MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING

NORTH BANNOCK FIRE DISTRICT

NBFD FIRE STATION - 444 E Chubbuck Road

September 10, 2020

Meeting was opened by Alan Curtis at 6:10 PM.

Roll call – Alan Curtis, Debra Shell, Fire Chief JR Farnsworth, Assistant Chief Brood; Roy Allen (by phone)

ACTION ITEMS:

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to amend the agenda. The presentation of the plaques was moved to the top of the agenda and the Firefighters’ Association presentation was removed. The motion passed unanimously.

• A plaque was presented to Bruce Savage as a sign of appreciation for his service as a fire district commissioner. He was thanked for his work on behalf of the district and efforts to assist with the development of the fire department.

• A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the minutes of the August 13, 2020 regular meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the minutes of the August 19, 2020 budget hearing. The motion passed unanimously.

Nathan Cuoio, a local attorney with Merrill & Merrill, had sent a letter to the commissioners regarding a proposal to serve as local legal counsel for the fire district. He was present and answered questions regarding his experience. He has extensive real estate experience and has worked with other government entities. A decision will be made at the October meeting.

TREASURER REPORT

The treasurer, Alan Curtis, reported the following balances:

ICCU checking account - $306,920.21

ICCU savings account - $40,061.21

Connections Credit Union checking account - $98,546.89

Connections Credit Union savings account - $25.00

The bookkeeper had paid a bill of $287 out of the Connections checking account instead of from the ICCU account. This was not a problem.

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to transfer sufficient funds from the ICCU checking account to the Connections Credit Union checking account to maintain $230,000 in the ICCU account to ensure the balance is always below the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit. The motion passed unanimously.

FIRE CHIEF REPORT

Fire Chief Farnsworth gave his report. There were 11 calls in August; 5 of these were for mutual aid. There were 4 fire calls: a horse trailer fire, a sparking power pole, and 2 unauthorized burns. The Badge Pinning and Swearing In ceremony was held. It was very meaningful to the firefighters and appeared to improve morale. There will be a pinning ceremony for all new firefighters each quarter. The department hosted a Civitan luncheon. Project Breathe donated 2 Pet Oxygen masks to the department for animal resuscitation. As anticipated, the Idaho Surveying & Rating Bureau gave their report and did not change the ratings. A second fire station among other things would help lower the ratings. He discussed some of the items the department would like to see purchased in the next year. October 1 will be the first anniversary of the fire department. The firefighters will be ready for IFSAC firefighter 1 testing by the end of the year. The firefighters have been trained to the point where they can handle any emergency. The department has an adequate number of apparatus and equipment. Grant funding has covered $38,844.37 of the department expenses. This does not include the $1,100 recently received from the FM Global Grant for the purchase of 3 iPads.

ACTION ITEMS:

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to enroll the fire chief and assistant chief in the PERSI retirement fund beginning October 1, 2020. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to close the post office box. The motion passed unanimously.

There was a discussion regarding the hydrant usage. The department will continue to use the fire hydrant at the Fairgrounds which is county water with no associated charge to the department.

There was a discussion regarding the billing for fire response to those outside the district. The fire chief is to set up a fee schedule and present it at the next meeting. The state fire marshal sets the maximum fees allowed.

TRAINING REPORT

The report was presented by Chief Brood. The volunteer hours for August were 16+ hours. The firefighters will complete the FF1 course by September 30 and test in late November. The work of the firefighters has been acknowledged and complimented by the others in the GIFF.

ACTION ITEMS:

There was a brief discussion about an anonymous letter that the commissioners had received. There was no need for any action.

The attorneys had responded to the query regarding bylaws and policy and procedures. Their response did not answer the question. Roy Allen will call them for clarification.

The audit has been completed by Deaton and Co. There were no problems noted with any of the actions; there were only some journal entries that were needed. The audit will be posted on the website.

• A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to determine the amount of money owed to the Chubbuck Fire Department for fire inspections and to pay that amount. The motion passed unanimously. This underpayment for fire inspections had been found in the audit.

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to renew the Workman’s Comp insurance through the State Insurance Fund. The motion passed unanimously.

There was a discussion regarding the date to exercise the purchase option for the 444 E. Chubbuck Road property. This will be placed on the January 2021 agenda.

Debra Shell reported she has been in contact with several individuals who have property which may be suitable for a second station. The fire chief and assistant chief are to determine the size of the building and associated space needed before any further action is taken.

There was a discussion regarding the timeline for a permanent levy override vote for 2021. Debra Shell is to obtain the necessary information from the Elections Office and report at a later meeting.

Mark Brood is to develop a resolution to address the EMS response by the fire department and present it at the next meeting.

Debra Shell has been approached by a property owner outside of the district inquiring into the possibility of the district providing fire protection to areas outside of the district. It is possible to have a contract with the person to have the district provide fire protection. She will discuss the options with the person.

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to authorize the payment of the fire district invoice as listed below. The motion passed with Roy Allen abstaining.

Intuit (Quickbooks 2020) $199.95

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to authorize the payment of the fire department invoices as listed below. The motion passed with Roy Allen abstaining.

Electric Construction & Sales (station wiring/power to sign) $7,990.00

Knox Company (lock core) $120.00

North Ridge Fire (truck equipment) $189.91

Emergency Responder Training (ecards) $274.00

Office Depot (office supplies) $86.88

Idaho Federal Surplus (office furnishings) $175.00

Day Wireless (mobile radios) $6,867.62

Grand Teton Council (fire prevention) $685.00

It was noted that the invoice for the Grand Teton Council was authorized in August for $650.00 but the price had increased. Therefore, this is the only payment to the council.

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the payment of the bill pay invoices as listed below. The motion passed with Roy Allen abstaining.

Sparklight (internet) $72.24

Idaho Power (electricity) $122.03

Intermountain Gas (facilities – natural gas) $110.79

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the fire department credit card charges as listed below. The motion passed with Roy Allen abstaining.

Advance Auto (vehicle maintenance) $77.89

Home Depot (facility maintenance/fixtures) $74.20

Shell – Jackson’s (fuel) $271.61

Amazon (facility maintenance) $6.06

First Net (phone) $103.96

Maverik (fuel) $18.76

NEW BUSINESS

A meeting will be held on September 23, 2020 at 6:00 PM to pay any remaining invoices for FY2019-2020.

The next regular meeting will be October 8, 2020 at 6:00 PM.

• A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to adjourn the meeting at 9:04 PM. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectively submitted,

June Heilman, Secretary

APPROVED AT OCTOBER 8, 2020 MEETING

ASSIGNMENTS

COMMISSIONERS:

Roy Allen

Contact attorneys for clarification of issue re: bylaws, etc.

Review Statue #31-1431

Alan Curtis

Review 2018-2019 fire inspection payments to Chubbuck FD and to pay any outstanding invoices

Develop a resolution re: ICCU funds

Debra Shell

Contact the Elections Office re: information and timelines for a permanent levy override vote

Discuss with property owner outside the district the options re: fire protection from NBFD

FIRE CHIEF:

Set a schedule for fire response billing outside of the district and develop a resolution

Send the State Insurance Fund invoice to Erin Hobbs

Develop with Chief Brood the needs of a second fire station

CHIEF BROOD:

Develop resolution to address EMS response by the fire department

Assist the fire chief with developing the needs of a second fire station