Board reorganizes, discusses by-laws and budget

SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire Board reorganized and discussed an amendment to their by-laws at their monthly meeting May 18.

The board swore in Gary Lewis and Connie Clark to serve for another three years. They voted to retain Scott Kennedy as the board chair, Lewis as the vice chair and Clark as the secretary.

Lane suggested adding a paragraph related to the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District by-laws that delegates managing duties to the District fire chief when there is one in place. The Seeley Lake Fire Board by-laws were last updated in 2014, at which point there was no chief in place.

Lane pointed out that many of the duties listed in Article IV – Power, Duties and Responsibilities of the current by-laws are in his job description.

“When you hired me and progressed through that process, you became a governing board with the option to be a managing board,” Lane said. “Because of my job description being in what is basically the by-laws for you, I’m assuming you are maintaining the status as a governing board.”

The paragraph Lane proposed reads: “The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board is a Governing Board when the Fire Chief position is filled. The Board hereby delegates all operational authority to the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief Job Description is guided by Montana Code Annotated 7-33-2001. This authority includes the right to hire, fire, promote and assign all personnel. Hired positions must be approved by the Governing Board. If the Fire Chief position is vacant, the Board will revert to a managing board to perform the duties of the fire chief as allowed by Montana Annotated Codes 7-33-2105 and 7-33-2001. Examples of duties are as follows;”

Lane did not suggest removing the duties from Article IV because, if the chief position were vacant, the board would need to step in and ensure the duties were completed.

“Looking at the annotated codes, it is within my rights to do all those operational things that the board has designated for me to do,” Lane said. “Managing all operational duties is the way the statue reads. [The right to hire, fire, promote and assign personnel] are operational duties. In total transparency and to make other people feel good, it might be a good thing to add. I strongly feel the by-laws need to be reviewed anyways.”

Lewis and Kennedy agreed that they have essentially been acting as a governing board. However Lane said this would put it in writing. Kennedy felt it would be best to incorporate it into Article IV and review the by-laws in full separately.

Lewis said he felt it was just a clarification and didn’t have any problem with it. Kennedy said they would need a motion to incorporate the addition.

Member of the public Kristy Pohlman said the board can’t just change their by-laws without two readings and public comment.

While Lewis disagreed, Kennedy said they would incorporate the statement into a draft and consider it again at the next meeting.

Also related to the by-laws, Pohlman pointed out that Article IX – Compensation states, “No member of the Board or the officers thereof shall receive compensation for their services to the District.” She questioned if paying board member and District EMS Lieutenant Rita Rossi the stipend for volunteering as an EMT violated the Board’s by-laws and/or was legal through workman’s compensation. According to the April expense report, Rossi was paid $334.16 for the month of April.

Kennedy said the question was noted.

In his update, Lane said that, as of February, the District’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating improved. The ISO scores fire departments on how they are doing against its organization’s standards to determine property insurance costs. The District improved its ISO rating from a 5 to 5Y.

According to ISO’s Public Protection Classification program, the Y designations identify enhanced fire suppression capabilities used throughout the fire protection area. To the community, those designations reward a community’s fire suppression efforts by showing a more reflective designation.

“It was a lot of work. The volunteers have put in a lot of effort and it is because of those efforts that we were able to improve our rating through trainings and water supply movements and all that stuff,” Lane said, “This should help some of the people getting homeowners insurance with their rates.”

The board had the first reading of the proposed 2021-2022 budget. They will do the second reading at the next board meeting. How hiring staff would be incorporated into the budget, should that be approved, will be discussed at the workshop. A date and time has not been set for the workshop.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting is scheduled for June 15 at 6 p.m. at the Fire Hall.