04-17-08 Minutes YELM CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
SE Thurston Fire/EMS Joint Board
709 Mill Road
Thursday, April 17, 2008
1. Fire District Board meeting reconvened at 7:32 pm to welcome the City Officials. Mayor Harding had
called a Special meeting for Councilmembers to attend a presentation at the regular meeting of the SE
Thurston Fire/EMS Joint Board.. The presentation was to view and discuss the potential formation of a
Regional Fire Protection Authority.
2. Present: Mayor Harding, Councilmembers; Don Miller, Bob Isom, Pat Fetterly, John Thompson, Russ
Hendrickson, and Shelly Badger, City Administrator. Janine Schnepf
3. SE Thurston Fire Chief Rita Hutcheson introduced Fire Chief Jim Walkowski from Centralia. Chief
Walkowski has been through the process of developing the Riverside Fire Authority which merged the
City of Centralia Fire District and the Lewis District #12 into one Authority. He reviewed the steps they
went through including the challenges, benefits, pitfalls and process to plan, sell to the public and
operate with a newly formed Authority.
The Authority would operate as a merged unit to protect a broader area of property and citizens.
Merger would incorporate all debt, assets and personnel; volunteers and career, into one as well as
adding personnel to administer. The Board would consist of equal representation from each unit with
the possibility of additional units incorporating at a later date.
Chief Walkowski compared the planning process to a marriage; with the dating, engagement and
marriage. Forming a committee to develop the design, establishing a document and adopting the plan.
He shared the challenges they faced during the process that took several years to complete.
1) Formation of Committee, Composition of Working Document, Final Report for approval and
adoption and Presentation to the Voters.
2) Naming of the newly formed Authority.
3) Joint Governing Board; Roles and Responsibilities, Policy and Procedure Guidelines, Term of
Office, Election of Chair and Vice Chair.
4) Personnel; Information Flow and Effective Communication through out transition
5) Personnel Department; combining and adding duties, employee benefit administration
6) Tax Funding Budget; combining tax, future funding, timing for ballot c
7) Marketing and Public Education
8) Taxation; Legal limitations for Property tax and Levy
Mayor Harding thanked Chief Walkowski and the Board members for the information and discussion.
Adjourned: 9:16 pm
onald ardi ,Mayor
Attest
Janine hnepf, City Clerk
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