DeKalb Times

City of Sycamore Fire & Police Commission met Feb. 26.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Commissioner Tana Knetsch called the meeting to order at 8:01AM and called the roll. Present were Commissioner Tana Knetsch, Commissioner Samantha Dailey, Commissioner Jeff Richardson, Chief Jim Winters, Chief Bart Gilmore, Deputy Chief Jim Ward, City Manager Michael Hall, and HR Coordinator/Recording Secretary Erin Wright.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

MOTION

Commissioner Dailey made the motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Commissioner Richardson.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

CONSENT AGENDA - Approval of the minutes for the Regular Meeting of 12/5/23.

MOTION

Commissioner Dailey made the motion to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Commissioner Richardson.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

AUDIENCE TO VISITORS – None

REPORTS

A. Police Chief – Chief Winters reported the department is fully staffed at 34, entry-level testing is now closed out but yielded 29 testees and after vetting each one,18 progressed on. Officer Beltran, a lateral hire from NIU, and Officer Sotomayor are both off their 12-month probations, four officers participated in the field training program, three graduated from the academy, and the department’s most recent hires are Officer Kooistra, a lateral hire from Roselle, and Officer Sopha who is currently at the academy. Chief Winters exited the meeting after the conclusion of his report.

B. Fire Chief – Chief Gilmore reported the department is moving forward with developing the new fire station, and there are currently two open firefighter positions to fill as well as two anticipated retirements to fill in 2025.

OLD BUSINESS – None

NEW BUSINESS/ACTION ITEMS

A. Closed Session in accordance with 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) for the purpose of conducting Entry Level Firefighter Oral Examinations.

MOTION

Commissioner Dailey moved to enter executive session at 8:08AM for the purpose of conducting Entry Level Firefighter Oral Interviews, seconded by Commissioner Richardson. Present were Commissioner Tana Knetsch, Commissioner Samantha Dailey, Commissioner Jeff Richardson, Chief Bart Gilmore, Deputy Chief Jim Ward, City Manager Michael Hall, and HR Coordinator/Recording Secretary Erin Wright.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

Oral interviews were conducted for candidates Aburto, Meyer, and Akers.

MOTION

Commissioner Richardson moved to exit executive session at 8:55AM, seconded by Commissioner Dailey.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

B. Determination of candidate Aburto’s pass/fail status based on Oral Examination (Chapter 4, Section 6).

MOTION

Commissioner Knetch moved to pass candidate Aburto while assigning a score of 98, seconded by Commissioner Dailey.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

C. Determination of candidate Meyer’s pass/fail status based on Oral Examination (Chapter 4, Section 6).

MOTION

Commissioner Knetch moved to pass candidate Meyer while assigning a score of 95, seconded by Commissioner Daily.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

D. Determination of candidate Akers’ pass/fail status based on Oral Examination (Chapter 4, Section 6).

MOTION

Commissioner Knetch moved to pass candidate Akers while assigning a score of 92.5, seconded by Commissioner Dailey.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

E. Consideration of City Manager’s letter regarding vacancies for the position of firefighter.

MOTION

Commissioner Dailey moved to approve the City Manager’s letter to fill firefighter vacancies, seconded by Commissioner Knetch.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

F. Request to reopen testing for the purpose of establishing an entry-level firefighter eligibility list.

MOTION

Commissioner Richardson moved to approve reopening testing for the purpose of establishing an entry level firefighter eligibility list, seconded by Commissioner Dailey.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

G. Proposed Fire and Police Commission Regular Meeting Schedule for 2024.

MOTION

Commissioner Dailey moved to approve the 2024 Fire and Police Commission Regular Meeting Schedule, seconded by Commissioner Knetch.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION

Commissioner Knetch made the motion to adjourn, seconded by Commissioner Dailey.

VOTE

Commissioners voted 3 Aye and 0 Nay; motion carried.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15AM.

https://www.cityofsycamore.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02272024-275