King County Fire District 44 Scheduled Board of Commissioner Meeting January 12, 2016 I. Meeting Called to Order Commissioner Farrell called the regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Commissioners to order at 6:30 pm. Present from District 44 Commissioner Jim Farrell Commissioner Joanne Seng Commissioner Mark Clayton Commissioner Cathie McKinney Commissioner Dan Bjurstrom Chief Greg Smith Deputy Chief Mike Barlow Darrol Iverson, Union President The meeting was held at District 44 Station 95 32316 148 th Ave SE, Auburn, 98002 II. III. IV. Pledge of Allegiance, United States Flag Commissioner Farrell led the Pledge of Allegiance. Approval of Agenda Commissioner Seng moved and Commissioner McKinney seconded to approve the agenda with the addition of New Business: Valley Com Contract for 2016 and holding the CERT Class Graduation before the consent agenda. Motion carried. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Class 2015 Graduation There were 6 graduates from the program. Four of them were present at the meeting. Tim Perciful presented the class with their certificates and CERT backpacks with emergency supplies. V. Swearing in of Board Members Commissioners Clayton, McKinney, and Bjurstrom were sworn into position by Commissioner Farrell. Each of these board members was voted onto the board by elections held in November 2015. VI. Consent Agenda Commissioner McKinney moved and Commissioner Seng seconded to approve the consent agenda including the minutes from the December 8, 2015 board meeting as presented. Commissioner Farrell stated that the vouchers from the second part of December and the first part of January were typical with the exception of some capital improvement expenses which were expected. Motion carried.
Annual Organizational Meeting, Board of Fire Commissioners Commissioner Seng moved and Commissioner McKinney seconded to propose a slate for the positions of chair and vice chair of the board. It was proposed that Jim Farrell be the chair and Dan Bjurstrom be the vice chair. The motion carried unanimously. VII. VIII. IX. Account Balance Report Dep. Chief Barlow Five percent of the budget funds are spent for 2016, but the budget reconciling for 2015 is not fully complete yet. Budget Expenditure Report Chief Smith Total expenses for 2015 were $5,191,131 for vouchers and payroll. The first half of January vouchers totaled approximately $287,337 of which $114,000 were capital improvement expenses. Median home prices in South King County in November were $338,000 which exhibits an increase of 9.03% since January of 2015. The Chief expects to see the increase in house prices to level off in the coming year. Public Comment None Union Comment Darrol Iverson, Union President distributed overtime costs. From Dec. 9 through the 31 st there were 169.5 overtime hours at a cost of $9,676.78. On January 4 th there was no personnel coverage for the south battalion firehouse. X. Chief s Report Chief Greg Smith presented a PowerPoint report which is incorporated by reference and reviewed Personnel, Facilities, Vehicles, Equipment, Budget and Emergency Incidents/Responses. Between December 9 th and January 11, 2016 there were 190 incidents, averaging 5.59 per day. Structure fires were mostly chimney fires. The open mechanic position is still pending. The current open application period closes on January 15. The WA State Auditor exit interview will be January 14 at station house 96 at 10 am. Ad Hoc meeting was held on November 5 th. Next one is scheduled for Feb. 16 th and the full city council meeting will be March 31 st. OPMA Training will be January 23 rd at station 96 from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm with Brian Snure. The King County Fire Chiefs and Commissioners Dinner and Installation will be held January 20 th. Those wishing to carpool together will meet at station 96 at 5:00 pm. Black Diamond City Council has 2 new members. Chief Smith attended the latest meeting and it did not go well. There appears to be some tension amongst the council. Muckleshoot Indian Tribe will hold elections for their tribal council January 18, 2016. Chief Smith shared pictures of the capital improvements happening at Stations 92 and 97. Station 92 generator is installed but not online yet.
XI. Unfinished Business 1. Ad Hoc City/District Fire Committee (report) Chief Smith There is some strife amongst the council members concerning standing members of the Ad Hoc committee. May take some time to sort through who is on the committee and who has voting rights. 2. District News Letter (Web Page report) Commissioner McKinney The website is in the final stages before going live. There will be training workshops for those individuals who will have access to making additions and changes to the website. Commissioner McKinney stated that she was very impressed with the features of the website considering the costs of creating the website--very cost effective. A mobile version of the website will also be accessible. 85-90% of the website is complete. All those present at the board meeting got to view the website as it now stands. 3. Capital Improvement Plans (report) Deputy Chief Barlow No further report at this time. 4. Post-Retirement Medical (report) No report 5. Strategic Plan (report) Chief Smith Need to have some additional meetings with other personnel before reporting to the board. Would like the opportunity to go over SWOT info. The committee did not have a chance to meet in December. 6. Staffing Discussions (committee report) Commissioners Bjurstrom and Seng Commissioner Bjurstrom stated that the committee has chosen to look at this issue from a policy perspective not an operational perspective. The committee consists of Commissioners Bjurstrom and Seng, Chief Smith and Dep. Chief Barlow, Union President Darrol Iverson and other career firefighters. The biggest issue examined was ways to add man hours in the South Battalion. The concern upon examining the issue is sustainability in the coming years. Commissioner Bjurstrom stated clearly that the idea is to add staff hours and not remove any current staff hours. He proposed that if the plan the committee suggested is good, then they would ask the chiefs to examine if it is sustainable and then form an implementation plan. If it is not sustainable, then ask the chiefs to brief the board on other options. Commissioner Bjurstrom handed out a graphic depicting the current staff overtime costs against the cost of hiring two more personnel as well as future operational costs versus future incoming revenue. Concerning operational costs versus incoming revenue it was noted that in 2018 the M&O levy revenue will go away leaving the fire district with a possible $650,000 deficit. The two staffing models continuing with overtime costs versus hiring two new personnel show very little difference with the possibility of hiring personnel being slightly more cost effective. Chief Smith and Commissioner Clayton added comments and concerns to both projections. Commissioner McKinney suggested a short term goal for staffing issues and a long term goal of determining sustainability of those staffing needs. Both Chief Smith and Dep. Chief Barlow requested further explanation for sustainability what does that include in regards to capital improvements, equipment, staffing and how
long out are we looking for sustainability? Chief Smith was greatly concerned about the projected deficit with the loss of the M&O levy revenue just from an operational point of view not including the idea of adding more personnel. Chief Smith pointed out that the cost for running the District and the projected revenue clearly indicate that the existing model of operation and the revenue to continue indicate a serious shortfall in revenue in 2017. A few positives looking to the future would be the possibility of revenue generated from Black Diamond bringing money into the district by the end of 2017, possibly renewing the M&O levy for a smaller amount, and/or Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Casino Impact Funds being provided again as they were denied in 2015. Dep. Chief Barlow said that to implement adding staffing hours could take a minimum of 6-12 months to hire two new staff firefighters. The committee recommends 24 hour staffing at the south battalion. Union Pres. Iverson added that the hope was to have two entry level firefighters that were academy and EMT trained fully in place by July 1 st. Commissioner Bjurstrom moved and Commissioner Seng seconded that the chiefs develop an implementation plan for hiring two new personnel for the purpose of staffing station 96 twenty four hours a day. The motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Farrell suggested serious investigation into long term sustainability issues. He asked Commissioners Bjurstrom and Seng to examine possibilities. Commissioner Bjurstrom asked that the entire board examine funding implications and possible ways to increase district revenue. Commissioner Seng stressed that she wanted the volunteer firefighters to know their role in the district was safe and that the goal is for the district to remain a combination career and volunteer firefighter district. 7. Mechanic Vacant Position No further report. Applications due on January 15 th. Commissioner Clayton asked if the board is reconsidering the Kent garage again. The Chief said that they were. 8. Office Vacant Position Chief Smith New hire is Lisette Kelly. She was an excellent candidate for the position. Commissioner Farrell encouraged the board members to stop by and introduce themselves. 9. 2016 Budget Commissioner Bjurstrom moved and Commissioner McKinney seconded that the board adopt the 2016 proposed budget and transfer funds from Account 100446010 Reserve to Account 100440010 Expense. The motion carried unanimously. XII. New Business: Valley Communication Contract for Services in 2016 Chief Smith explained this is a necessary service needed for the operation of the 911 system. Other possibilities for this type of service included going in with Enumclaw or dispatching the calls ourselves but that would involve the costs of employees and equipment. Looking at all possibilities most cost effective is to contract with Valley Com. Commissioner Seng moved and Commissioner McKinney seconded that the board sign a contract with Valley Communications. The motion carried unanimously.
Executive Session not required. XIII. Commissioner s Report Commissioner Seng reported on the Holiday Kids Tree Lighting Project she shared a brochure that stated what this group does and that there are 18 different fire districts that participate. Chief Smith shared that the district already adopts families during the Christmas holidays. It was suggested that the information be added to the website under community outreach. Union President Iverson shared that Maple Valley will not be annexing into the Kent Fire District. December 8 th board minutes were signed. Board Meeting Adjourn Meeting was adjourned at 8:35 pm. Next meeting will be January 26, 2016 at 6:30 pm at Station 95. State Board of Volunteer Firefighters--not required James Farrell, Chair Cathie Valentine-McKinney Joanne Seng Dan Bjurstrom, Vice Chair Mark Clayton Kim Baker, District Secretary