SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board approved a 2.5 percent raise for District Administrator Lynn Richards and Maintenance staff Mark Kues at their Jan. 17 meeting. This was less than the three percent raise Seeley Lake Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel recommended. The board also approved the budget, new carpet at Station 2 and the Walmart gift cards Vanden Heuvel gave to the volunteers as a Christmas gift.
Vanden Heuvel first asked the board to approve a three percent raise at their November meeting. The raise was accounted for in the proposed budget. The board tabled the decision until the budget was finalized.
“They are both very hard workers that deserve a raise. I understand the constraints we are under…I wouldn’t ask for three percent if I didn’t think they deserved it,” said Vanden Heuvel who asked for and had budgeted the raise to be retroactive back to July, the beginning of the fiscal year.
Board member Rachel Jennings calculated the difference between a 2.5 and three percent raise was less than $200. She said she was comfortable with a three percent raise.
Board member Gary Lewis motioned that Richards and Kues receive the Missoula County’s suggested annual raise of 2.5 percent. Everyone voted for and Jennings abstained. The board did not approve the retroactive raise.
Vanden Heuvel purchased $50 Walmart gift cards for each of the volunteers as a thank you at Christmas. The total amount spent was $1159.88. Vanden Heuvel would have had the expense approved at the December board meeting but because it was cancelled, he made the decision without board approval. The Seeley Lake Fire Company agreed to cover the expense if the board did not approve it.
“I think they deserve it. I don’t think it should come out of the Fire Company,” said Vanden Heuvel. “If it was brought before the tax payers, I don’t think they would have any trouble with that.”
Lewis said that he feels the volunteers deserve it but said it exceeded the $1,000 limit that the chief can spend without board approval.
Lewis motioned to approve the expense. The motion passed with board members Scott Kennedy and Jennings abstaining because they are volunteers on the department.
In other business:
• Vanden Heuvel asked that the officer stipend be tabled for a later date.
• The board approved the 2016-2017 budget
• The board approved the carpet bid from Pierce Flooring for $10,247 for new carpet squares for Station 2.
• They discussed that the county has not been paying their rent on time. Jennings was going to look into what can be done.
• Scott Kennedy and Bonnie Connell are up for reelection in May. If interested, applications are due by Feb. 6. For more information see the legal on page 15.
The next meeting is Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Fire Hall. For the agenda visit http://www.seeleyfire.org.
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