01/17/2024 - Regular Monthly Meeting

Minutes

1. Judy called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call - Present: Paul del Toro (via ZOOM), Judy Dunn, Allen Schultz, Dave Groat, & LeAnne Spicer.

4. Switch order from agenda; hard copies of the Chief's report (see attached) were given to each board member and in his absence, Jordan presented the report and went on to do Truck Checks. Details were provided on calls, volunteer training & hours, vehicles, gear, equipment, and events. Paul said "Thanks, Jordan - Great Report".

5. Roles of Board Members: after discussion it was determined that the 5 board members shall remain in their elected (by the Board) positions. Motions were made, seconded and approved to retain: President Paul del Toro, Vice President Judy Dunn, Treasurer LeAnn Spicer, Secretary Dave Groat, and Assistant Secretary Allen Schultz. Paul's schedule has allowed him greater participation lately and he anticipates being able to retire from his full-time occupation in May of 2024. In the meantime, he wil delegate more tasks to Judy, as she has greater ability to attend meetings.

6. A motion was made, seconded and approved to accept the Minutes from the January 5, 2024 meeting.

7. President's Report: Paul welcomed everyone to 2024 and said there have been a lot of advancements. Our District is in better shape than ever, as evidenced by the Chief's report. Paul received feedback from the January 5th Budget Meeting received feedback to his "Chief isn't a full-time Chief" comment. He clarified that a full-time Chief is not defined by hours, but rather responsibilities like budgeting (which this Board took off his plate) and is in the District on a full-time basis. Chief Quick has another job for benefits, and he's away from District 40 hours/week. Paul didn't mean to knock Chief Quick and appreciates all he's done to fulfill his commitment to us.

   Paul brought up a recent financial note: a major fraud issue on our bank account. Counterfeit checks and forged signatures, which banks caught onto quickly, and shut down the account; a new account was established. All transactions are going through Paul now, and we're being super vigilant. There was $77,000 total and our local Sheriff office is trying to find a party to prosecute. There were 4 checks paid out & (subsequently reversed) so this makes it a higher level of felony.

   Paul will have more comments after Judy's and LeAnne's presentations.

8. Judy's End of Year Report: See attached. Judy highlighted the events of 2023 and while it was a challenging year it has been an overall success for the department and our position in the community. Judy believes we have momentum going into 2024 and she thanked the first responders, our citizens and all of our volunteer leaders and helpers. Paul thanked Judy for her report.

9. Treasurer's Report: LeAnne presented a finalized 2024 budget with charts and graphs (see attached).The fact that our mill levy has not changed in two decades is critical going forward. It will be impossible to maintain our levels of service and also compensate personnel, without additional income. Our rate is the lowest in the County, nearly half of Divide's; the 5.85 rate has been in place since 2004 under 3 different boards. The two budgets LeAnne produced have the same figures, just a different level of detail. 1% of our mill levy is required to be spent on capital improvements. The hiring process for a full-time Chief will begin soon. Paul thanked LeAnne and Vicky and the Board for their work on this arduous budget process. He asked 'what will we do in 2025 and beyond'? We need to develop a 3-year plan and a 5-vear plan.

   Our Community needs to define what kind of department they want. Services will be reduced, or the Reserve will not be restored if our mill levy remains static. We're essentially living paycheck to paycheck. Or we will not be prepared to endure catastrophic incidents. Will we have any sort of manned stations. Will we be able to address our aging fleet; either with major repairs or replacement of vehicles. Do we have the best life-saving equipment? Can we look into obtaining LUCAS devices for Stations 1 and 2? How will we pay for it? Our mill levy has to be voted on - in November 2024? Will it pass? We need to solicit public comments. Divide increased theirs; it passed and they're using it to pay personnel. We were lucky in 2023 will lack of wildfires. Our call volumes have increased by 100+ in the last years. Don and Toni shared their ideas of including the public in our discussions so that we move forward in the direction the community wants. They spoke of grants monies and fundraising opportunities - the Board thanked them for their ideas.

10. Old Business: (a) Audit update - The on-site audit of 2023 will begin on April 1st. Vicky & LeAnne are busy getting us ready. An up-to-date vehicle inventory is nearly complete with several discrepancies being noted and reported to the insurance company, which should save us money going forward. (b) Drone update - one is on order but is backordered, we'll pick it up from Multicopter Warehouse in Denver, when it comes in.

11. Filling Chief's Position: Allen is forming a committee to create a job description & compensation package; he hopes to work with Dennis and make this an interactive process with online capabilities. Discussion ensued about skills, abilities, availability and fitting into the budget. Paul stated managerial skills being vital. Allen would also like the volunteers to have input.

12. Refresh Bylaws Committee - Volunteers are needed to update the District's bylaws. We need to establish a committee to work on this document and incorporate new and existing policies. Please email a board member if you are interested in helping with this task.

13. Establish a Policy Committee - (a) a specific policy being examined is the personal use of District vehicles as this can affect our insurance. Paul and Judy will discuss before the February meeting. (b)volunteer reimbursement policy - Judy asked to table the discussion regarding volunteer reimbursement until the Chief and Captain's input can be obtained, as they have been researching this issue. LeAnne reminded members that we need to be cautious and bear in mind the difference in reimbursements and compensation/taxed vs. not taxed. Judy hopes to have an additional meeting (or two before the February Regular Board Meeting. Additionally, Paul stated it's the Board's responsibility to evaluate the Chief (and all employees); a standard review will be coming up in executive sessions. Judy also requested committee updates at the next meeting.

14. Public Comments: none

15. Adjournment - Judya djourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m.