Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board

MINUTES Special Meeting DeKalb Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board May 9, 2022 9:30 AM The Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board (“FFITB”) conducted a Regular Meeting on May 9, 2022, 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 9:30 AM and called the roll. Members present at roll call were Trevor Chilton, Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Joe Long, Greg Thornton, and Fire Chief Mike Thomas. Vinny Laudicina joined the meeting at 9:36. No members were absent. Other attendees were City Manager Bill Nicklas (joined at 9:33 AM, left at 9:50 AM); Finance Director Carrie Dittman; Fire Department Administrative Assistant Natalie Nelson, acting as recording secretary; and Firefighter/Paramedic Bill Lynch. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chief Thomas requested that “C. Public Participation” be moved to New Business as item F.2., and the subsequent items be renumbered sequentially. Thornton motioned to approve the agenda revision as requested, Holuj seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION To occur as second item under F. New Business. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Long moved to approve the Special Meeting minutes from February 11, 2022, as presented, Chief Thomas seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS Review of completed and pending purchases • Two three-burner grills for Stations 2 and 3, three (3) grill covers, and three (3) smoker covers have been purchased. • Sheds for Stations 2 and 3 have been ordered, pending delivery. • Flagpole at Station 1 has been purchased and installed. • Toolbox and tools for Station 2 have been purchased. Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board May 9, 2022 Page 2 of 3 • Patio chairs for Station 2 have been ordered. • Huff & Puff serviced the treadmill at Station 3. The repair requires a part, which has been ordered. NEW BUSINESS Approval of Treasurer’s Report for 1st quarter of 2022 Chief Thomas moved to approve the Treasurer Report as presented. 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, Greg Thornton, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed. Public Participation The City Finance Director Carrie Dittman presented the year-to-date FFITB budget and expenditures. She explained that the FFITB budget is entered and tracked in the City’s BS&A finance software. In 2022, FFITB has already made purchases that exceed some budget lines. A budget amendment, approved by City Council, will be necessary. FFITB should discuss with the City’s Finance Director before making purchases that would exceed a budget line, so that a budget amendment can be presented to the City Council. City Manager Bill Nicklas advised that budget planning for next year should include thoughtful consideration of past expenditures and future projections, which will ensure the budget is more realistic and flexible and avoid this scenario again. Discussion of Items to Purchase • SCBA Cascade System Discussion occurred regarding the status of this project. Chief Thomas reported that GEMT funds will be used to cover these costs, so FFITB will not need to allocate any funds. • Seek Thermal Imaging Camera Bill Lynch spoke upon the benefits of having heat-detecting cameras, especially when radio communication is compromised at a fully involved structure fire to help firefighters locate each other, hot spots, and occupants to be rescued. He provided information about the battery life and USB charging, warranty, price, and on-going training on how to use these tools. He requested purchasing twelve (12) cameras at $599.00 each, along with tethers. This would allow for each front-line engine and truck to have three. The total cost would be $7,535.00. These are not on the current Wish List, nor would these cameras replace others currently in use. Purchasing fewer cameras than requested was discussed, as well as the logistics of assigning them to seats on the engines and truck. Discussion followed regarding how FFITB should handle requests for purchases that are not on the current Wish List nor replacing old or broken items, which are typically how FFITB allots funds. Discussion continued about planning for upcoming expenses, including recuring expenses, such as groceries, beds, recliners, and Wish List items. Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board May 9, 2022 Page 3 of 3 The number of votes for a Wish List item does not always reflect the urgency of the purchase, especially nearer the bottom of the priority list. Long motioned to purchase six (6) thermal cameras with the intention to purchase at least six (6) more in the next budget year. 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, Greg Thornton, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed. • Wishlist items o Item 12: Personalized Yeti mugs for $1,800 will not be purchased at this time. o Item 13: Pelvic slings for $280.00 will be useful and shall be purchased. Klotz motioned to purchase Item 13, Pelvic Slings. Laudicina seconded the motion. A roll call vote was conducted. Aye votes were cast by Trevor Chilton, Matt Holuj, Matt Klotz, Vinny Laudicina, Joe Long, Greg Thornton, and Mike Thomas. No nay votes were cast. The motion passed. Releasing Wishlist Early Typically the wishlist process starts in August and calculated October, presented in November. Klotz recommended releasing in May, discussing individual items on majority vote to be on the list for voting. Voting based upon priority so that it would be weighted instead of yes-no. Release this week. Reviewed in August meeting. Discussion of Topics for Next Meeting Agenda • Budget for next year. Next regular meeting will be August 8, 2022, at 9:30 AM ADJOURNMENT Seeing no further discussion, Laudicina moved to adjourn, Chilton seconded the motion, a voice vote was conducted, and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:25 AM Natalie Nelson, FFITB Recording Secretary Minutes approved by the Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board on Friday, September 09, 2022.