2015 October General Meeting Minutes

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October General Meeting Minutes

October 20^th and 21^st, 2015

 

Call to Order:  1901hrs

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll Call of Officers:  All present except Secretary Williams who was on shift for the Tuesday session.

Minutes from previous meeting:  Motion to dispense by B. Brown, 2^nd by many.

Motion carried.

Officer Reports:

President:

• Executive Board has been very busy attending political fundraisers in preparation for the upcoming elections.
• Went over the endorsed candidates. (the full list is attached at the end of the minutes)
  • We have Hogsett for Mayor signs available for any member(s) that would like one.
• The Executive Board has endorsed the candidacy of our Brother, Tom Hanify, for the IAFF 8^th District Vice President.
• September 22^nd Local 416 conducted a Fire Ops 101 event at the Ivy Tech training grounds in Lawrence. Local politicians were invited to spend some time learning about Emergency Services and the work we do.  There were five scenarios designed to give these officials a glimpse of the work firefighters and EMS do every day.  Thank you to Scott Johnson of Decatur for spearheading this event and for assuring everything went smoothly.  This will become a regular event for the Local on either an annual or bi-annual basis.
• The Peer Support Group went out to Wayne Township following a multiple fatality accident including children. By all accounts it appears this was helpful and well received.  Bob Smith and Brandon Drieman are doing great work with this program and it is not useful but appreciated.
• The building expansion project is continuing to move forward and we should see shovels in the ground in the not too distant future. The parking lot on the North side of St. Clair is now open permanently for parking while they finish the surrounding work.

Vice President:  Nothing to report.

Treasurer: 

• January 1^st the new dues will take effect. There are several factors that drive the higher than normal adjustment that will be seen.  They are:
  • Increase in salary for nearly all of our Districts.
  • Increase in per-capita from the IAFF.
  • Increase in the Building Fund assessment.
• Went over the third quarter Financial Statement. (this statement is attached at the end of the minutes)  Family Events is above the budgeted amount and he is investigating the reason with our accountant.  It appears that something from another category was incorrectly added to this total.
• The Building Fund has $457,193.70 in it and $237,000 has been spent on the various aspects of the expansion and parking lot.

Secretary:

• The parking lot on the north side of St. Clair is now open for regular use. We don’t anticipate any interruptions in its operation except modest ones for the installation of the gate.  They are working to get the lights and landscaping finished.  The City contract for the right of way work around our lot will begin shortly and the alley will be done this year and the St. Clair widening will be done in the spring.  The contract for that work has been paid by the City and is to be done prior to the FDIC Open House.
• The Credit Union has started their construction and as a result a portion of our “old” parking lot has been dedicated to equipment and materials and we have kept a few spaces on the west side of the building. Their timeline I believe is 8 months for completion.
• The expansion of the Union Hall will begin in the next 3-4 weeks. We are working with the builder to try and keep as many of our spaces usable as long as possible.  There will be work both on the east side of the building that causes a safety concern in our current space and renovation/remodeling work in the Hall that will cause the space to be unusable for the bulk of construction.  The last event that we will have in the Hall will be the Children’s Christmas Party December 5th.  During the work we will be rearranging the upstairs portion of the museum so we can use it for our General and District meetings.  The presentation and updates on the project are available on the website.
• The Helmet is delayed due to a change in printers and a different system. We have the issue there now and will have another following shortly on this one’s heels to accommodate anyone seeking office that would like to have an ad in the magazine.
• Phoenix World Burn Congress will be in town starting Wednesday and there are still opportunities to volunteer and help the attendees while they are in town. The Local is sponsoring a lunch for the attendees at the State Fallen Officer’s and Firefighter’s Memorial on the west side of the Statehouse this Friday and we could use a few extra hands with the logistics of the event.  Contact Cindy if you are able to lend a hand.
• The website is up and running and we are working to get as many of the contracts, benefits and other Department information on there. The goal is to have most, if not all, of each individual District’s information in one location for our members.  If you haven’t looked at the website in a while please take a minute to check it out.  As with everything we do, suggestions and comments are always welcome!
• Election Day is just around the corner and it is important that everyone be sure to vote. Early voting is already open at the City-County building if you prefer to get this civic duty done early.  A list of endorsed candidates is available on the website and additionally we have “Firefighter’s for Hogsett” yard signs and t-shirts available here at the Hall.  They are free for the asking.

 

District Reports:

• Airport: No report
• Beech Grove:
  • Budget has been approved and members will see a 2% raise.
  • Will be purchasing a new engine in 2016.
  • Three new hires brought on and expect one next year.
  • Starting a promotion process, no schedule as of yet.
• Lawrence:
  • Lawrence Mayor Jessup has been providing false information regarding response times of Lawrence apparatus versus IFD and IEMS response times. The quoted times claim a 2:1 better response than the actual data represents.
  • Working very diligently to see Steve Collier elected as Lawrence Mayor, anyone eligible to vote for him please do.
• Communications: No report
• Decatur:
  • Will be hosting a SAFE Halloween event at the stations.
  • Have started contract talks.
  • Will be starting a promotional process but no schedule has been set.
• IEMS:
  • Started the fourth class of 2015 which has 23 people in it.
• IFD:
  • Promotion process continuing.
    • The Union and the Administration have both been less than pleased with the method.
    • The use of a third party vendor has caused a lot of challenges and it is the Administration intends to press the City to bring this process back under Department control.
  • Glove Committee is beginning work and will have recommendations in early 2016.
  • Work Group picks are due in by 10/23.
  • Contract survey will be coming out to get direction for the next contract.
  • Chief Bacon has made clear that discipline will be pending if inspections are not being done.
    • They are willing to accept recommendations to changes in the process.
    • Contact Fire Prevention if you have any questions.
  • There will be a second hiring off the current list of 40.
    • They are expected to start class in February.

 

• Speedway:
  • Fire Ops 101 was a great success for them and the relationship with their elected officials.
• Pike:
  • Things are going well with Chief Saunders.
  • Sold Breast Cancer Awareness shirts this year, $14 each.
  • Reversal raffle for Just Cause
  • Gun raffle for Piper.
• Wayne:
  • Finishing up contract negotiations.
  • No added insurance costs to members for 2016.
  • Working on vacation day sale option to PEHP.
  • Hiring process to start in November or December.
    • Expect to hire 6-10
    • Process open to 18 year olds.

At-Large Trustees:

• Vicki Morr spoke about the World Burn Congress that was in town.
  • It was a big success including the lunch that the Local put on.
  • Everyone was very appreciative.

 

Firefighter of the Month:            No nominations this month.

Old Business:

• Read Constitution and By-Laws change that was introduced in July. (the full text is attached at the end of these minutes)
• Motion to accept by J. Battiato Second by J. Helrigel
  • Passed unanimously

Financial Report:             (Financial Statement attached at the end of these minutes)

• Motion to Pay the Bills: Helrigel                    Second by D. Williams
  • Passed unanimously

Moment of Silence for our fallen Brothers and Sisters:

New Business:

• IFD Motion by B. Brown: That the IFD District donate $500 to the Joel Johnston fund for his children’s’ college.
  • Second by H. Harris
  • Amendment offered by H. Harris: change amount to $1,000
  • Second by A. Wood
    • Amendment passed unanimously
  • Amended Motions: That the IFD District donate $1,000 to the Joel Johnston fund for his children’s college.
    • Motion passed unanimously
  • IFD Motion by T. Hanify: Due to significant number of complaints about mistakes made regarding the promotion process, I move the Union request the contract from the vendor for the process and have the Executive Board review it with the option to have our attorney review.
    • Second by many.
    • Discussion:
      • Thank you to Hanify for bringing this up.
      • Correct information is required.
      • Participants have not been made aware of the questions that were tossed out.
      • Please keep the information flowing.
      • How do we log/register complaints and concerns?
        • Email to District President Hank Harris
      • Does the Chief intend to continue along schedule?
        • That was but after meeting yesterday Chief is reviewing the concerns. We cannot speak on his behalf as to what his decision may be.
      • There is a lack of consistency in promotional processes, where does the Administration stand on this?
        • We cannot speak on their behalf but they have said they are interested in bringing the process back under IFD control.
      • If the motion passes can the Chief still take the list to Merit Board prior to the next IFD District meeting, can they “hold” the list?
        • Yes, they could do that.
      • Does the Department send out a process for bid or do companies send in a bid with their process?
        • Previously, the Department set up their own process but now it is done by the vendor(s) and they are selected by City HR.
        • Each Department in the City contributes to a pool for the cost and City HR selects the vendor.
      • Motion carried

 

• Nominations for office:
• Vice President
  • Ted Waldroup
  • Lance Langsford
  • Al Wood
  • Hank Harris
  • Scott Williams
• Treasurer
  • Jason Hansman (Wins by acclamation)
  • Lance Langsford (Did not accept)
• At-Large-Trustee  (Jon Helrigel and Matt Ervin’s spots are up this year)
  • Jon Helrigel
  • Matt Ervin
  • Mark Roberts
  • Derrick Williams
• District Presidents:
  • Pike:  Joel Rickard  (Wins by acclamation)
  • Speedway:  Mike Loviscek  (Wins by acclamation)
  • Beech Grove:  Paul Cloyd  (Wins by acclamation)
  • Airport:  Brian Booth  (Wins by acclamation)
• District Trustees:
  • IFD:
    • Corey Arnold
    • Lance Langsford
    • Mark Roberts
  • IEMS:  Tom Smith  (Wins by acclamation)
  • Lawrence:  Brian Farmer  (Wins by acclamation)
  • Decatur:
    • Chad Stafford
    • Brad Jewell
  • Wayne:
    • Johnny Balding
    • Randy Adams
  • Communications:  Kim Simms
  • Beech Grove Aaron Jeanette
• Provisional Ballots were accepted due to nominations of the current office holder for:
  • Secretary:
    • Jason Hansman
    • Lance Langsford

 

 

 

Good and Welfare:

• Vice President Waldroup: The Hall has received several calls about PEHP accounts.  Contrary to the current rumors these accounts DO go to your spouse or qualified dependent upon your death.  If there are neither of these the money goes back to the fund and is divided equally between all PEHP participants.

Motion to Adjourn:        M. Roberts                         Second by: many             Passed Unanimously
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