Central Vermont Public Safety Authority

Central Vermont Public Safety Authority Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce Building June 18th, 2015 Draft Meeting Minutes Directors present: Martin Prevost and Michael Smith, representing Barre City; Dona Bate and Tom Golonka, representing the City of Montpelier; Kim Cheney, Douglas Hoyt and, Alexandra Pastor, at-large directors. Directors absent: None. Others present: Joe Aldsworth; Francis Aumond, the new Authority executive director; David Delcore, Times Argus reporter; David Rubalcaba; Bob Sager, Board treasurer. Tom opened the meeting at 6:34pm. A motion to approve the agenda as presented was made by Kim, seconded by Martin. Motion passed. A motion to approve the minutes of both the June 2nd and the June 4th meetings as presented was made by Martin, seconded by Alexandra. Motion passed. Tom introduced Francis (Paco) Aumond as the CVPSA’s new executive director and welcomed him. Paco said that he had already met with the public safety department heads even though his official start date would not be until July 27th. He also stated his desire to meet with employees and address any misperceptions they may have of him. In regards to regionalization Paco emphasized the “Why” question –why are we doing this? He referred to the Board’s predecessor, the Public Safety Committee, for answers to this question. Factors such as cost containment, professional development and, attrition were cited by the committee. Paco suggested the Board should revisit the “why” question. In regards to consolidating dispatch Paco emphasized the need to take a thorough look at the other tasks that dispatchers perform, such as administrative work and, in Barre, jail monitoring. The Board also discussed trying to get a better understanding of what public safety employees, as well as department heads, hope to gain from this process. Lastly, Paco said that he would utilize: financial and contractual information from current operations; notes and data from the Boards visit to the Lakes Region Mutual Aid Society and, information and understanding gained from visiting each of the state consolidated dispatch centers. The Board had a discussion of other areas the Authority may prove its value. Areas such as: facilitating inter-municipal collaborations; improving equipment financing options; improving training options and; expertise in grant procurement. The Board had a discussion of the upcoming meeting schedule and related tasks with such topics as: developing subcommittees; having a public hearing; having a meeting with employees and department heads for the purpose of defining success in this project and; the constructive interaction between the Board and the executive director to progress with the dispatch plan. The Board decided to cancel the July 2nd meeting. The Board had a discussion regarding creating a website. Michael presented a quote he had procured from IT professional Jeffery Tuper-Giles for the development and hosting of a basic website for the Authority. The Board continued with a discussion of creating a communications plan and developing and online identity. There was discussion about creating a communications subcommittee to address these issues. The subcommittee will work with the executive director to develop a request for proposal for an Authority website. A motion to create a Communications subcommittee consisting of Alexandra (Chair) and Michael was made by Dona, seconded by Kim. Motion passed. Tom updated the Board on his attempts to secure professional liability insurance. He has received one bid from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and is awaiting another bid from another insurer. Michael asked for an update on negotiations between Tom and Paco for the executive director position. The Board had a brief discussion of some of the details. A signed contract will be forthcoming. A motion to adjourn was made by Kim, seconded by Alexandra. Motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 7:55pm. Respectfully submitted by, Michael Smith CVPSA Secretary The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Central Vermont Public Safety Authority will be July 16 th 6:30pm at the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce building. The July 2nd meeting has been canceled.