Cahaba Valley Fire & EMR District Board Meeting Minutes

The Cahaba Valley Fire & EMR District Board meets the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at 145 Narrows Drive (Station 185). These documents are unofficial and are provided for your convenience. Official documents are available for pickup at 145 Narrows Drive Birmingham, AL 35242. All requests should be in advance and a fee charged for reproduction costs. Board Members: Grant Wilkinson (President), Alan Reyes-Guerra (Vice President), Barry Clemmons, (Secretary / Treasurer), Ron Coblentz, Tara Hill

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#1 03-11-2021 11:01:16

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MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 10TH, 2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

Cahaba Valley Fire & Emergency Medical Rescue District
60 Manning Place
Birmingham, Alabama 35242

MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 10TH, 2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING


ATTENDANCE


Board members:       Joe Sarver, President
            Alan Reyes-Guerra, Vice President
            Dr. Andrea Lamberson, Secretary/Treasurer
            Jimmy Nolan
            Ward Tishler
           
Staff:                    Chief Wilks
            Deputy Chief John Yancey
Captain Barry Casey

Citizens:                 None

Firefighters:            None

Other:                    None


-Mr. Sarver called the meeting to order at 6:02 P.M.

-The minutes from the January 13, 2021 Board Meeting were presented. Dr. Lamberson made a motion to approve the minutes and Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

-The agenda was presented. Dr. Lamberson made a motion to accept the agenda and Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.


REPORT OF THE FIRE CHIEF

Chief Wilks presented the operations report (see attachment).

- Discussed Pay Scale restructure- Capt. Casey presented options that provide a better flow and alignment from step to step and with promotions. Only a presentation. Restructuring will be revisited at a later point.

-Update on the property- Potential property for relocation of Station 181 has been located and being pursued. Chief Wilks requested a motion to move forward and to seek legal opinion on the 5487 Highway 280 property (current Station 181 location). Dr. Lamberson made a motion to move forward and to authorize Glen Ponder to proceed with a legal opinion. Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

-Credit card usage- Deputy Chief Yancey gave a report on department credit cards. Department is currently restructuring how bills are paid. Bills being paid on credit cards are being transferred to be paid by bank draft through Quickbooks. This will streamline accounting and reporting. Actively seeking a different department business credit card that better suits the needs of the department. Details will be brought before the Board for approval.

-Bank issued gift cards for recruits in recruit school- Capt. Casey explained that the department provides gift cards to the recruits that are in recruit school to cover their expenses for food and fuel. Their hotel room is paid for by the department. They do not receive any other pay or reimbursement while in recruit school. These gift cards have traditionally been purchased at Walgreens or CVS and issued to the individuals. Capt. Casey requested that this process be transferred to bank issued debit/gift cards. CVFD’s bank, Valley Bank will issue these cards. The cards will be issued the same as the gift cards and will have a limited amount of money available. The advantages to the bank issued cards are that there is better tracking and control on the card if it is lost, and these cards are reloadable so that new cards do not have to be reissued every two weeks. Dr. Lamberson made a motion to move to bank issued gift cards for the members in recruit school. Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

FINANCIAL REPORT

- Chief Wilks presented the financial reports (see attachment).

-Chief Wilks presented a payroll summary. This report will become a standard report in the financial report.

-Mr. Sarver requested that a balance sheet be added to the financial reports. Chief Wilks was able to print the current balance sheet and provide it to board members in this meeting. The balance sheet will be added as standard report (see attachment).


COMMITTEE REPORTS

-None

OLD BUSINESS

-None


NEW BUSINESS

-Promotions to Battalion Chief, Captain, and Lieutenant (effective March 8, 2021). Chief Wilks requested the approval of these promotions to fill the vacancies created by his promotion. He requested that Micah Woodley be promoted from Captain to Battalion Chief, Jason Ingram be promoted from Lieutenant to Captain, and Nick Burch be promoted from Firefighter/Paramedic to Lieutenant. These promotions were made based on the standings of the promotions tests in June of 2020. Mr. Reyes-Guerra made a motion to proceed with the promotions. Dr. Lamberson seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

-SAFER Grant- Chief Wilks requested permission to apply for the upcoming SAFER Grant for additional personnel. If awarded CVFD would be adding nine full time positions. These positions would be 100% funded for three years by the grant if awarded. Dr. Lamberson made a motion to allow Chief Wilks to apply for the SAFER Grant. Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

-Funding for rescue unit remount- Chief Wilks requested that $115,000 of the 2020-2021 Budget be set into a savings account at Valley Bank. This money was already included in the 2020-2021 Budget for the remount of a rescue unit. This is a measure to ensure the funding is available when it is time to purchase. An asset line for this unit will be created in Quickbooks at purchase. This savings account will also be tracked in Quickbooks. Mr. Reyes-Guerra made a motion to proceed with the promotions. Dr. Lamberson seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

-Loan for Quint 181- Chief Wilks reported that the current loan for Quint 181 matures in June 2021. This was presented as information and options to refinance this loan will be brought to the board for approval in a future meeting.

-Jim Leonard, Rex Street Contract for service- Jim Leonard who resides on Rex Street in Irondale has approached the Cahaba Valley Fire & EMR District about contracting for fire and emergency medical services. He understands that he is in the City of Irondale but wants to ensure that the closest fire station (Cahaba Valley Fire St 184 / Rex Lake) responds if there is an emergency at his residence. He has provided a contract for review. Contract was provided to Board members for review and it will be addressed in the March 2021 meeting.

-Late fee removal for property located at 6009 English Village Lane- The owner of this residence has petitioned the board by letter to remove the late fee on her fire dues account because she states that she did not receive the first notice for payment. Mr. Reyes-Guerra made a motion to remove late fees on the account. Dr. Lamberson seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

-Letter to Jim Witherington- Draft letter to Jim Witherington requesting he return department issued items was presented. Dr. Lamberson made a motion to approve the letter and it be mailed by certified mail to Jim Witherington. Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Joe Sarver signed the letter.

-CARES Act reimbursement- The Cahaba Valley Fire & EMR District is engaged with Witt O’Briens seeking personnel funding reimbursement through the CARES Act. They have submitted a subgrant agreement that needs to be reviewed and signed to move forward. Dr. Lamberson made a motion to allow Joe Sarver to act on the subgrant agreement. Mr. Reyes-Guerra seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote.


- Mr. Reyes-Guerra made a motion to enter Executive Session to discuss Jim Witherington’s separation from the Cahaba Valley Fire & EMR District. Dr. Lamberson second. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Executive Session entered at 7:16 p.m.

- Mr. Reyes-Guerra made a motion to exit Executive Session. Dr. Lamberson second. The motion passed by unanimous vote. Executive Session exited at 7:34 p.m.



- Mr. Reyes-Guerra made a motion to adjourn, Dr. Lamberson seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:35 P.M.



Submitted by: ______________________________________________


Approved by: ______________________________________________

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