Mehlville Fire Board Meeting Minutes Nov.19th, 2009

MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE MEHLVILLE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI, ON THE
19TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2009


The Board of Directors of the Mehlville Fire Protection District of St. Louis County, Missouri, met at the Mehlville Conference Room, 11020 Mueller Road, St. Louis County, Missouri, on the 19th day of November, 2009.
Present at the meeting were:
Aaron Hilmer, Chairman and Director of the Board;
Bonnie C. Stegman, Treasurer and Director of the Board;
Edmond Ryan, Secretary and Director of the Board; and
Timothy J. White, Administrative Chief Fire Officer of the Mehlville Fire Protection District.
James J. Silvernail, Chief of the Mehlville Fire Protection District, was absent.
Mr. Hilmer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and announced the Board to be in session for the transaction of business.
Mrs. Stegman made a motion to approve the payment of bills of November 9, 2009 and to attach a copy to the minutes. Mr. Ryan seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.
Chief White discussed a proposed change to the Vacation Policy Regarding Paramedic School that would require employees to take vacation time in the year earned. He asked that the Board would review the change and vote on it at the next meeting.
Chief White discussed the need to replace physical fitness equipment at the Fire Houses. He proposed replacing aging treadmills with ellipticals and stated that he had located five commercial quality ellipticals at a substantial closeout price reduction. Mrs. Stegman made a motion to approve the purchase of up to five ellipticals at $3,520 each, for a total of up to $17,600. Mr. Ryan seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
Chief White informed the Board that the Tower Lease with Clearwire is ready to be signed. The Tower will be fully leased, bringing in about $80,000 annually. Mr. Hilmer made a motion to approve the Communication Tower Agreement with Clearwire. Mr. Ryan seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.
Chief White described the need to repaint the 1760 Pumper. The job will be put out to bid and those bids brought to the Board for approval at a later date.
Chief White discussed the need to improve security at the MFPD Administration offices for employees as well as members of the public. He proposed installation of a Security Camera System, which would include one camera in the lobby and additional cameras in the parking lot and around the perimeter of the building. Chief White proposed acceptance of the lowest of three bids, which was also the best system, with the addition of three cameras. Mrs. Stegman made a motion to approve $3,635 plus $400 per additional camera for a total of $4,385 to purchase the Security Camera System. Mr. Ryan seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.
Chief White stated that the 1 House Generator needs to be replaced. The replacement will be put out to bid and those bids brought to the Board for approval at a later date.
Chief White discussed the need to replace a seven-year-old thermal imager camera that has been breaking down. The thermal imager cameras assist with search and rescue operations and firefighter safety, seeking out hidden pockets of high heat, flames and smoky conditions. Due to a trade-in deal with the seller, upgrade to a high resolution camera similar to the one purchased recently by the District would cost $4,990, a savings of almost $5,000. Mr. Ryan made a motion to approve the purchase of the upgrade camera at a cost of $4,990. Mrs. Stegman seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.
Mr. Hilmer excused himself from the meeting.
Greg Garner from Archimages presented a feasibility study for modifications to the existing House 2 plan to enable the Board to review possible changes, additions and deletions and their potential costs. Five schemes were described which included modifications such as bay size reduction, additional fitness space and gear storage space, a mezzanine level for storage and training, an added larger bunk room, a second floor addition, and stair towers as required.
Chief White and Board members discussed the plans, especially focusing on the extent of training facilities that should be included in House 4 and future houses. They agreed that decisions about House 4 are contingent on future plans for House 3. Mr. Garner stated that he would return to the next Board meeting with a conglomerate plan including associated costs.
Mrs. Stegman recognized Union President Nick Fahs. Captain Fahs expressed a concern regarding the Fit for Duty test.Mrs. Stegman then made a motion that a closed meeting be held for the purpose of discussing personnel, legal and real estate matters immediately following the adjournment of the regular meeting. Mrs. Stegman, as part of said motion, moved that said closed meeting not be open to members of the general public under the provisions of Chapter 610 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, commonly referred to as the Sunshine Act. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ryan. A roll call vote on said motion was taken.

Mehlville Fire Board Meeting Minutes From the Jefferson City Meeting

MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE MEHLVILLE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI, ON THE
17TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2009


The Board of Directors of the Mehlville Fire Protection District of St. Louis County, Missouri, met at the Office of the Attorney General in Jefferson City, Missouri on the 17th day of November, 2009.
Present at the meeting were:
Aaron Hilmer, Chairman and Director of the Board;
Bonnie C. Stegman, Treasurer and Director of the Board; and
Matthew Hoffman, Attorney for the District.
Edmond Ryan, Secretary and Director of the Board was not present.
Mr. Hilmer called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m.
Mr. Hilmer then made a motion that a closed meeting be held for the purpose of discussing legal matters regarding the tax rate of the District with the Office of the Attorney General immediately following the adjournment of the regular meeting. Mr. Hilmer, as part of said motion, moved that said closed meeting not be open to members of the general public under the provisions of Chapter 610 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, commonly referred to as the Sunshine Act. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Stegman. A roll call vote on said motion was taken.
Director Stegman yea.
Director Hilmer yea.Mr. Hilmer made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 3:16 p.m. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Stegman and was unanimously approved.

Breaking News Mehlville Fire BOD Allowed to Increase Taxes

Apparently, the Missouri AG's office disagrees with the Missouri Auditor's office. In a surprise announcement yesterday, we found out that the Mehlville Fire Board didn't have to ignore any tax laws. All they had to do was ignore the tax decrease measures that they put on the ballot in April. This has got to be the strangest tax story in the history of Missouri. First, the Mehlville Fire Board tries to place this measure on the ballot but gets successfully sued by a citizen. Then, they get the legislature to pass a law so the can put it on the ballot. They get sued again and successfully defend their right to put it on the ballot. Then, they use tax dollars to promote this measure. They dupe the voters into voting for what they're told is a permanent tax decrease. Then, they raise our taxes and get the state to agree that the ballot measure was bogus. I got a feeling, the BOD will be hearing from a few Teabaggers very soon.

Mehlville Fire Board Meeting Agenda Nov. 19th, 2009

Mehlville Fire Protection District Agenda Directors' Meeting November 19, 2009
MFPD Conference Room 11020 Mueller Road

Aaron Hilmer Bonnie Stegman Ed Ryan
Chairman Treasurer Secretary


CALL REGULAR MEETING TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M.
PAYMENT OF BILLS OF NOVEMBER 9, 2009
OLD BUSINESS

Vacation Policy Regarding Paramedic School
NEW BUSINESS

Archimages Report
Tower Lease with Clearwire
Approval to Refurbish 1760 Pumper
Security Camera System
Approval to Bid for 1 House Generator
Purchase of Thermal Imager

PUBLIC COMMENTS

BOARD VOTE ON CLOSED SESSION

OPEN SESSION ADJOURNMENT
CLOSED SESSION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING OPEN SESSION
Personnel
Legal
Real Estate

CLOSED SESSION ADJOURNMENT

(Individuals wishing to make comments should fill out a Speaker's Card and turn it in to the Chairman before the meeting. )
The District's Training Facility and Conference Room are handicapped accessible. If you need any special accommodations, please contact 314.894.0420, extension 1713 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Posted 11/17/2009 @ 1600

Mehlville Fire Board Breaking the Law

The BOD, minus Ed Ryan, met in the AG's office today. It was clearly a record setter. The open session lasted approximately 1 minute. Then they went into a closed session to talk about legal, real estate and personnel issues, according to their posted agenda. After finding out their meeting was in violation of Missouri Statute 321.200, they adjourned their closed session. There was no discussion or votes according to their attorney. After that Bonnie Stegman was asked to leave so that the menfolk could get down to work. Actually, she left because there was no longer a majority so they weren't breaking the law any longer. Arron Hilmer and the district's attorney met with representatives of the Missouri Attorney General.
For the record, Board Chairman Hilmer was dressed a little better for this meeting. He was wearing a pair of dockers and a polo shirt. It was noted by one observer that he was wearing Jurrasic Park socks.

Retirees and Vets Allowed to Salute Flag

Traditionally, members of the nation's veterans service organizations render the hand-salute during the national anthem and at events involving the national flag while wearing their organization's official head-gear. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 contained an amendment to allow un-uniformed servicemembers, military retirees, and veterans to render a hand salute during the hoisting, lowering, or passing of the U.S. flag. A later amendment further authorized hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel. This was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which Former President Bush signed on Oct. 14, 2008.

Mehlville Fire BOD Will Meet in Closed Session in Jeff City

The Misouri's Attorney General's office has confirmed that a scheduled meeting will take place tomorrow with the BOD of the Mehlville Fire Protection District. Although the district's meeting posting says Personnel, Legal and Real Estate, the purpose of the meeting is widely known to be a plea by district officials for AG Koster not to enforce state statutes. The AG's office confirmed that state legislators had previously been scheduled to attend the meeting but were no longer expected and/or invited.

All business will be conducted in closed session.