Foreign Fire Tax Board Meeting
Regular MeetingUrbana, IL · November 16, 2021
Minutes
URBANA FIRE DEPARTMENT
FOREIGN FIRE TAX BOARD MEETING
DATE: November 16, 2021
TIME: 7:30 a.m.
PLACE: Zoom
MINUTES
1. Call to Order: 0740 Members present: Prendergast, Lane, Johnson, Thomas, Smith,
Lauss
2. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting:
August minutes read, no additions or corrections. Motion to approve: Lauss, Second by
Smith. Motion carries.
3. Approval of the Treasurer’s Report
Check was $86,333.85, $20,000 more than last year. Money Market $104,773.87. Checking
$5340.10. Motion to approve: Lauss, Second by Prendergast. Motion carries.
4. Public Input
None
5. Old Business
a. Picture board: Mounted, PW did a nice job of mounting. Bridget and Kate have
volunteered to take pictures for us. Chief wants Class A or B with ties. Will have short bios
too.
b. Kitchen chairs Sta.1: No update
c. Vacuum cleaners: 2% will purchase at least one more.
d. Station 1 bay remodel: Still working on framing out some of the new lockers
6. New Business
a. Rolling tool boxes for initial issue: Have been ordering gear bags, lots of Candidates have
their own toolboxes. The cost about the same as the gear bags. Candidates will have a
choice of which they want.
b. Carport for Sta. 3: Trees are dropping sap on cars. $6644 for carport large enough for 3
cars. Discussion followed. 18-24 months for new stations to be built. Chief will approach
the City about removing some of the trees. May look at purchasing individual car covers
for some of the people stationed there.
Persons with disabilities needing special services or accommodations for this meeting should contact the City
of Urbana's Americans with Disabilities Coordinator at 384-2466.
c. Sta. 1 dorm remodel: Chief reached out to Vince about getting the flooring replaced.
Asbestos will need to be abated to replace flooring. Looking for new lockers, a window,
new flooring, and pocket doors. Will work on a proposal for next meeting.
d. “Care packages”: Provide everyone with a bag with items such as a pen light, sweatshirt,
clamps to hold open doors, extrication gloves, etc. About $200 per unit. Discussion
followed. Item was tabled.
e. SCBA facepiece protectors: Proposal to outfit all members with SCBA facepiece
protectors. Motion is made to spend up to $3700 for 70 facepiece protectors. Chief
motions, Second by Prendergast. Motion carries.
f. Chore coats: Proposal to buy a chore coat for every person. Discussion followed. Motion
to spend up to $10,000 to buy everyone a coat. Motion: Smith, Second by Johnson.
Motion carries.
g. Replacement grill for Sta. 1: Proposal to replace the station 1 grill. $3000 to replace, it was
$2100 when purchased. Motion to replace the drill. Motion: Lane, Second by Smith.
Motion carries.
h. SENSIT Gold gas detectors: Proposal to purchase gas detectors that are the same as
Ameren uses for the apparatus. Discussion followed. We can look at a grant for $1000.
Chief said we have some money in the small tools budget. $9000 for all trucks, $4500 if we
split with the City. We can talk to Ameren about doing the calibration and provide training.
Motion is made to split the purchase with the City for up to $4500. Motion: Smith, Second
by Lane. Motion carries.
7. For the Good of the Order
Hutch suggested buying webbing and rope for the new guys, 2 spools of webbing for $250
and 1 spool of rope for $212. Smith motions to spend up to $500, Lauss seconds. Motion
carries.
Andy suggested buying new tool kits for the new engines, $200 each.
Lane got an email about replacing some mattresses. Put on agenda for February.
Lauss: Neon sign is back. It looks great. It cost less than expected. Chief is still trying to
get the sign put up at station 1. If not at 1 it will be at one of the new stations.
8. Adjournment: 0914
Persons with disabilities needing special services or accommodations for this meeting should contact the City of
Urbana's Americans with Disabilities Coordinator at 384-2466 or TTY at 384-2447.
Agenda
URBANA FIRE DEPARTMENT
FOREIGN FIRE TAX BOARD MEETING
DATE: November 16, 2021
TIME: 7:30 a.m.
PLACE: Zoom
AGENDA
1. Call to Order:
2. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting
3. Approval of the Treasurer’s Report
4. Public Input
5. Old Business
a. Picture board
b. Kitchen chairs Sta.1
c. Vacuum cleaners
d. Station 1 bay remodel
6. New Business
a. Rolling tool boxes for initial issue
b. Carport for Sta. 3
c. Sta. 1 dorm remodel
d. “Care packages”
e. SCBA protectors
f. Chore coats
g. Replacement grill for Sta. 1
h. SENSIT Gold gas detectors
7. For the Good of the Order
8. Adjournment:
Persons with disabilities needing special services or accommodations for this meeting should contact the City
of Urbana's Americans with Disabilities Coordinator at 384-2466.
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PUBLIC INPUT GUIDELINES
The City of Urbana welcomes Public Input during open meetings of the City Council, the City
Council’s Committee of the Whole, City Boards and Commissions and other City-sponsored
meetings. Our goal is to foster respect for the meeting process, and respect for all people
participating as members of the public body, city staff, and general public. The City is required to
conduct all business during public meetings. The presiding officer is responsible for conducting
those meetings in an orderly and efficient manner.
Public Input will be taken in the following ways:
Email Input
Public comments must be received prior to the closing of the meeting record (at the time of
adjournment unless otherwise noted) at the following: tdprendergast@urbanaillinois.us . The
subject line of the email must include the words “PUBLIC INPUT” and the meeting date. Emailed
public comments labeled as such will be incorporated into the public meeting record, with personal
identifying information redacted. Copies of emails will be posted after the meeting minutes have
been approved.
Written Input
Any member of the public may submit their comments addressed to the members of the public
body in writing. If a person wishes their written comments to be included in the record of Public
Input for the meeting, the writing should so state. Written comments must be received prior to the
closing of the meeting record (at the time of adjournment unless otherwise noted).
Verbal Input
Protocol for Public Input is one of respect for the process, and respect for others. Ridicule, obscene
or profane language, lack of respect for others, and personal attacks are not acceptable behavior.
Public Input shall not be used to air personal grievances. Speakers should address all comments to
the public body as a whole and not to individual members or City staff.
Public comment shall be limited to no more than four (4) minutes per person. The Public Input
portion of the meeting shall total no more than one (1) hour, unless otherwise shortened or extended
by majority vote of the public body members present. The presiding officer or the city clerk or their
designee, shall monitor each speaker's use of time and shall notify the speaker when the allotted time
has expired. All public comments should be addressed to the public body as a whole. A person may
participate and provide Public Input once during a meeting and may not cede time to another
person, or split their time if Public Input is held at two (2) or more different times during a meeting.
The presiding officer may give priority to those persons who indicate they wish to speak on an
agenda item upon which a vote will be taken.
The presiding officer or public body members shall not enter into a dialogue with citizens.
Questions from the public body members shall be for clarification purposes only. Public Input shall
not be used as a time for problem solving or reacting to comments made but, rather, for hearing
citizens for informational purposes only.
Accommodation
If an accommodation is needed to participate in a City meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at least 48 hours in advance so that special arrangements can be made using one of the
following methods:
• Phone: 217.384.2366
• Email: CityClerk@urbanaillinois.us
*In order to maintain reasonable decorum at a meeting, the presiding officer or any member of the
public body may call a speaker “out of order”. The presiding officer of the meeting shall have the
authority to provide a verbal warning to a speaker who uses abusive, harassing, threatening, or
defamatory language, or who engages in disorderly conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise
impedes the orderly conduct of a meeting. If the speaker refuses to cease such remarks or conduct
after being warned by the presiding officer, the presiding officer shall have the authority to mute the
speaker’s microphone and/or video presence at the meeting. The presiding officer will inform the
speaker that they may send the remainder of their remarks via email to the public body for inclusion
in the meeting record.
*Definitions of Types of Language and Conduct That May Warrant Verbal Warning:
“Abusive” means harsh, violent, profane, or derogatory language which would demean the
dignity of an individual or which is intended to humiliate, mock, insult or belittle an
individual.
https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/abusive-language
“Harassing” means to annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way; to make
repeated attacks on another person.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/harass
“Threatening” means to say that you will harm someone or do something unpleasant or
unwanted especially in order to make someone do what you want.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/threaten
“Defamatory” means a statement or communication that tends to harm a person's
reputation by subjecting the person to public contempt, disgrace, or ridicule, or by adversely
affecting the person's business. A statement that is likely to lower that person in the
estimation of reasonable people and in particular to cause that person to be regarded with
feelings of hatred, contempt, ridicule, fear, or dislike.
Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019)
Citations that Authorize the Presiding Officer to Bar Offensive Language During Public
Comment:
The following citations provide the legal basis for adopting UCC Section 2-5(b)(1)(d) that allows the
presiding officer of a City Council, Committee of the Whole, or a City-sponsored board or
commission regulate “abusive, harassing, threatening, or defamatory language” during public
comment. The following Attorney General binding opinions and case law essentially classify abusive,
“harassing, threatening and defamatory language as “manner”, not “content”, of speech that can be
reasonably regulated under the First Amendment. UCC Section 2-5(c) (Ordinance No. 2020-09-049.
Attorney General binding opinion numbers 2019 PAC 59187, 2018 PAC 55462, 2016 PAC 45349;
Milestone v. City of Monroe, Wisconsin, 665 F.3d 774, 783-784 (7th Cir. 2011); Vega v. Chicago Board of
Education, 338 F.Supp.3d 806, 811 (N.D. Ill. 2018); Sandefur v. Vill. of Hanover Park, 862 F.Supp.2d
840, 847 (N.D. Ill. 2012); I.A. Rana Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Aurora, 630 F.Supp.2d 912, 920-923
(D.C. N.D. 2009).
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