The Falcon Fire Protection District held its regular monthly board meeting Dec. 14, 2016. All board members were in attendance except for Joan Hathcock, who was granted an excused absence. Richard Shearer, legal counsel for the district, was not present but was available by phone.Treasurerís reportFire Chief Trent Harwig reported the fiscal year was 92 percent complete as of Nov. 30. As of that date, the district had received 101 percent of its anticipated revenue, and total anticipated expenditures were at 81 percent. Harwig noted that some significant expenses remained in December, such as the annual contribution to the volunteer pension fund.Harwig said one fire engine experienced two major mechanical malfunctions that cost about $18,000 in repairs. This caused the maintenance category to go from about 20 percent under budget to 20 percent over budget. Harwig said the manufacturer was consulted on both mechanical issues, which the repair shop called ìcommonî failures, and the repair costs were deemed fair.Even with the unexpected engine repair costs, Harwig anticipated the district would still end 2016 about 10 percent under budget.Chiefís reportThe district had 160 calls for service in November 2016, compared to 188 in November 2015. Despite a slight decrease in call volume in October and November, the year-to-date incident count was still 2.2 percent ahead of the same time period in 2015.Station 4Harwig reported that construction on Station 4 is ìmoving right along.î (Go to the district website at http://falconfirepd.org to see photo summaries of the stationís progress.)He met with Hammers Construction to discuss change order No. 1 for $20,315, and obtained a reduction of about $4,400. The change order was subsequently approved and signed per the boardís direction at the November meeting. The district has received a second change order for $5,975 related to a retaining wall and a handicapped sidewalk. After discussion, the board voted to approve the change order with some stipulations.2016 supplemental budget hearingThe board approved a resolution regarding a 2016 supplemental budget that accommodates the unanticipated revenue and expenditures resulting from the $1.7 million lease purchase for Station 4. The lease purchase was not factored into the original 2016 budget.2017 budget hearingHarwig said there have been no significant changes since the budget discussion in October. Among other items, the 2017 budget supports construction, staffing and equipment for the new fire station; three new captain positions; and a cost of living adjustment for current staff. The board passed three resolutions to adopt the 2017 budget, appropriate sums of money for each fund and formally set the mil levy at 8.612 mils as previously approved by voters.2017 board meetingsFFPD regular monthly board meetings will be held at 4 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month except December, when the meeting will be held the second week (Dec. 13) to accommodate a statutory budget deadline. All meetings will be held at headquarters/Station 3.2017 pension board meetingsPension board meetings will be held May 17 and Nov. 15.2017 pay, leave, and allowance scheduleThe board approved the 2017 Pay, Leave, and Allowance schedule, which includes a 2.8 percent COLA increase for current employees. Part-time employees will see incremental pay increases to bring them up to the voter-approved minimum wage of $12 per hour in 2018.
