EASTSIDE FIRE & RESCUE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
REGULAR MEETING
4:00 p.m.
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of Eastside Fire & Rescue was held on January 8, 2008, at Eastside Fire & Rescue Headquarters, 175 Newport Way, NW, in Issaquah, WA.
PRESENT Board Director Ron Pedee (District 38)
Board Director Rick Gaines (Fire District 10)
Board Director Lee Fellinge (City of Sammamish)
Board Director Mike Mitchell (Fire District 10)
Board Director Maureen McCarry (City of Issaquah)
Board Director Jack Barry (City of Sammamish)
David Kappler (City of Issaquah)
Fire Chief Lee Soptich
Deputy Chief Wes Collins
Deputy Chief Jeff Griffin
Chief of Maintenance Kelly Refvem
Board Secretary Dave Gray
HR Manager Ingrid Anderson
EAA Deborah Gober-Beneze
AUDIENCE John Parker (Issaquah Press)
John Magee (Commissioner D-10)
Charlie Grant (FF, Local 2878 Governmental Affairs)
ABSENT (City of North Bend)
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Pedee called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
Director Pedee led the flag salute. Fire Chief Soptich took roll call. All the appointed Directors were present. He welcomed Dave Kappler as a visitor with the hope he will be appointed to the Board. Director Fellinge was present until 5:34 p.m. There was no designated representative from North Bend.
RECOGNITION:
None.
CITIZEN INPUT:
None.
CONSENT AGENDA:
Director Fellinge moved to approve Agenda Bill 2008-01 January Consent Agenda. A second was offered by Commissioner Gaines. The motion passed unanimously. Director Mitchell abstained from the approval of last month’s minutes as he was not at the meeting.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE DISCUSSION:
CFO Gray reported the 2006 audit for both District 10 and EF&R are complete without a finding. The exit conference is scheduled for January 17, 2008.
Deputy Chief Griffin gave a recap of 2007 volunteer participation which represented 13,476 hours of service to the Department.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
1. Finance Operations Committee Report: The notes from last week’s meeting are in the Board Packet. Two main items discussed will be addressed in New Business.
2. HR Legislative Committee Report: Director Gaines reported the committee completed the Chief’s performance review.
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Potential Partners:
Chief Soptich reported that Staff has a meeting set up with
Woodinville Fire and Life Safety District (WFLSD) to gain information
whether the two Agencies would partner, if it is feasible, or just
consolidate services. Deputy Chief Collins and his counterpart at
WFLSD are identifying criteria.
There has been no further action with Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue.
Last month Staff met with the Snoqualmie Tribe and the City of
Snoqualmie. Both agencies have an interest in the outcome of the
Tribe’s venture with the casino. Details were discussed.
Fall City will receive their consultant’s study which will help them
identify options for continued independent operations or partnering at
various levels. Strategically, Fall City is important to EF&R.
Discussion ensued over what is the overall criterion for bringing on
a new partner, and management of Staff’s time in researching. It was
agreed that a separate meeting would be held to discuss these matters in
detail.
2. Criteria for Partnership Consideration:
Chief Soptich stated this criterion is a work in progress. Long term liabilities will be added to the draft, along with numbering the categories. Discussion ensued over the funding model and how it is portrayed to potential partners.
3. Non-Profit Status:
Drafts of the Bylaws, Articles, and work plan were distributed to
the Board for their review and will be discussed at a later meeting. These
documents will also be sent electronically.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Election of Officers & Committee Representatives:
Director McCarry nominated Director Pedee for Board Chairman. A
second was offered by Director Fellinge. The motion passed
unanimously. Chairman Pedee stated he would be honored to serve as
long as it continues to work for all of the Partners, and thanked the Board
for their confidence.
Director Gaines nominated Director Fellinge for Vice Chairman. A
second was offered by Director Pedee. Following discussion whether Director
Fellinge would have the time to fulfill the obligation, the motion passed
unanimously.
Director Pedee asked Directors Mitchell and Gaines if they would be
willing to continue to Chair their respective committees. Both Directors
accepted. Committee representatives were discussed and appointed, with
the unknown still being from North Bend.
2. Agenda Bill 2008-02 Establish a Benchmark to Evaluate Cost
Effectiveness:
Director Mitchell stated this has been discussed in the
Finance/Operations Committee over the last couple of months. He, along with
Directors Fellinge and Pedee outlined all the criteria considered.
Chief Soptich added how cost effective the Agency is, and has been
used as a model by other agencies since 1999, and that 2008 budget numbers
are due to a current growth spike. Director Barry stated he felt the
Board and Staff are doing a good job, and he is comfortable with where
the Agency is.
Following the above discussion, Director Mitchell moved to establish
(1) CPI-U for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area to the Annual Operating
Cost and (2) Comparing EF&R’s total Annual Operating Cost expressed
as a cost per LEOFF employee with other agencies in the area as the
2008 Operating Efficiency Benchmarks. A second was offered by Director
Fellinge. The motion passed unanimously with the friendly amendment to
review at the end of the year.
3. Agenda Bill 2008-03 Administrative Salaries:
Director Mitchell stated the Administrative salaries were
reviewed in the Finance/Operations Committee which included comparables
by Cabot Dow. Director Pedee stated the Deputy Chief salary was
established as a benchmark because it is a position readily
comparable within the fire service in our area. Variations in the study and
what is proposed is due to the jobs actually being performed, where no
comparables are found due to the nature of our Agency. Director Gaines moved
to implement the Exempt salary adjustment as attached to the Agenda
Bill for the year 2008. A second was offered by Director Mitchell. Following
discussion over the difference in percentage increase within positions,
market adjustments to be made every three years which have not been
completed for five years, and Best Practices, the motion passed with
six votes in favor, one abstention (Director Fellinge).
4.
Agenda Bill 2008-04 Support Staff Collective Bargaining Agreement:
Director McCarry moved to forward the Support Services
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to King County Fire District 10 Board
of Commissioners with the recommendation that the CBA be approved. A second
was offered by Director Mitchell. The motion passed unanimously.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
In accordance with RCW 42.30.140, the Regular Meeting was adjourned and the Executive Session began at 5:20 p.m. to discuss the Battalion Chief Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Executive Session was expected to last approximately 30 minutes. At 5:50 p.m. the public was informed the Executive Session would be extended another 20 minutes. The Executive Session was adjourned at 6:12 p.m. and the Regular Meeting of the Board was called back in session.
GOOD OF THE ORDER:
Chairman Pedee reminded the Board that the Partner’s Dinner will be held next week Wednesday and was looking forward to seeing everyone there.
CALENDAR REVIEW:
Fin/Ops meeting will be held on February 7, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.
HR/Legislative meeting will be on January 15, 2008, at 11:00 a.m.
Next EF&R Board meeting will be February 12, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.
EF&R Partner’s Dinner will be January 16, 2008
With no further business to discuss, and the loss of a quorum, the meeting was adjourned at 6:13 p.m.
SIGNING OF DOCUMENTS:
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Board Director Board Director
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Board Director Board Director
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Board Director Board Director
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Board Director Board Director