HARMONY FIRE DISTRICT

P.O. Box 360 – 194 Putnam Pike

Harmony, R.I.  02829

 

 

The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Harmony Fire District Executive Board was held at the Harmony Fire Station on Thursday, January 24, 2008.

 

Present:            Chief Stuart Pearson; Moderator - Raymond Fogarty, Jr.;

            Treasurer - Sandra Owens; Tax Collector - Kimberly Barber; 

            Clerk - Ann Dahlquist; Attorney - Fred Mason, Jr.;

            Board Members - Louise Michaels, Milton Huston & George Kain

                         

Absent:             Board Member – James Richards        

 

I. – Meeting Called to Order:  7:02 pm by Moderator Fogarty. 

 

II. - Approval of the minutes from the November 20, 2007 meeting. 

Moderator Fogarty asked the board if there were any discrepancies to note on the minutes from the November 20th meeting.  If not, he would like to call for a motion to accept them. 

 

Louise made a motion to accept the minutes. George claimed abstention.  Ray seconded the motion.  The motion carried.

 

III. - Treasurer’s Report:

Sandy presented her report for the month of December.  Beginning balance December 1st $324,402.21 and the ending balance December 31st $286,585.42.  There were no expenses out of the ordinary to report.

 

Sandy made mention of the personnel salary accounts and payroll tax account.  She will be preparing a journal entry to distribute these amounts to the appropriate accounts.  All of the expenses have been posted, they will just be reclassified.  She is also working on the insurance policies with Kim to create a schedule of due dates and amounts for each policy to have correct figures for the new budget.  Kim explained that in the past all of the policies had been grouped together, instead of being broken out into separate categories.

 

George asked if there could be a check register or disbursement sheets present at monthly meetings for the board members to review.  Kim will have the binder she keeps for the treasurer available at the next meeting.

 

George made a motion to accept the December treasurer’s report.  Louise seconded it. 

The motion carried.

 

IV. - Tax Collector’s Report:

Taxes receivable balance is $91,411.08 as of today’s date.  Taxes collected in the month of

November were $3,979.66 and in the month of December were $10,955.05.  Third party billing monies collected in the month of November totaled $5,184.99 and in December totaled $2,607.71

 

Ray asked about foreclosures.  Kim stated that the district will get the money owed for these properties, it will just take more time.  Fees and interest are all due and payable.  He asked if she had a total of how many properties of this type there are within the district.  She said that she gets notice by mail of bankruptcy filings and she watches the legal ads in the Providence Journal for notices of foreclosure/mortgagee’s sales.  For example one of the two properties who was listed on the tax sale scheduled for tomorrow has filed for bankruptcy, effective 1/29/2008.  Rhode Island Housing has acquired the “right of first refusal” to purchase all tax sale properties by the passing of recent legislation.  They bought both of our listed properties and therefore the tax sale has been canceled.

 

Milton asked why the third party billing revenue reported by Kim was different than the amount listed on the treasurer’s report.  Sandy said that her figures deduct the 6% collection fee paid to the third party billing company.  Ray noticed that the year-to-date figure for third party revenue shows approximately $35,000.00, which is a lot higher than our original budgeted estimate.

 

Milton made a motion to accept the tax collector’s report.  Louise seconded it.  The motion carried.

 

V. - Chief’s Report:

The Chief started his report with events taking place since our last board meeting.  On November 25th we held our annual “Christmas Tree Lighting and Party” here at the station.  It was quite a success.  For next year’s event though there is a safety concern that needs to be addressed.  In the past the Glocester Police Department has sent an officer to assist people crossing the road.  But due to an increase in calls, they are having to leave the station in order to respond.  Therefore he suggested that we hire an officer to perform a detail in order to curtail any liability issues.

 

For Christmas the department donated gift baskets and helped to make Santa deliveries on one of our apparatus to needy families in Glocester.  There was a big ad in the Bargain Buyer thanking us and everyone else involved.

 

The Chief appeared twice on Channel 10.  Once in December to do a segment filmed right here at the station about Christmas safety tips and again in January to sit on the carbon monoxide phone help line.  He actually received a phone call from a Harmony resident!  In the future he will also be presenting information on this issue at the Home Show.

 

He met with the Glocester Safety Commission to go over renovations at the high school and issues at the new middle school.

 

He also met with Aharonian and Associates to receive their kitchen renovation plans.  At this point he would now like to set up a meeting with the Building Committee to go over the recommendations and plans that they have provided for us.  Ray stated that the Building Committee consists of the Chief, Milton, Deputy Segee and Privates Marc Swartz and Willie Vota.  The Chief suggested that Milton e-mail Kim with a couple of dates that are good for him and she will confirm with the other committee members what will work out best for everyone.  Milton agreed.

 

The Chief shared with the board commendation letters sent to himself and the crew for an outstanding job performed at an emergency call at her home.  Crew members noted were Deputy Chief Segee, Lt. Donna DeConte and Privates Bob Pierce, Willie Vota, Kevin Farley and Mike Grenga.

 

Other thank you’s came from resident Russell Steere for the assistance he received from the department recently and from board member George Kain for the get well basket sent to him after his recent hospital stay.

 

In other news the crew is starting their EMT recertification course.  It will run once a week from now until May.  We’ll take the summer off and then in September the cardiac level EMT’s will begin that portion of the course.

 

Another issue he wanted to address was the recent news item regarding consolidation of all fire districts.  He doesn’t seem to think it will be a threat to us, since all fire districts have individual charters.  Some discussion followed on this issue.

 

Louise made a motion to accept the chief’s report.  George seconded it.  The motion carried.

 

VI. - Committee Reports:

a.   Building Committee – none given

b.      Strategic Planning Committee – workshop to be held after board meeting adjournment

 

VII. - Old Business:  Addressed throughout reports.

 

VIII. - New Business:  Addressed throughout reports.

 

IX. - Public Input: 

Deputy Chief Michael Segee announced that the Harmony Fire Department & Improvement Association has a couple of fund raisers scheduled.  Coming up soon a Ham & Bean Supper and later in the year the Golf Tournament will be held again.

 

X. – Executive Session:  None called.

 

XI. – Adjournment: 

Milton made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  George seconded it.  The motion carried. 

The January meeting of the Harmony Fire District Executive Board was adjourned at 7:27 pm.

 

The next meeting of the Harmony Fire District Executive Board

is scheduled for 7:00 pm, Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at the Harmony Fire Department.

 

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

Kimberly S. Barber

Tax Collector/Secretary