Meeting Minutes

Absent: Commissioner Russo-Driska

1. CALL TO ORDER
   Chairman Gallitto called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
   The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

3. OPEN PUBLIC SESSION
   Chairman Gallitto opened public session at 7:01 p.m.

   Daniel Penny, 1101 Chamberlain Hill Road
   Mr. Penney brought forth a couple of concerns to the Commission members. He first asked with the meeting packet information now available online, if there is a way the pages could be numbered so there is no confusion over the number of pages.

   Mr. Penney also spoke about his concerns about the overtime costs. He stated that after only one month into the new budget year replacements and callbacks are already at over $23,000. He made some recommendations as to how the financial reports could be designed. Mr. Penney went on to say that one month into the new budget overtime is already drifting out of control and we are facing a very serious problem. He said the issue needs to be looked at from a different perspective. Pension should not be used as an excuse for loosing employees. He asked the Commission to look at these issues and address them appropriately.

4. CLOSE PUBLIC SESSION
   Chairman Gallitto closed public session at 7:07 p.m.

5. MINUTES TO BE APPROVED
   A. REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 13, 2009
   MOTION to approve minutes of July 13, 2009 Regular Meeting by Comm. Gregorio/ Comm. Sarcia. Unanimously approved.

6. TAX COLLECTOR'S REPORT
   The Commission reviewed the Tax Collector's Report submitted by Tax Collector Cindy Gotta. Chief Badamo answered questions of the Commission members.

   Chief Badamo clarified a question for Commissioner Roberts in regards to dates on the report. Chief Badamo added that collections are approximately $150,000 to $200,000 ahead of where we were last year at this time. There are no collection issues.

   MOTION to approve the Tax Collector's Report by Comm. Gregorio/Comm. Roberts. Unanimously approved.

   A. TAX REBATES
   There were no tax rebates.

7. MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORTS
   The Commission reviewed the reports submitted by Financial Advisor Sharon Maloney. Chief Badamo answered questions of the Commission members.

   Commissioner Sarcia asked Chief Badamo questions regarding heating expenses for the month. Further discussion ensued. Replacements and callbacks were discussed as well.

   Commissioner Roberts inquired about the status of the STIF account. Chief Badamo stated that Sharon Maloney was waiting for the new fiscal year to begin so she could begin allocating money. She will be working with the Commission on this. Chairman Gallitto added that Ms. Maloney will present a proposal to the Commission based on her recommendation.

   MOTION to approve Monthly Financial Reports by Comm. Gregorio/Comm. Roberts. Unanimously approved.

8. CHIEF'S REPORT
   Chief Badamo reviewed his report and answered questions of the Commission members.

   The three new Firefighters have been assigned to their respective shifts. They were recently sworn in at a ceremony at which many of the Firefighters were recognized for their efforts at various calls.

   Chief Badamo attended a pre-construction meeting regarding the replacement of the Wilcox Road bridge. He also met with the installers of the Algonquin pipeline. The construction has begun and contingency plans have been approved and put in place.

   A conditional offer of employment has been made to an individual to replace a Firefighter who recently left. The next academy begins September 8th.

   Chief Badamo recently met with Br. Brian from Xavier who has taken over for Br. William. Br. Brian's brother is a firefighter for the city of New York. His brother is the only survivor from his engine company from the 9/11 tragedy. Br. Brian has a special place in his heart for Firefighters and is more than willing to come down and provide us with any services we may need from Xavier.

   Many of our Firefighters recently took part in a wing eating contest for charity.

   Chief Badamo responded to a question from Chairman Gallitto in response to the Paddock Road closure near Xavier. Chief Badamo stated he hasn't heard anything new since he last reported on it but stated that there have been a number of meetings on the city level.

   Commissioner Roberts opened a discussion regarding the amount of calls made to the CVH Campus.

   MOTION to approve Chief Edward Badamo's Report by Comm. Gregorio/Comm. Sarcia. Unanimously approved.

9. DEPUTY CHIEF/FIRE MARSHAL'S REPORT
   The Commission reviewed the report submitted by Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal Steven Krol. Deputy Chief Krol answered questions of the Commission members.

   Deputy Chief Krol advised the Commission that blasting permits have been issued to Vets Explosives and will begin overhead power line fusion work tomorrow which is similar to what was done last year. They will do a test blast at noon tomorrow at the Kleen Energy project to acclimate the employees as to what the sounds will be like. The blasting is expected to be completed in 19 days. CL&P will get proper notification out to residents from a previous contact list regarding the blasting.

   Through Chief Badamo we have established contact with United Cleaning & Restoration of Middlefield. They will be partnering with us for annual Open House this year. They will be helping out with donations and will be setting up a booth. We are hoping to have burn simulators at this year's Open House. In these simulators, a fire is started and the public can see the difference between a room that was suppressed with a sprinkler head and one that wasn't. United Cleaning has agreed to build these for us. This year's Open House is scheduled for October 3rd from 11 - 3.

   Commissioner Roberts inquired as to whether or not there is a mitigation plan in place in case of an emergency situation in regards to the gas and oil pipelines. Chief Badamo stated that we do have plans, Deputy Chief Fongemie has gone to training on the plans and he will have him address the question.

   Commissioner Sarcia made reference to an increasing burn spot on the building of the new Famous Pizza location on South Main Street. He complimented Deputy Chief Krol on his involvement in getting the issue repaired. Deputy Chief Krol stated the problem was due to a vent from the pizza oven.

   MOTION to approve Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal Steven Krol's report by Comm. Gregorio/Comm. Sarcia. Unanimously approved.

10. DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS REPORT
    Deputy Chief Fongemie clarified some concerns for Commissioner Roberts in regards to emergencies and protocols in regards to the Buckeye Pipeline. Deputy Chief Fongemie has attended a class where there was discussion as to what would be done in case of an emergency.

    During the report Chief Badamo added that we have plans which include MSDS sheets, information on what runs through the pipeline, volume, technical information, etc.

    Further discussion ensued.

    Deputy Chief Fongemie then reviewed his report and answered questions of the Commission members.

    New Firefighter training and orientation for July included cold water rescue training with the assistance of Lt. Howley and Dive Team familiarization with Lt. Gamache.

    Additional in house training included a Forest/Wildland Firefighting Class and Emergency Medical Dispatch training.

    MOTION to approve Deputy Chief of Operations Marc Fongemie's report by Comm. Gregorio/Comm. Roberts. Unanimously approved.

11. COMMISSIONER REPORTS
    Commissioner Gregorio reported that he attended the most recent Public Safety Meeting but there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. He also attended the Fire Cost Savings Committee meeting. He said the ground work was laid out and it was very informative. Chief Badamo attended as well. The next meeting is scheduled for September.

    Commissioner Roberts stated that he also attended the Fire Cost Savings Committee meeting. He stated that the rules were set and he said an idea was brought about in regards to shared services with maintenance vehicles and he feels that was a very constructive suggestion.

12. OLD BUSINESS
    Commissioner Sarcia brought forth a concern regarding a recent issue involving the the district's health insurance plan. The Commission was approached with a new type of insurance plan by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield that would allow a savings of approximately $40,000 to the district. He said that this information came to the Commission a little too fast and it was hard to digest. He stated that the Firefighters and the Union were made aware of the new plan two weeks prior to the Commission. That made him more uncomfortable.

    Commissioner Sarcia explained the proposed plan which would increase an employee's copay from $15 to $20 but would include a reimbursement plan by another company. For further clarification, he contacted a representative at Anthem. He was supplied with information (which he made available to the Commission and those in attendance), stating that all Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are designed with the assumption that there are no underlying, undisclosed funding arrangements on any products. In addition, if Anthem were to discover any underlying plans or excessive funding in these plans at the time a quote is issued, they will take appropriate action which includes termination of a group contract.

    Commissioner Sarcia went on to say he feels this is not good ethics and he is glad it all fell through. In addition, he said these kinds of issues need to come to the Commission first, before the Union and the Firefighters and let them digest it.

    Further discussion ensued regarding the way the situation was handled and how the Commission was notified of the proposed plan.

    Chairman Gallitto asked Commissioner Sarcia to recuse himself from any discussions relating to personnel, medical or labor relations as he is a part of it being a retired Firefighter.

    Chairman Gallitto went on to say the intent of this was to try to do something good for the Firefighters and for the district, not to deceive anyone.

13. NEW BUSINESS
    Chairman Gallitto brought up the idea mentioned by a member of the public in regards to numbering the pages of the online packet. Chief Badamo said we will look into how to do that.

14. EXECUTIVE SESSION
    MOTION to go into Executive Session at 8:13 p.m. by Comm. Gregorio/ Comm. Sarcia for a personnel issue, pursuant to Statutes Section 1-200(6)(A) and Section 1-225(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended. Unanimously approved.

    In attendance at Executive Session were Commissioners Gallitto, Roberts, Gregorio and Sarcia and Chief Badamo.

15. CALL BACK TO ORDER
    Chairman Gallitto called the meeting back to order at 9:35 p.m.

16. ADJOURNMENT
    MOTION to adjourn by Comm. Gregorio/Comm. Roberts. Unanimously approved.

    Meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.
    

Respectfully Submitted,

Cheryl H. Creem
Recording Secretary