Sutter Basin Fire District Minutes 8/10/2021

Opening

The regular meeting of the Sutter Basin Fire District was called to order at 8:05 a.m. on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at the Robbins Fire Department by Mark Richter.

Present

Mark Richter, Anthony Van Ruiten, Samuel Martin, and Kimberly Richter were in attendance.

Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved. Motion by Anthony Van Ruiten. Second by Samuel Martin, and unanimously approved.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the July 2021 meeting were approved. Motion by Samuel Martin.  Second by Anthony Van Ruiten, and unanimously approved.

Old Business

Status of volunteers was discussed.  The updated roster was distributed. A meeting for Monday, August 16^th at 7:00 p.m. has been scheduled to discuss upcoming trainings for all volunteers. Payments to firefighters for their “response to calls” during the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year will be distributed.

Hiring of a Paid Firefighter was discussed along with the monies generated by the SBFPD to provide for the salary and benefits of a paid employee. To determine the generated revenues for the Sutter Basin Fire Protection District, John Beaver of the Sutter County Auditor’s Office was contacted through email.  John Beaver explained that the SBFPD monies are generated through a whole county tax, and then a specified percentage (0.00115966) is allocated to the SBFPD.  In addition, John Beavers stated that the type of entity of the SBFPD is a Special District in Sutter County.

New Business

Correspondences were shared by Kimberly Richter. Nick from the Sutter County Water Board wrote to explain that bottled water will not be provided to the fire station for the firefighters.  The grant is specified only for children.  Insurance Services Office (ISO) emailed an area jurisdiction map, and a map of the SBFPD fire stations located in the SBFPD area.  The ISO had the Sutter Bypass as part of the jurisdiction map, and it was determined that the Bypass will need to be removed from the ISO map, and resubmitted.  The Fire Agencies Self Insurance System (FASIS) wrote to tell of the upcoming FASIS Safety and Risk Control visit.  Due to the change of personnel in the SBFPD, FASIS will be asked to delay the upcoming Safety and Risk Control visit to allow time to have new personnel trained and become acquainted with their responsibilities. 

2021-2022 SBFPD Budget was reviewed and discussed. Following the review, there was a discussion of insurance coverage and costs for the district.  The Commissioners were interested in the total yearly cost of insurance for the SBFPD, and whether or not the existing insurance has liability coverage for the Commissioners. To determine the yearly cost and coverage, the National Union Insurance Company and the Golden State Insurance Company will be contacted to determine cost and coverage.  The 2021 – 2022 Budget was approved. Motion by Samuel Martin.  Second by Anthony Van Ruiten, and unanimously approved.

Approval of monthly bills was discussed.  At present there is a balance of $400,780.68.  Due to the questions surrounding the training of the Volunteer Firefighters, it was determined to table the payment for Vector Solutions (online training program) until the firefighters’ trainings has been determined.   All other bills were approved, and all other claims were signed by the commissioners.

LAFCO and the Grand Jury Report were discussed. Mark Richter crafted a letter to respond to the Grand Jury Report that stated that the SBFPD has never employed a paid Fire Chief, and that at this time there is no Fire Chief with the departure of Jim Christison.  Furthermore, Mark Richter wrote to explain that all audits are complete and up to date. In addition, Mark explained how the SBFPD responds to all calls even though there is no designated Fire Chief at this time.  Lastly, Mark Richter shared that the SBFPD Commissioners are in support of developing the idea of a Sutter County Fire Chief.       

Agenda for Next Meeting

Agenda items for the next meeting are Commissioner liability coverage, yearly insurance costs, and a report on the Monday, August 16^th Volunteer Firefighters’ Meeting. 

Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 8:55 a.m. by Mark Richter. The next Board of Commissioners Meeting will be held at 8:00 a.m. on September 14, 2021, at the Robbins Fire Station in Robbins California.

Minutes submitted by:	Kimberly Richter
Approved by:	Mark Richter