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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-4-2013 KFC Open Min APPROVEDCOUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Anproved as circulated 4/1/13 Board/Committee: I FIRE COMMISSION Meeting Date March 4, 2013 Location Mo`ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/213 Start of Meeting: 2:04 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:36 p.m. Present Vice -Chair Jimmy Miranda (entered meeting at 2:07) Members: Linda Kaauwai- Iwamoto; Eugene Jimenez; Savita Agarwal; Jesse Fukushima (entered meeting at 2:10) Also: Mayor Bernard Carvalho; Purchasing Director Ernest Barreira; Finance Director Steve Hunt; Deputy County Attorney Ian Jung; Boards & Commissions Office Staff. Support Clerk Cherisse Zaima; Administrative Aide Teresa Tamura; Administrator Paula Morikami Excused Dan Brown Absent SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Prior to the start of the meeting, Council Administrative Assistant Eddie Topenio gave the Oath of Office to member Savita Agarwal. The Mayor's budget presentation was listed first on the agenda, but due to lack of quorum the meeting was not called to order. However, Attorney Jung explained that under the new OIP (Office of Information Practice) rules under H.R.S 92, the Commission can gather information at a publicly noticed meeting as long as that same information is relayed in the next meeting for the full body. If the Commission wished to hear the Mayor's budget presentation, the meeting must first be called to order. Since there was no Chair or Vice -Chair present, a Chair Pro Tem would need to be assigned. Attorney Jung stated that anyone can raise their hand and do it, or if they wanted to make it a democratic process, the Commission could elect someone. Mr. Jimenez volunteered to act as Chair Pro Tem. Call To Order Chair Pro Tem Jimenez called the meeting to order at 2:04 p.m. with 3 members present; no quorum. ■ Mayor's budget presentation for Fiscal Year 2013 -2014 Mayor Carvalho thanked the Commissioners for their service and Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION volunteerism. He presented an overview of the budget process for the 2014 budget. The State of the County Address is coming up on March 18 at which time Mayor Carvalho will deliver the full budget message. Commissioners Miranda and Fukushima entered the meeting. Attorney Jung noted that since now there is a standing quorum, if the Commissioners want to pose questions or start to deliberate, they may do so. Steve Hunt, Director of Finance, briefed the Commission on their collaboration with all department heads to determine necessary expenditure reductions. This year, the County is unable to utilize unassigned fund balances accumulated from prior fiscal years, as had been done in the past. Therefore, the budget team has instituted critical, cost - saving measures such as highly scrutinized non - essential travel, a hiring freeze for vacant positions unless duly authorized, and deferring all new projects where funding sources have not been identified outside of the general fund. In addition, vacant positions will be dollar funded, which eliminates fringe costs associated with those positions, and a required 6 -month lag before hiring for any positions in FY 2014. Mr. Fukushima asked what the current normal surplus percentage average is to which Mr. Hunt responded that it has been averaging in the five to six percent range out of the operating budget, which was about $61 million last year. Mr. Fukushima asked for an explanation on the fringes that were mentioned as not being funded. Mr. Hunt explained that the cost - savings he was talking about with a dollar - funded position would not only take the salary off the budget, but the fringe benefits as well. Mr. Jimenez asked whether the hiring lag of 6- months was across the board Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION or dependent on the position, because there are some positions that have to be hired ASAP rather than waiting 6- months. Mr. Hunt replied that it is a general policy where that lag can be afforded, however, if it is emergency services, or critical to continued operations, it will not be subject to the lag. Ms. Agarwal asked if we are paying more overtime if the County is short- handed to which Mr. Hunt explained that it could result in overtime depending on the specifics of the operation and sometimes overtime can be less costly than having another body that also requires fringe. It's just a matter of balancing that equation to meet fiscal responsibilities. Mr. Barreira provided some background on the implementation of the budget team that the Mayor felt was essential to address the various budgetary needs and responsibilities for the County of Kauai. He shared prior to that there was only one budget administrator who took care of that on his own for 42 years. Mr. Barreira reported that the current budget team consists of himself — the Budget and Purchasing Administrator — and Budget Analysts Ann Wooton and Ken Shimonishi. He gave an overview of the budget team's function and methods of handling the upcoming budget. Mr. Jimenez asked for clarification on what constitutes as fringe benefits and what the percentage is, to which Mr. Barreira explained that it could be as much at 58 -60 percent of the actual cost of the salary. So when dollar funded exercises are done, as they are planning to do this year, it's a tremendous savings. Eighty (80) percent of the County's budget falls under that realm (fringe benefits), in the form of retirement, medical, dental, etc. which are required to be paid to collective bargaining employees as well as exempt employees. Fringe benefits are also paid in terms of Sick Leave and Vacation hours which can be paid out in cash upon separation of service. Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Fukushima asked if there are any plans in place should the TAT (Transient Accommodations Tax) be terminated this upcoming fiscal year. Mr. Hunt replied that they do not have an active plan, but there is a May submittal for budget revision if this does occur before then, comprising of expenditure cuts or revenue enhancements in the form of substantial real Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Budget and property tax revenue, which is the County's largest source of revenue. Purchasing Director Ernest Barreira and Finance Director Steve Hunt left the meeting at 2:22 p.m. Vice Chair Miranda welcomed Savita and asked if she could introduce herself and tell the commission about herself. In response to Mr. Fukushima's question, Attorney Jung explained that the meeting was called to order prior to having a quorum to receive information on the Mayor's budget presentation, referencing the new OIP rules he explained earlier. Since a quorum was established mid - stream during the presentation, the meeting has now come fully to order. Mr. Fukushima moved to suspend the rules to acknowledge new member, Savita Agarwal. Ms. Agarwal shared that she was formerly the Chair for the Committee on the Status of Women and that she is a scientist by training, having worked in the medical field, the research labs, worked as an administrator and taught at colleges. She moved to Kauai 7 years ago and is married to Dr. Kumar who has been on the island for 20 years. Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes of February 4, 2013 Ms. Kaauwai- Iwamoto moved to approve the Minutes minutes. Mr. Fukushima seconded the motion. Vice -Chair Miranda requested a motion to approve the minutes. Motion carried 5:0 Chiefs Monthly ■ Overview for the month of January 2013 and pertinent updates Report ■ Budget Report as of January 31, 2013 Chief Westerman presented the monthly report, highlighting training on social media issues. He reported that social media has become a problem in Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION the department and they are trying to come up with some kind of social media policy to keep the department from being in the media, in reference to things like Facebook and firefighters posting pictures on the internet. Commendations were received for a rescue on Awapuni Trail on January 3rd, and a rescue by an off -duty firefighter at Lumaha'i Beach which garnered a certificate from Council. Operations Bureau Chief Westerman noted that this year's numbers are a bit higher than last year, which does not surprise him. The increase of visitors to the island has translated to an increase in call loads. Apparatus Update One stand -by truck is out of service and they are currently trying to get it back in service because a new recruit class just started. There is one new engine to be purchased this year, which will push that stand -by truck out of service and another younger truck into service as a stand -by. Station Updates The driver simulator is going around station to station to train the firefighter while they are on duty, saving on overtime costs by having an instructor come in off -duty instead of having the entire crew come in off -duty for training. KFD ran a drill out of Station 3 with the Coast Guard, utilizing the Radon at Nawiliwili and noted the importance of being able to work with the Coast Guard in a training environment as opposed to an actual rescue. Training Bureau Partici ated in Technical Rescue Craft Operation with KPD 911 dispatchers Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION to ensure that they understand the new Standard of Response system and know who to dispatch. Chief Westerman mentioned the Public Safety Diver Training re- certification is part of the department's risk management training to ensure that the firefighters do not get injured during a dive rescue due to lack of routine training and skill maintenance. Prevention Chief Westerman explained how the prevention bureau works in conjunction with the Planning Department, who asks the Fire department to review plans as part of their permitting process. He further explained the importance of going over the plans with a fine tooth comb to see if there is something that the Planning Department may not understand on how fire can affect a structure. Ocean Safety Bureau Ex- Coastguardsman, Jim Jung, facilitated a Coast Guard Auxiliary training which is a pre- cursor to the Rescue Operator training course. Chief Westerman reported numerous high surf warnings. The Kekaha lifeguard tower has been realigned closer to its original location as the beach has actually come back. Some public safety announcements were done on the radio and a video has been produced, with the help of Wala'au, for the kiosks at the airports. The kiosks will have motion sensor detectors, starting to play as it senses visitors coming through the baggage claim. Additionally, a new banner will be put up, similar to the one they had previously that recommends swimming near a lifeguard. Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION The stolen ATV has been recovered with the help of some of the residents of Anahola. Budget Chief Westerman provided a brief explanation of the budget spreadsheet for new member Savita Agarwal before continuing with the budget overview. Mr. Fukushima mentioned that the biggest utility expenditure has always been electricity. He asked whether the Fire department has been able to secure grants from the Federal government for solar panels for all of the stations that are without. Chief Westerman replied that they have not applied for any grants, but have been working on a sustainability exercise with Ben Sullivan and the Economic Development office, along with other departments, to cover the issues of solar and photovoltaic systems. Part of the problem the Fire Department faces is limited roof space for the amount of panels required to overcome individual costs. The department has recommended that they construct covered parking around the stations to accommodate the panels, similar to the ones constructed at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. Mr. Fukushima asked for a timeline, to which Chief Westerman replied that he isn't sure what is in the CIP budget but that he knows they were considering putting in some money to start funding those initiatives. Chief Westerman discussed the rank- for -rank portion of the budget, clarifying for Mr. Fukushima that all FLSA issues have been resolved. In response to Mr. Jimenez's questions, Chief Westerman explained that Rank- for -Rank is a ranked officer for a ranked officer, in other words, if a Captain is on leave, another Captain would work for him instead of having a lower ranking position temporarily assigned up to Captain. Training's expenditures seem to be far behind other bureaus. However, not all training is done early in the year and with the new training class just Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 8 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION starting, they'll need to pay for overtime for the Captains to come to provide recruit training as well as the salaries for the new personnel on board. This year, in order to help hold down costs, they didn't participate in some of the external FEMA training. Though FEMA pays about 90 percent of the cost, Fire still has to pay for per diem cost. Ocean Safety seems to be a little over budget in their salaries, not because they haven't budgeted properly, but because they have some vacancies as well as pending reallocations that they will be expending funds for. The only overtime they have actually expended has been for community events, approved by the Mayor, that they have been asked to assist with. Mr. Jimenez noted that there was no amount listed under Mileage in the Fire Commission portion of the budget. He asked whether or not there was money for mileage. Chief Westerman replied that there is money budgeted for mileage. Mr. Fukushima asked that in the event that the TAT funds are pulled by the State, would Fire be able to pull back in any areas of the budget. Chief Westerman replied that they have been working diligently to come in at budget; two years ago, they were left with $80,000 at the end of the year, so they increased the budget last year. If they have to, they could probably come up with some funding but they would have to forego things like trainings and community programs. Chief Westerman stated that 85% of Fire's budget is for salaries and that his operating budget is very lean. This year's budget looks as though Fire is in a surplus but they must consider that next year, all positions that were budgeted for but remained vacant this year will be filled next year. Vice -Chair Miranda requested a motion to receive the Chief's Monthly Report. Mr. Fukushima moved to accept the Chief's Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 9 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION monthly report. Ms. Kaauwai- Iwamoto seconded the motion. Motion carried 5:0. Business ■ KFC 2013 -07 Discussion on handouts provided by Westerman regarding Kauai Fire Department's training programs and Standard Operating Procedures Mr. Fukushima stated that the Chief, having been in his position at KFD for quite some time, should have an idea of what is expected of his battalion chiefs in terms of knowledge, experience and performance. The initial request made to the Chief was to obtain his expertise on what qualifies someone for an upper level management position which would then help create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for minimum qualifications. It was argued that putting too many qualifications in writing can not only qualify people, but also disqualify people. Mr. Fukushima further stated that having an SOP listing, the required experience and education for upper management positions would help even the playing field for candidates and could help diminish hiring politics. It would also keep the department at a very decent level of functionality on the management level, and keep the County and the department out of the risk of liability. A concern was raised on the possibility of someone getting superseded based on connections as opposed to experience and knowledge. Chief Westerman stated that the opportunity for different types of training is available to all fire officers, but it is each individual's responsibility to determine whether they will take advantage of it. It was mentioned that the Commissioners should not rely solely on the Chief's determination of what he feels qualifies someone for the position, as he may have his own biases on who he wants as Chief based on his personal references. It is incumbent upon the Commission to know what the Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 10 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION requirements would be for the position of Fire Chief. There was further discussion on the Commission's role and that asking for minimum qualifications for upper management positions from Captain all the way up, (excluding the Fire Chief) is not their place to determine. It was stated for clarification that the purpose of having those types of promotional guidelines for upper management (excluding the Fire Chief) would provide a larger pool of qualified candidates from which they can try to bring up to the capacity of Fire Chief. It was argued that there is already a job description for Battalion Chiefs and there should already be minimum requirements in place. It was agreed that there should be some kind of guidelines for minimum requirements of positions from Captain up to Chief as long as it doesn't become so specific that it potentially disqualifies otherwise eligible candidates. Chief Westerman asked Mr. Fukushima if he could inform him of what he wanted to see and that his department would be more than willing to provide that information. Mr. Fukushima replied that Chief Westerman has the best knowledge of what the expectations are of his management team and that he would like to see some sort of very basic guidelines for promotions to upper management positions. Mr. Fukushima further stated that he would be sitting down with Chief Westerman, as well as some of the Battalion Chiefs and other upper management personnel, to get familiar with those positions. Mr. Miranda requested more information on the National Fire Academy and whether it was a 4 -year program. Chief Westerman provided some information on the Executive Fire Officer program and its benefits. Chief Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 11 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Westerman stressed that by attending the Academy or the Conferences, KFD officers receive a level of training that they will never get here on Kauai because they get to meet and talk with officers from all over the nation from many different types of fire department structures. Chief Westerman highly encourages attendance and stated that he has noticed that every single officer that has gone to the academy has come back with a different outlook. He feels that this ties in to what Mr. Fukushima talked about as far as offering training opportunities that will potentially lead to promotions. Ms. Agarwal asked whether all the firefighters are aware of this program, to which Chief Westerman responded affirmatively. Executive Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes § §92 -4 and 92 -5 (a) (2) (4), 92 -9 Deputy County Attorney Ian Jung read the Session (a)(1 -4) (b), the purpose of this executive session is to receive and approve Hawaii Revised Statues as described on the Executive Session minutes, to consider the evaluation of an officer or agenda that would take the Commission into employee where consideration of matters affecting privacy may be Executive Session for item ES -004. involved, provided that if the individual concerned requests an open meeting, an open meeting shall be held, and to consult with the Commission's legal counsel on issues pertaining to the Commission's and the County's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and/or liabilities as Mr. Fukushima moved to convene into they may relate to this item, deliberate and take such action as appropriate. Executive Session at 3:33 p.m. Ms. Ka'auwai- Iwamoto seconded the motion. ■ ES -004 Executive Session Minutes of February 4, 2013 Motion carried 5:0 Return to Open Ratify Commission actions taken in the Executive Session for item: The meeting reconvened in open session at 3:34 Session ES -004 p.m. Mr. Jimenez moved to ratify the Commission's actions taken in the Executive Session. Ms. Kaauwai- Iwamoto seconded the motion. Motion carried 5:0 Announcements Next Meeting: Monday, April 1, 2013 — 2:00 p.m., Mo`ikeha Building, Kauai Fire Commission Open Session March 4, 2013 Page 12 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Meeting Room 2A/B Adjournment Ms. Ka'auwai- Iwamoto moved to adjourn the meeting at 3:36 p.m. Mr. Fukushima seconded the motion. Motion carried 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 3:36 p.m. Submitted by: Cherisse Zaima, Support Clerk () Approved as is. () Approved with amendments. See minutes of Reviewed and Approved by: meeting. Jimmy Miranda, Vice Chair