nov 13 presentation - central coventry fire scan

8/14/2019 Nov 13 Presentation - Central Coventry Fire Scan.

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CENTRAL COVENTRYFIRE DISTRICT

The Alternate PlanAnd Restructuring


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The Missionstatement of our

Fire Company

We are an organizationformedby the people, andfunded by the levy approved by the people, with

which this Fire/EMTcompany is to provide thebest possible Fire and Rescue Services that can

be afforded to the 18,000 people that live here.


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WHAT THE COURT ASKED ON NOVEMBER 1ST The Court did NOT decide to liquidate and close the District on

November 1, 2013.

The Court has given the Board some time to address an alternate plan,which would be presented to the Court and Special Master for approvalprior to implementation.

The Court will consider arguments (on a schedule that is yet to be issued)in support of liquidation and closure and in opposition to that, as well as

what liquidation and closure means in the context of this Receivership.

No matter what happens in the Receivership, the Board must considerwhat that alternative plan would consist of and pledges to do so in as

open a manner as possible.

The Board understands that these discussions involve issues that arecontrary to the language of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA),but the Court has asked that the Board consider alternatives. All the

parties know what the CBA says.


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We are going to show you here tonight

And What is Possible


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RESTRUCTURING

The Board, in its business judgment, believes that thereare alternative models throughout the State of providingfire suppression and EMS services at a much lower cost

than what the CCFD spends.

Not all other models fit the geography and ,at what will best fit the needs of the District.

The mission of the District will remain the focus of theBoards exploration of alternatives. The Board is also

focused on providing these services with a balancedbudget and repayment of debt obligations.


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What are the Options?

A Municipal Fire/Rescue Service. In Court as well as at recent Coventry Town Meetings, the

Council (and the public) have indicated there is no supportfor municipalized service;

The Council (on behalf of the citizens of Coventry) has said

The taxpayers of Coventry do not want to assume the debtobligations of the CCFD; and,

The Board lacks the ability (legally, politically) to force theTown to municipalize.


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Merger and Consolidation (with Other Districts): Taxpayers from other Districts do not want to

assume our debt;

Other Districts have lower tax rates; thetaxpayers do not feel they should be

responsible to pay off CCFD obligations; and,

The other districts do not have the equipmentor the manpower to service our District.


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Other Options:

1. Contracted EMS service. (A contractor would providetheir own vehicles, equipment and staff to provideEMS services to the CCFD. The contractor would bepaid from Rescue Recovery funds and insurance.)This could be temporary or permanent. This would be

a very economical way to provide EMS services to the .as much EMS coverage as is currently available to theDistrict as well as allow for expanded EMS coverage(to possibly include staffing all stations with EMS

personnel.) Excess funds from taxation would bediverted to repayment of debt obligations; overtimecost(s) would be eliminated.


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3. Build a Volunteer Team. This would bring backcommunity involvement; whether or not volunteers

received a stipend or other payment authorized bythe Board under applicable law, the personnelcosts for having employees would be eliminated.Several towns in RI have a history of usingvolunteers successfully; tax rates are

understandably lower in those areas. For example,r s o opera es w an en re voun eer s a . n ,

although it is a different structure altogether, theneighboring town of Scituate operates firesuppression and EMS services exclusively withvolunteer organizations.


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A Combination of Pay On Call Fire Fighters witha contracted EMS Service and Volunteers.

This system offers taxpayers an economicalsolution to maintain fire suppression and EMS

services at current or better levels as well asaddress the debt obligations of the District.

Contracted EMS service could be setup andavailable anytime that liquidation occurs and/oris ordered by the Court.


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How the Board will Evaluate Contracted EMS Services:

The Board will develop and issue Request for Proposals

(RFP) to prospective contractors. There are examples ofRFPs available to the Board that have been used by othertowns that the Board will tailor to meet the specific needsof the District.

The Board is reviewing one such RFP and expects toissue it in the next several da s. Once issued it will be

available to the public.

The bid responses will be vetted by the Board as of theresponse deadline (which has not been set yet).

The Board will then determine if it has enoughinformation to make a recommendation to the SpecialMaster and the Court.


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In addition, the Board will be looking at exercising itsmanagement prerogatives, which include improvingthe Tax Accounts Receivable collectionprocess;scheduling Tax Sales as needed (in conjunction with

or in lieu of those by the Special Master); and, explore ,understanding the taxpayers have said emphaticallythey want less taxes. The Board will also update the

lists of taxpayers including commercial and residentialaccounts. (Update the Tax Assessment list.)


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Overtime (OT) Expenses Must Be Minimized.

A review of OT records shows the following trends:1. Mark Blanding earned $43,692 in Overtime YTD;

2. Russell Giles earned $32,064 in Overtime YTD;

3. David Gorman $26,182 in Overtime YTD;

Whether and to what extent these numbers can bedriven downward, is something that the Board is

working on with the Chief who is the BoardsAdministrative and Operational director.


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SOME ADDITIONAL NUMBERSPAYROLL & OVERTIME COSTS

Total Salary Expenses

2013 Jan-Oct 2012 2011 2010 2009

$,5,001,436 $5,441,690 $5,058,283 $4,803,465 $3,864,082

First full year of the Contract was in 2010ver me nayss

Total OT Expenses

2013 Jan-Oct 2012 2011 2010 2009

$340,093 $524,569 $850,092 $1,056,598 $465,264 These are costs that this Board, and the taxpayers of the District, can

no longer support or sustain.


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The Board is researching all alternatives as we form

an Alternate Plan as requested by Judge Stern.

We want to assure the Tax Payers of Central

Coventry there will be always be Fire and Rescue .

Constructive ideas, or Volunteers can [email protected]

SUCCESS IS THE ONLY OPTION !
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

nov 13 presentation - central coventry fire scan

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