At approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD) held their monthly board meeting. In attendance were President Rick Wenzel, Treasurer Whitney Donoghue, and Members-At-Large Chip Smith, Jeff Fisher, and John Bushey. Others present included Fire Chief Paul Ondr and Administrative Chief Jennifer Hinderman.

Members voiced the Pledge of Allegiance and then held a moment of silence for fallen firefighters. Roll Call revealed all were present. There were no changes to the agenda. The regular meeting minutes of August 10, 2021 were approved. No public comment was made.

The Board met as the Pension Board of Trustees and approved the minutes for June 16, 2021.

The Allocation Report was presented for the second quarter of 2021, also with no comments or questions.

The Actuarial Valuation Report for TFPD’s Volunteer Pension Fund as determined by Gabriel, Roeder, Smith and Co., actuary for the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA), was presented.

The valuation was prepared to determine if the current annual assumed contributions of $44,064 are adequate for funding the current benefits provided by the department. Contributions into the pension fund can come from two sources: contributions directly from the department and contributions from the State based on assessed property values and other formulas.

“The numbers from the report may be skewed since two retirees and one surviving spouse have passed since the report was determined,” said Hinderman.

Wenzel said there are 65 recipients of the fund that has a market value of $1,676,239, and that the plan is closed to new members.

A motion was made that the Pension Board recommend that the TFPD Board contribute $31,000 to the 2022 pension fund, which is a $2,000 increase from last year. Motion was seconded and all were in favor.

Smith moved that the Pension Board increase the monthly benefit from $17 per month to $18 per month for extended service years in addition to the base monthly pay of $640 for retirees. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Smith made a motion to adopt the pension bylaws with added changes. All were in favor.

A motion was made to approve retirement paperwork for Jan Lande, who served for 24 years. All were in favor and the Pension Board was adjourned.

Hinderman presented the Treasurer’s Report for the August 2021 Unaudited Financials.

A Black Helmet ceremony was held for two firefighters, Jon Roy and Mike Lutz, who have served a year, making them official firefighters. Chief Ondr presented them with black fire hats and proud handshakes were exchanged.

Chief Ondr presented a report on the organizational comparison between TFPD and Golden Gate Fire Protection District (GGFPD) that indicates ways in which the districts can work together. He authored the report, along with Chief Damian DiFeo.

The goal of the analysis is to provide the background data to ensure that both districts benefit and prosper from any future partnerships if deemed appropriate. The Board said the report was well done but no decisions were made.

The Chief’s Review included the 2022 draft salary proposal, attempting to adjust for cost of living and other mitigating factors. Smith made a motion to give the chief a three percent raise with an option to raise when budget numbers become available in October. Motion was seconded by Donoghue and after some discussion, all were in favor.

Chief Ondr presented the monthly Chief Report. In Operations news, the department responded to 44 calls in the month of July.

Tender 57 has been out of service since the beginning of August. It has been seen by two different shops and currently no solution to the problem has been found.

The new pieces of extrication equipment that were purchased with a small portion of the trade-in money have been put into service.

In Wildland news, Brush 56 returned yesterday from a full 14-day roll at the Black Mountain Fire near Kremmling, and Ondr hopes to relist it as available soon.

Ondr and a couple of other firefighters traveled to Canada for the new apparatus pre-build conference on September 8 and spent about 14 hours in pre-build meetings. They reported excitement about the new engines being built for the district.

Smith noted that TFPD are selling flower bulbs online through the Timberline Volunteer Firefighter Foundation. The meeting then adjourned into executive session.

The next regular board meeting for Timberline Fire Protection District will be held Tuesday, October 14, 2021, at 6 p.m. at Station 5, 14908 Highway 119, Black Hawk.