Little Gasparilla Island Fire and Rescue, Inc.

Meeting Minutes (DRAFT #2)

January 7, 2012

Call to Order:  Vice-Chairman Chuck Soderquist called the meeting to order at 10:05 A.M. at the Firehouse.

Board Members Present:  Chuck Soderquist, Malcolm King, and Bob Barrere (by phone)

Staff Present:  Chief Jim Engmark, Rocky Parker

Members Present:  Phyllis NeSmith, Linda Soderquist, Rita McElroy, Susan Harrison, Karyn Flatau, Richard Smith, Bennie Boutwell, Dorothy Verney, Tom McCoy

1.  Election of Officers:

Chairman:  Chuck Soderquist nominated by Bob Barrere 
seconded by Malcolm King, elected by unanimous vote.

Vice-Chairman:  Malcolm King nominated by Bob Barrere, seconded by Chuck Soderquist, elected by unanimous vote.

Secretary:  Judy McCoy nominated by Bob Barrere, seconded by Malcolm King, elected by unanimous vote.

Treasurer:  Bob Barrere nominated by Malcolm King, seconded by Chuck Soderquist, elected by unanimous vote.

2.  Motion to defer approval of the minutes for the December 10, 2011 meeting until the next Board meeting; By Bob Barrere, seconded by Malcolm King, passed unanimously.

3.  Chairman Soderquist thanked Tom McCoy for his work in constructing a Handbook for the Directors, and thanked Midge O’Hara and Phyllis NeSmith for their work in administering the election for new Board members.

4.  Chairman Soderquist thanked Fred Baruth, Pede Fraser, and Glen Schroeder for their work as Board members whose terms ended December 31, 2011.  Chairman Soderquist displayed plaques that will be presented to each of those former Board members to recognize their contributions as members of LGIFR’s first Board of Directors.

5.  Chairman Soderquist presented the Treasurer’s Reports, which were prepared by Barb Travers, for the month of December, 2011, and for the full year of 2011.  Copies are attached. The full year report showed that LGIFR, including depreciation, expended $20,163.16 on Fire and Rescue activities beyond the MSBU revenue from Charlotte County.  The report requested authorization from the Board to transfer that amount from the General Fund account to the MSBU (Fire and Rescue) account in order to balance the MSBU account.  The Board expressed the view that formal authorization for the transfer was not necessary because the extra Fire and Rescue expenditures from the General Fund had already been budgeted and authorized.

6.  Motion to make all Directors authorized signatures on the bank accounts; By Malcolm King, seconded by Bob Barrere, passed unanimously.

7.  Motion to close all accounts at Bank of America, move those funds to Florida Shores, and create a new savings account at Florida Shores for MSBU funds until they are transferred to the checking account when needed; By Malcolm King, seconded by Bob Barrere, passed unanimously.

8.  Motion to continue Glen Schroeder’s authorization to use the LGIFR credit card for purchase of gas and other supplies; By Malcolm King, seconded by Bob Barrere, passed unanimously.

9.  Motion to authorize Chief Engmark to use LGIFR credit card; By Bob Barrere, seconded by MK, passed unanimously.

10.  Motion to increase the credit limit on the LGIFR credit card account from $2,000 to $5,000; By Bob Barrere, seconded by Malcolm King, passed unanimously.

11.  Barb Travers submitted a written recommendation that she offer a workshop for all Board members and any interested LGIFR members to explain how to read and understand financial reports constructed in the format required by government agencies and granting agencies.  The Board informally expressed unanimous approval of the idea, and Chairman Soderquist indicated that he might schedule two such workshops to accommodate the schedules of all interested parties.

12.  Barb Travers reported in writing that beginning January 1, 2012, all employees would be paid by direct deposit and most bills would be paid by Bill Pay at Florida Shores Bank.  She requested confirmation from the Board for this change in procedures.  The Board informally expressed unanimous approval but concluded that no formal action was required.

13.  Chief Engmark presented the Chief’s Report for the month of December and for the full 2011 year.  The report will be posted on the Chief's page.

14.  Chairman Soderquist presented Barb Travers’s report on the status of all grants by income and expenditure during 2011.  The report will be posted on the Financial page.  Chief Engmark reported that he had just discovered that the required year end Treasurer’s Report for the AFG grant for the 2011 year had not been filed and that this failure made LGIFR ineligible for the 2012 AFG grants that LGIFR had applied for.  Chairman Soderquist directed Chief Engmark to obtain the necessary financial information from Chairman Soderquist and Barb Travers and file the required report immediately in the hope of reinstating LGIFR’s eligibility for the 2012 grants.

15.  Chief Engmark presented his analysis of the equipment needed to provide LGIFR’s fire suppression service on LGI and presented his proposed program for modification or replacement of existing equipment to achieve the necessary equipment level.  View the report on the Chief's page.  Chief Engmark then presented his analysis of the costs of the steps he had outlined to reach the necessary equipment level. The report can be viewed on the Chief's page. That analysis shows an approximate net cost of $27,800.

16. Motion to purchase the described equipment as outlined within the “Fire Equipment Purchase Analysis” presented to the Board by Chief Engmark at a net cost that shall not exceed $27,800 after the sale of Old Squad 1 and the Old Hose Truck; By Bob Barrere, seconded by Malcolm King, passed unanimously.

17.  Chairman Soderquist announced that he was appointing a Quality Control Committee chaired by Chief Engmark.  He will appoint additional members, including some First Responders, after consulting with Chief Engmark.

18.  Chairman Soderquist announced that he was appointing a Financial Committee chaired by Barb Travers with Chief Engmark, Fred Baruth, and Chairman Soderquist as members.

19.  Chairman Soderquist announced that he was appointing a Communications Committee chaired by Midge O’Hara.  He will appoint additional members after consulting with Midge.

20.  Tom McCoy presented a request from Midge O’Hara (who has been handling the web site since January 1) that the Board authorize her to replace LGIFR’s existing web site management contract, which costs $215.76 for two years, with a contract for a higher level of service and a larger page capacity at the lower cost of $191.76 for two years.  Motion by Malcolm King to authorize the contract change as requested by Midge at a cost not to exceed $200 for a two year period, seconded by Bob Barrere, passed unanimously.

21.  Tom McCoy reported for Midge O’Hara that she and Judy McCoy have been working to update LGIFR’s email address list for all members.  By informal consensus, the Board directed Chief Engmark to request a current email address from each member who comes to the Firehouse to pick up a house number.

22.  After discussion with all present Board members, Chairman Soderquist announced that the next Board meeting would be held at 4 PM on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at the Firehouse.

23.  Motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:35 P.M. by Malcolm King, seconded by Bob Barrere, passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas R. McCoy

Substituting for Judy McCoy, Secretary

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LGIFR DRAFT BOARD MINUTES

DECEMBER 10, 2011