DeKalb Times

City of Dekalb Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board met Feb. 11.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board (“FFITB”) conducted a Special Meeting at DeKalb Police Headquarters, located at 700 W. Lincoln Hwy., Second Floor Training Room, DeKalb, Illinois.

ROLL CALL

Chairman Matt Klotz called the meeting to order at 9:09 A.M. and called the roll. Members present at roll call were Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Joe Long, Bill Lynch, Vinny Laudicina, and Acting Fire Chief Mike Thomas. Members absent at roll call were Trevor Chilton; he joined the meeting at 9:25 A.M.

Other attendees were City Finance Director Carrie Dittman; Fire Department Administrative Assistant Natalie Nelson, acting as recording secretary, and Office Associate Rachel Sauber; and Firefighter/Paramedics Greg Thornton and Harley Siddall.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

The agenda was edited to add to item D.1., “November 8, 2021 (Regular Meeting)” and correct item G.1. to reflect the regular meeting date of “May 9, 2022.” Vinny Laudicina moved to approve the agenda with these modifications, Joe Long seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

None

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Joe Long moved to approve the Regular Meeting minutes from November 8, 2021, as presented, Mike Thomas seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously.

Matt Holuj motioned to approve the Special Meeting minutes from November 15, 2021, as presented, Bill Lynch seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS

Review of completed and pending purchases

· Wishlist item 1: The bottle filling water fountains will cost an additional $2,300 due to complications with the installations.

· Wishlist item 2: The invoice for the ballistic vests invoice is expected soon and will reflect a credit for returning the old vest plates.

· Wishlist item 3: The PIG forcible entry kits have arrived.

· Wishlist item 7: Station 2 day room television has been purchased and installed.

· Wishlist item 9: The hydrant bag for T1 has been purchased; one gate valve is on backorder.

· Station 1 treadmill was repaired.

· Station 2 stair-climber is still under warranty and will be repaired at no cost.

· The exercise equipment maintenance/repair contract with Huff & Puff has begun.

· Station 1 flagpole will be installed when the weather is warmer.

NEW BUSINESS

Seating New Board

Matt Klotz announced the election results. Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Joe Long, Vinny Laudicina, Greg Thornton, and Acting Fire Chief will be the members of this year’s board. Bill Lynch has stepped down. Matt Klotz thanked Bill Lynch for his service to the FFITB.

· Election of Officers

o Chairman: Matt Klotz accepted a nomination made by Vinny Laudicina and seconded by Joe Long.

o Treasurer: Joe Long accepted a nomination made by Vinny Laudicina and seconded by Trevor Chilton.

o Secretary: Matt Holuj accepted a nomination made by Vinny Laudicina and seconded by Greg Thornton.

The members present agreed that Matt Klotz will continue as chairman, Joe Long will assume the duty of treasurer, and Matt Holuj will continue as secretary.

· Board Member Duties discussion occurred with the following members agreeing to assume the following duties:

o Kitchen supplies—Vinny Laudicina

o Bedding and chairs—Trevor Chilton and Greg Thornton

o Technology—Matt Holuj

o Exercise equipment—Joe Long

o Grocery shopping—Greg Thornton, accompanied by Joe Long or Matt Klotz Approval of Treasurer’s Report – 4th quarter

Joe Long moved to approve the Treasurer Report as presented. Greg Thornton seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted. Aye votes were cast by Trevor Chilton, Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Vinny Laudicina, Joe Long, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed.

Discussion and Approval of Items to Purchase

· The SCBA committee has met to develop recommendations for updating the Cascade system. The AFG award for the project is $50,000 and requires at least $10,000 in matching funds, which have been requested from FFITB. Given the high cost of this project, additional funds will be necessary from the City. The committee investigated purchasing new smaller bottles with higher capacity and found the cost prohibitively higher than purchasing new bottles the same size as currently used; a compressor to accommodate the smaller bottles is also prohibitively high. Bids for repairing the current Cascade system will be sought before deciding upon purchasing a new system. Discussion followed. The SCBA committee will meet again before the next FFITB meeting. If the price of fixing the current system and purchasing a new system are close, a new system will be purchased. No FFITB funds will be requested until the cost comparisons are available.

· The current locker supply is not sufficient for new personnel. Four (4) temporary lockers have been installed in the female bathroom at Station 1, but turnout gear cannot fit in them. New locker estimates were distributed, indicating larger lockers will cost approximately $1500-$1600. Station 2 also needs additional lockers once their location is decided. No City funds are available to purchase new lockers.

Matt Holuj moved to approve funds to purchase lockers for Station 1 and Station 2 not to exceed $5,000. Greg Thornton seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted. Aye votes were cast by Trevor Chilton, Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Vinny Laudicina, Joe Long, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed.

· Matt Klotz reported upon purchasing grills. The current grills at Stations 2 and 3 were purchased at the same time by FFITB and have been repeatedly repaired but cannot be further repaired. Matt Klotz also proposed purchasing covers for the new grills, the current grill at Station 1, and the smokers at each station. Cost estimates from Lowe’s were distributed to the group to review.

Greg Thornton moved to purchase two (2) three-burner grills (one for Station 2 and Station 3), three (3) grill covers, and three (3) smoker covers. Chilton seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted. Aye votes were cast by Trevor Chilton, Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Vinny Laudicina, Joe Long, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed.

· Wishlist items discussion and approval

o Items 4 & 5 – New sheds for Stations 2 and 3 will cost $4,360 each. For Station 3, pouring a new foundation father east than the current pad is necessary. The dumpster must be moved, too. The fire department budget will cover the cost of the pad. Quotes are necessary. For Station 2, the new shed will be placed on the grass. Expanding the Station 2 parking lot is not possible at this time. Station 3’s shed will be placed first.

o Item 10 – For Station 2, a new patio table will cost $800, and six new chairs will cost $1,640.

o Item 11 – For Station 2, a toolbox and tools will cost $780 at Harbor Freight.

o Item 12 – Yeti cups with badge numbers monogrammed will cost $1,800. Discussion occurred regarding postponing this purchase until after the Cascade system costs are known and reassessing the priority of this wish list item. No purchase to be made at this time.

o Item 13 – Reusable pelvic slings for frontline ambulances will cost $280. No purchase to be made at this time.

o Item 14 – Station 1 table and chairs will cost $5,000. A vendor has not been identified yet. No purchase to be made at this time.

o Item 15 – For Station 3, Rogue Squat Rack will cost $951. No purchase to be made at this time.

Matt Holuj moved to approve the purchase of items 4, 5, 10, and 11. Joe Long seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted. Aye votes were cast by Trevor Chilton, Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Vinny Laudicina, Joe Long, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed.

Discussion of Topics for Next Meeting Agenda

SCBA committee member will discuss the Cascade system update.

Meeting Dates and Times

The meeting times were discussed. Acting Chief Thomas and Finance Director Carrie Dittman cannot attend an 8:00 A.M. The group agreed to change the meeting time to 9:30 A.M. for Mondays May 9, August 8, and November 14, 2022.

ADJOURNMENT

Seeing no further discussion, Matt Holuj moved to adjourn, Trevor Chilton seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:16 A.M.

https://www.cityofdekalb.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02112022-2132