Accomack County Fire and Rescue Commission Minutes. January 19, The Accomack County Fire and Rescue Commission met on Thursday, January 19, 2012

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1 Accomack County Fire and Rescue Commission Minutes January 19, 2012 The Accomack County Fire and Rescue Commission met on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at Parksley Volunteer Fire Company. Chairman Bagwell called the meeting to order and asked Fredia Ward to call the roll. Roll Call The following were present: Approval of December 15, 2011 Minutes Greenbackville Volunteer Fire Company Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company New Church Volunteer Fire Company Atlantic Volunteer Fire Company Oak Hall Rescue Saxis Volunteer Fire Company Bloxom Volunteer Fire Company Parksley Volunteer Fire Company Tasley Volunteer Fire Company Onley Volunteer Fire Company Onancock Volunteer Fire Company Melfa Volunteer Fire Company Wachapreague Volunteer Fire Company Painter Volunteer Fire Company Jason Loftus, DPS Billye D. Custis, Member at Large Jeff Flournoy, Communications Parks Abrams made a motion to approve the December 15, 2011 with corrections and Jason Loftus seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Introduction of P. Glenn Neal, CFEI, Special Agent and Robert Barnes from the Virginia Sate Police Chairman Bagwell introduced Glenn Neal and Robert Barnes from the Virginia State Police. Glenn Neal gave an update on what they do and they were there for the fire stations to help protect them. He told the Commission he was a Fire Arson Investigator

2 not a Fire Marshall and would help protect from a liability. Glenn Neal offered training to the fire stations. Committee Reports App Test No report was given. Eastern Shore Fire Training Center Jason Loftus told the Commission the next Fire Training Center Meeting would be held on January 26. Jason handed out the Class schedule and said registration was down this year, spoke on the upgrades to software that had been done, and everyone had paid the Training Levy. Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Committee No report was given. ANFA Committee No report was given. EMS Committee No report was given. SOP Committee No report was given. Communications Jeff Flournoy gave a briefing on the status of NAPSCOM Presentation that was held at the Eastern Shore Community College on Tuesday night. Jeff told the Commission the amount of the grant from Homeland Security was 1.3 million dollars and if all the expenses were added that was wanted to be accomplish in the recommendation would be 2.3 million dollars (l.4 million dollars for infrastructure, include radios, tower sites, setting up for Eastern Shore Broadband and approximately $900,000 for field radios) which means all this together would add up to more than what grant money had been received. He continued his report on the portable radios replacements and infrastructure.

3 Fire Tax Issue with the Redistricting Barry Outten made a motion that each fire department vote on all the six (6 ) options that Finance Director Mike Mason presented to the Fire Commission but each company could only vote on one (1) option. A discussion ensued. David Grant seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Greenbackville, Chincoteague, New Church, Oak Hall Rescue, Atlantic, Painter Nays: Saxis, Bloxom, Parksley, Tasley, Onancock, Onley, Wachapregue, Billye D. Custis, Melfa, Abstained: Jason Loftus Absent: Tangier, Jack Gray, and K. W. Ainsworth Motion did not carry (6) yes, (9) no and (1) abstention Letter from Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company To: Subject: Accomack County Board of Supervisors Accomack Fire and Rescue Commission Fire Tax I am writing this letter on behalf of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The Chincoteague Fire Company along with its citizens is not in favor of adding a fire tax to the island district. But I must ask the question of why is the Fire and Rescue Commission voting on raising taxes? That job should be left to the Board of Supervisors. If there is a financial discrepancy due to redistricting and fire companies are losing money, the commission should have sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors stating the loss of money from the departments. The Board of Supervisors could have added this to their agenda at their prior meetings and come up with a solution. But instead the commission became accountants and we started looking at different options. Back in October, many options were brought to the Fire Commission from Mike Mason. After looking at the options, there was not much to choose from. Most departments in the room felt very uncomfortable and were being asked to take a vote to increase taxes. I did not feel it was my decision to raise anybodies tax in any district. It has always been a general consensus of the Commission not to add any taxes to the citizens of Accomack County. So most in the room voted to do nothing because that was the only option that was given that did not ask me, Bobby Lappin, to raise taxes on somebody in my or any

4 other district. There were not other options to vote on. This is not the job of the Commission, but it is the job of the Board of Supervisors. We as the Commission should not have been put in this position. After the vote many felt that the departments were strictly looking out for their selves, but I don t feel that was the case. The consensus vote was not to undermine or see any department loose money. I could understand what the departments that were losing money were thinking. How are we going to pay the bills? I personally thought that there were many other avenues to try and help the departments that were loosing money. Some ideas were brought up but never acted on. It seemed like nobody wanted to work and come up with a solution. Usually when a suggested was made silence is all that was received. Well as time went on the options started getting bigger and better. More taxes and more money for everybody is what everybody turned to. Something that I thought the Fire Commission was against. A flat tax throughout the County, with taxes increases and different levels of tax rates. There was also another option adding a fire tax rate to a district that did not want it. How are we going to explain that to the taxpayers? I hope the Fire Commission will think this through and come up with a better solution. Try and talk to your elected officials. You might be surprised. But you would not have any knowledge of anything unless you ask. The amount of money being lost is a lot in a fire departments perspective but maybe not to the county s budget. Our department, along with many other departments in Accomack County, is financially stable. Yes, we would like more money at times, but we know we cannot always keep our hand out. The economy is bad right now and according to the tax assessment, taxes will already be going up. We understand that many departments in the county also need the fire tax to make ends meet. I would like to ask the commission, to ask the Board of Supervisors to make up the difference from the general fund and pay the departments no less that what they were receiving the prior year. The fire departments in this county do not need the burden of politics and taxes, but we do need to stick together and do what is right. Bobby Lappin, Fire Chief Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company Lap2585@hotmail.com Mr. Lappin wanted this letter to be part of the record. A lengthy discussion ensued on the options and flat tax.

5 Roll Call Vote on Option 3c and Option 4 The following recommendation was as follows for Opt 4: Option 3c Consolidated District with additional rate increase in districts (all revenue shared equally among VFC) Option 3c requires a 2 cent real estate tax increase in Lee and Metompkin and a 1 cent increase in Atlantic & Pungoteague. It also requires a 4 cent personal property tax rate decrease in Atlantic and 1 cent in other districts. All rates would then be equal (4RE/4PP). OPTION 4 Consolidated District including Chincoteague (all revenue shared equally among 15 VFC) requires a 1 cent increase in the real estate tax rate for Lee and Metompkin, a 3 cent increase in the real estate tax rate for Chincoteague, a 3 cent decrease in the Atlantic personal property tax rate and a 5 cent increase in the personal property tax rate for Chincoteague. All rates would then be equal and all revenue distributed equally among all companies including Chincoteague. Option 3c Option 4 None of the Options Saxis Bloxom New Church Onley Parksley Greenbackville Tasley Chincoteague Onancock Atlantic Melfa Oak Hall Rescue Wachapreague Painter Billye D. Custis (member at large) Abstention Jason Loftus Members Absent Tangier Jack Gray (BOS) K. W. Ainsworth (member at large) Option 4 passed by a majority vote.

6 Accountability Policy Jimmy Sturgis requested a copy of the Accountability Policy that was adopted by the Board of Supervisors. Jason Loftus told the Commission a copy of the policy would be mailed to each department signed by each operational officer, fire chief and the president of the company. He continued and stated that the Board of Supervisors Chairman Laura Belle Gordy was in process of signing them as well as County Administrator Steven B. Miner and they would be sent certified mail. FLSA Jeff Pitts stated at the last Fire Commission meeting a request was made to investigate the status of a paid employee volunteering in the same County. The Commission requested Chairman Bagwell to check with County Attorney Mark Taylor to contact the Attorney General on the status and bring it back to next months meeting. Chairman Bagwell asked Fredia Ward to put FLSA ruling on next months agenda. New Business Nomination for Chairman, Vice Chairman, Recording Secretary Chairman - Chairman Bagwell opened the floor for nominations for Chair. Wayne Marshall made a motion to nominate Jody Bagwell as Accomack County Fire and Rescue Commission Chair. Mike Turner seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Vice Chairman Chairman Bagwell opened the floor for nominations. Parks Abrams nominated Wayne Marshall. Wayne Marshall declined. Jimmy Sturgis nominated Jeffrey Pitts. Mike Turner seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

7 Recording Secretary Chairman Bagwell opened the floor for nominations. Freddie Matthews made a motion to nominate Fredia Ward. Wayne Marshall seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Adjournment Barry Outten made a motion to adjourn the meeting of the Accomack County Fire and Rescue Commission and Parks Abrams seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Jody Bagwell, Chairman DATE

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