 4,689; Joy Moore 3,354; Russell Demaray 2.663; Charles Schroeder 2,523; Dwight Kadar 2,393 and write in 77. Certification of Election Results was signed by the Yavapai County Recorder Leslie M. Hoffman and Elections Director Lynn A. Constabile on the 16th day of November, Chairman Soto moved to approve the Canvass of Election and certify the results pursuant to ARS & as presented. Board Member Montgomery seconded, there was no further discussion and the motion passed unanimously. 3. Discussion: Newly Elected Board Member Mandatory Training Requirements November 30 th There was discussion on the requirements for newly elected Board Members. New Board Members take office beginning December 1, The Open Meeting Law on the Ombudsman s website needs to be completed 24 hours prior to being sworn in. The oath must be signed prior to being seated on the Board. Additionally, there is mandatory training through AFDA which must be completed within 1 year. III. IV. SPECIAL RECOGNITION A. Recognition of Fire Board Members Ty Montgomery and Abe Koniarsky for their Dedicated Service to SFD. Chief Kazian and the Fire Board Members shared their appreciation of both Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Koniarsky and the service they provided over the years. They were each presented with a memorial brick. Mr. Koniarsky and Mr. Montgomery shared their enjoyment of serving on the Board, lessons learned and appreciation for those continuing to serve on the Board and of the SFD. FIRE MARSHAL S SAFETY MESSAGE Chief Kazian gave the Fire Marshal s safety message: kitchen fires are the number 1 cause of fires and the numbers are staggering on Thanksgiving. Take the time to think about safety as you are cooking and be thankful for your safety, health and wellness and for living in this beautiful community. V. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Soto adjourned the meeting at 6:14PM. Original Signed by Corrie Cooperman Corrie Cooperman, Clerk of the Board :kt Page 5