Volunteer Firefighter Relief Fund Committee

City of Norwich Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Fund Committee Minutes Special Meeting, May 24, 2010 The Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Fund Committee held a special meeting on Monday, May 24, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. in room 209, City Hall, Norwich, Connecticut 1. Roll Call a. Members Present: Richard Benoit, Taftville Karen Mankowski, Occum Joshua Pothier, Assistant Comptroller Brigid Marks, City of Norwich Personnel Manager Thomas Quinley, Yantic Red McKeon, Occum/Past Chairman Donald Leary, East Great Plain Frank Davis, Citizen Appointee Joseph Kochanski, Laurel Hill b. Members Absent: Joseph Ruffo, Comptroller Brian Curtin, City Treasurer Richard Benoit called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. 2. Minutes: a. Minutes from the March 8, 2010, meeting were reviewed. A motion to accept the minutes as presented was made by Frank Davis, seconded by Donald Leary. Approved. b. Minutes from the May 10, 2010, meeting were reviewed. Corrections were noted: 1. Joseph Kochanski’s affiliation was corrected to Laurel Hill. 2. It was not a special meeting but rather the 118th scheduled meeting of the Committee. c. A motion was made by Donald Leary to accept the meeting minutes with the corrections, seconded by Joseph Kochanski. Approved. 3. Treasurer’s Report: To be reviewed at the next meeting 4. New Business a. Application for Benefits for Paul M. LaBrecque from Taftville was presented to the Committee. Mr. LaBrecque has 37 years of service with his benefits becoming effective July 1, 2010. A motion was made by Thomas Quinley to accept Mr. LaBrecque’s application, seconded by Karen Mankowski. Approved. 1. Note: the maximum benefit payout is for 35 years of service. b. Discussion related to potential changes and enhancement to the Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Fund Ordinance.  City of Norwich Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Fund Committee Minutes Special Meeting, May 24, 2010 1. Civil Union Language: Discussion ensued regarding revising the Ordinance language to mirror the current Connecticut State Statute relating to marriage/spouse versus civil unions. A motion was made by Thomas Quinley to change the language in the Ordinance to reflect the Connecticut State Statute regarding the legality of civil unions in comparison to current references to spouse, marriage, beneficiary, etc. Seconded by Joseph Kochanski. Unanimously approved. 2. Donald Leary posed a question to the Committee regarding a hypothetical situation where a member had retired with 35 years of service and was not currently active, nor participating in daily calls/drills. If the Ordinance were revised and enhanced, would that member be eligible to receive the enhancement – “would their benefits increase once they are retired and the Plan/Ordinance modified?” The Committee unanimously replied that the individual would not be eligible for the enhancement and with this revision, as with all previous revisions, the only eligible members would be those who are currently active and on the rolls as of January 1, 2010. 3. Return to Duty/Work: For non-service related injury/illness, Brigid Marks is reviewing current policies and forms. She is in the process of developing an abbreviated tool to assess the firefighter’s functional physical abilities for return to active duty. Thomas Quinley made a motion to have Brigid develop an abbreviated Functional Assessment for Return to Duty Form to be used as an attachment to the current draft policy. Seconded by Joseph Kochanski, approved. 4. Injury in Line of Duty: Currently the Plan states that members, who are disabled in the line of duty and can no longer perform firefighting duties, must be vested with 10 years of service to receive the maximum benefit of 35 years service; with less than 10 years of service, the member’s money is refunded/returned. Discussion ensued to nullify the vesting requirement and state that any firefighter totally disabled in the line of duty, and is active in the Plan at the time of injury qualifies for the maximum benefit allowable by the Ordinance. Thomas Quinley made a motion to nullify the current vestment requirement and provide the maximum benefit for active Plan members who are disabled in the line of duty. Seconded by Frank Davis, approved. 5. The Committee reviewed Hooker & Holcombe’s Cost Estimates for Proposed Changes/Enhancements to Plan Benefits dated May 4, 2010. Five cost estimates were presented. Thomas Quinley made a motion to accept Quote 5, which would increase the payment from $15 to $18 per year of service and the maximum allowed years of service from 35 to 40 years. The member’s yearly contribution would increase from $180/year to $216/year. Seconded by Frank Davis, approved.  City of Norwich Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Fund Committee Minutes Special Meeting, May 24, 2010 The next special meeting will be held Monday, June 21, 2010, all members are reminded to take these Ordinance changes back to their respective departments for discussion and comments. A motion was made by Thomas Quinley to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Donald Leary. Approved. Meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Thomas G. Quinley Secretary