MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
FIRE COUNCIL OF THE CENTRAL MARIN FIRE AUTHORITY
250 DOHERTY DRIVE, LARKSPUR, CA 94939
WITH A VIDEOCONFERENCE OPTION FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024
AT 6:30 P.M.
Or upon conclusion of the CMPA Police Council meeting, whichever is later.
The Central Marin Fire Council will meet in person. Members of the public may attend the meeting in person, or view and participate in the meeting remotely through the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/99034310040
(No Pre-Registration Needed- Click on Link at Meeting Start Time) You may call in using: 1 (408) 638-0968 (Zoom webinar ID: 990 3431 0040) Or iPhone one-tap: +14086380968,,99034310040#
How to submit public comment remotely:
1. Email [email protected] prior to 4:00 P.M. on the day of the meeting or during the meeting (Comments received prior to that time on the day of the meeting will be distributed to the Fire Council and made available in the online agenda packet).
2. Attending the meeting in-person at the Central Marin Police Authority Community Room, 250 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939.
3. Selecting the “Raise Hand” icon during the meeting, or dialing *9 if calling in to the meeting.
Please be advised that those participating in the meeting remotely via Zoom do so at their own risk. The Fire Council meeting will not be cancelled if any technical problems occur during the meeting.
Anyone with a disability needing further assistance with public comment should contact the Clerk at least 2 business days before the beginning of the meeting to make alternative arrangements at [email protected] or 415-927-5050. Click here to view or download the full agenda packet.
I. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL
The Regular Meeting of the Fire Council of the Central Marin Fire Authority (CMFA) was called to order at 8:30PM by Vice Chair Charles Lee.
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
Charles Lee, Council Vice Chair, Town of Corte Madera
Rosa Thomas, Council Member, Town of Corte Madera
Scot Candell, Council Member, City of Larkspur
February 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
2 Catherine Way, Council Member, City of Larkspur
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:
None
STAFF PRESENT:
Ruben Martin, Fire Chief
Adam Wolff, Corte Madera Town Manager
Dan Schwarz, Larkspur City Manager
Daria Carrillo, Director of Finance, Town of Corte Madera Tom Bertrand, Authority Counsel
Ezra Coleman, Battalion Chief
Lorena Barrera, Authority Clerk
II. OPEN TIME FOR PUBLIC EXPRESSION
Vice Chair Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Vice Chair Lee closed public comment and moved on to the next item.
III. PRESENTATIONS – None
IV. REPORTS AND COMMENTS
The item concerning the Chief’s comments was heard before members of the Management Committee presented reports.
A. COUNCIL MEMBERS
No reports were provided.
B. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
No report was provided.
C. CHIEF’S COMMENTS
Chief Ruben Martin announced that during the Christmas Drive that CMFA participates in with CMPA, they were able to collect $6,850 to assist the children in the community. He provided updates from the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority stating that they are beginning to work on the FY 24-25 work plan. He was also voted in as Chair of the advisory committee for report time. He also mentioned some of the projects that they are planning for in the defensible space program for the next year. He also provided an update on the facilities master plan February 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
3 study that had been conducted and mentioned that they are now in phase 2 of the work.
V. CONSENT CALENDAR
Vice Chair Lee asked if there were public comments or requests from Council or the public for removal of items from the Consent Calendar.
There were no comments received from online attendees and no comments received by email, and no requests were received from the Council or the public to remove items from the Consent Calendar.
Vice Chair Lee then called for a vote on the Consent Calendar.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Candell/Way) to approve Consent Calendar items V A-D.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-0 in favor of the motion.
The approved Consent Calendar consisted of the following items:
A. Approve Minutes of November 9, 2023 Regular Fire Council Meeting B. Accept the General Fund Revenue and Expenditure Report Through January 31, 2024
C. Acknowledge and File Accounts Payable Checks, October 28, 2023 to January 26, 2024, two checks dated October 26, 2023 and Transfers to Payroll Account, October 28, 2023 through January 26, 2024, and electronic payments to CalPERS
VI. BUSINESS ITEMS
A. Presentation Consideration and Possible Adoption of Resolution No. 2024/01 Authorizing the Executive Manager to Execute the Lease Purchase Option for a New Pierce Fire Engine from Golden State Fire Apparatus for a Total Estimated Cost of $984,109
Fire Chief Ruben introduced the item and presented the staff report. He stated that in 2018, CMFA began to look at the age and condition of all of the vehicles in the fleet to determine when they needed to be replaced to be in compliance with nationally recognized standards. A component of the analysis also included which apparatus needed to be replaced first, which is based on the Recommended Fleet Replacement Schedule.
February 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
4 With the assistance of Battalion Chief Ezra Coleman, CMFA has been working to develop a plan that would replace the appropriate engines every 3 to 5 years and would keep the funding mechanism for the purchases of the engines in a manageable way for both member agencies. The initial plan was that every fiscal year staff would try to replace each engine. However, in 2020, the industry shut down and this led to a backlog in the replacement plan. Due to the shutdown, CMFA postponed some of the orders as they did not know how the pandemic would impact the authority financially.
Now that the industry is back, manufacturers are reporting delays of 36-40 months in getting an order completed. This issue is industry wide. Unfortunately, due to the backlogs, that leads to the agency having to keep certain engines on the road while a replacement comes in.
Council Member Way asked if we know whether there are other additional federal or state regulations coming in. Chief Martin said a lot of the regulations come from the Department of Transportation and the others are from the National Park Protection Association.
Council Member Way asked if we required to do competitive bidding for these types of purchases. He stated the CMFA uses a cooperative where there are already predisposed bids that agencies can use. He added that there are several lists in existence that have been sanctioned by the State of California.
Chief Martin concluded the presentation by noting the two options on this item: either to execute the lease purchase option for a new Pierce Fire Engine or to execute the complete purchase cash option. Staff is recommending the lease for this engine because it makes the payments more manageable for the agency.
Council Member Candell asked if that next year the agency is not going to need a new engine. Chief Martin said he thinks we will need an ambulance but does not anticipate needing a fire engine.
Vice Chair Lee asked if ultimately inflation gets to a certain point, is there a major rehab reconditioning that can be completed to reserve the valuable parts of the engine to allow for longer longevity. Chief Martin said that is the other component of it. You can break everything down and have to basically rebuild the new engine with the existing chassis and that lands up being almost the same cost.
Council Members continued with questions regarding the schedule that is being used to determine the proper timing for the replacement of vehicles and at what point fiscal decisions would need to be made. City Manager Dan Schwarz jumped in and said that the best way to explain this using the chart is to understand that the Chiefs are trying to create a predictable contribution every year. The effort is to try to create a capital fund, so, equipment fund. That has a predictable amount of money and the challenge for the chief is the managers can hold him to it. Therefore, the Chief is allowed to build an escalator because he will know that the managers are going to February 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
5 budget to that number. Then the management committee will have to figure out how to schedule payments in a way that they feel comfortable with because they will use the schedule that gets agreed to.
Vice Chair Lee opened up the discussion for public comment.
No public comment was received from attendees or via email regarding this item.
Vice Chair Lee closed public comment.
Following further deliberation, Vice Chair Lee called for a motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Way/Candell) to adopt Resolution No. 2024/01, ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-0 in favor of the motion.
B. Consideration and Possible Adoption of Resolution No. 2024/02 Authorizing the Executive Manager to Execute the Complete Purchase of a New Battalion Chief Command Vehicle from Watsonville Fleet Group for a Total Estimated Cost of $67,908
Chief Ruben Martin introduced the item and presented the staff report. He stated that CMFA currently maintains our fleet of fire command vehicles (4x4 pick-up trucks) at a 7-year front-line and 8 years in reserve (back-up) status for a total life span of 15-years.
Based on the Recommended Fleet Replacement Schedule, it was determined that we needed to purchase a new Battalion Chief command vehicle within the 2022-2023 fiscal year; similar to the previous Business Item, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic several capitol purchases were delayed. The command vehicle that was determined to be replaced, per the Fleet Replacement Schedule is Battalion 14s command vehicle, which is currently in service. The current command vehicle will be placed in reserve (back-up) status for the remainder of its serviceable life. Reserve vehicles are utilized for staff that is assigned as a single resource on any emergency incident.
Council Member Way asked if this item also required a wait of 40 months. Battalion Chief Ezra Coleman said it could be about two years.
Vice Chair Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Vice Chair Lee closed the public comment and brought back the item for discussion and a possible motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Candell/Way) to adopt resolution No. 2024/02 ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-0 in favor of the motion.
February 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
6 C. Consideration and Possible Adoption of Resolution No. 2024/03 Approving Revisions to the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget
Daria Carillo, Director of Finance, Town of Corte Madera, introduced the item. Ms.
Carillo stated that the items included in the proposed budget revision relate to the budget for the current year, and she confirmed that there will be no fiscal impact on the ending balance of the General Fund as a result of the proposed budget revision. The changes to revenue and expenditures are of equal amount.
Vice Chair Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Vice Chair Lee closed the public comment and brought back the item for discussion and a possible motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Way/Candell) to adopt Resolution No. 2024/03 ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-0 in favor of the motion.
D. Appointment of the Central Marin Fire Council Officers Fire Chief Ruben Martin provided background information on the appointment of the Fire Council Chair and Vice-Chair.
Vice Chair Lee asked for questions from the Council. No questions were given.
Vice Chair Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Vice Chair Lee closed public comment and brought back the item for discussion and a possible motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Candell/Thomas) to appoint Vice Chair Lee as Chair and Catherine Way as Vice Chair.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-0 in favor of the motion.
V. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Lee adjourned the Council Meeting at 9:37PM to the next regular meeting scheduled for May 9, 2024.