Keizertimes., June 24, 2016, Page PAGE A11, Image 11

JUNE 24, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A11
Fire district adopts budget
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
The Keizer Fire Board unanimously voted
to adopt its budget for the 2016-17 fi scal year
Tuesday night.
No one spoke during a public hearing.
The meeting also wasn’t fully attended as
board member Mike Bauer gave his vote over
the phone and Chet Patterson was absent.
The $8,126,476 budget is a 2.26 percent in-
crease over last year.
The biggest change comes with three cur-
rent district employees modifying their current
work schedules to become shift commanders
for a six-month trial period to begin in Janu-
ary 2017.
Keizer Fire Chief Jeff Cowan has said the
change is intended to help solve logistics prob-
lems caused by increased call volume.
KFD experienced a 9.1 percent surge in
calls last year. Given limited resources, the dis-
trict frequently called for back-up from sur-
rounding fi re services.
The new shift commanders, division chiefs
Brian Butler and Hector Blanco along with
Captain Ryan Russell, will respond to overlap
calls with a career or volunteer fi refi ghter and
free up the engine company offi cer that rides
on the engine to the initial call. They could also
pick up personnel from the hospital, respond to
public service calls, burn complaints and other
low priority calls as well as shadow new offi -
cers to provide immediate feedback on perfor-
mance. In either of the fi rst two scenarios, the
presence of the shift commander would free up
the engine for higher priority needs.
The program is expected to cost KFD an
additional $49,000 in personnel expenditures,
$4,000 in additional pay for Ryan, who will
become an acting-in-capacity shift commander
for the length of the trial, and $45,000 for a
temporary hire while the program is underway.
Other items of note in the budget include
the addition of a part-time clerk to assist with
front offi ce work and a 59-cent local option
levy approved by voters in 2014, will allow the
district to continue the employment of seven
fi refi ghters hired as a result of bond funds and
federal SAFER grants.
Also on the agenda Tuesday night, the KFD
board voted to increase ambulance rates 1.19
percent effective July 1 following the City of
Salem’s approved increase.
The board also unanimously voted to in-
crease the salary of senior staff by an average of
3 percent, renewed the workers compensation
package for 2106-17 and declared an E385 fi re
engine, which KFD has owned for 25 years,
surplus, turning it over to Chemeketa Com-
munity College as part of a trade for services.
Scholars abound
KEIZERTIMES/Lyndon A. Zaitz
Blake Gerstner and Sam Elder were the most recent recipients of the two scholarships provided
by Making Keizer Better. Gerstner received the $1,000 Jan Cline Memorial Scholarship. Elder
received the $1,000 Making Keizer Better Scholarship.
City needs committee volunteers
The City of Keizer is
soliciting applications for
volunteers to be considered
to serve on the following
committees:
• Festival Advisory Board:
serves in an advisory role to the
City of Keizer by researching
the feasibility for developing
venues for events and festivals.
The Committee meets on the
fourth Monday of February,
April, July, September and
November at 6 p.m.
• Keizer Points of Interest
Committee (two vacancies):
established
to
identify,
authenticate, and memorialize
sites of interest located in the
Keizer area. The Committee
meets on the third Tuesday of
each month at 5:30 p.m.
Public Art Commission
(two vacancies):
reviews,
evaluates, selects, maintains,
and documents all artwork,
public art, and public
murals within the city. The
Commission meets on the
fourth Tuesday of every
month at 6 p.m.
Youth
Liaison/Page:
Opportunities are currently
available to youth for service
on various city committees for
2016-17.
Nominations are also being
accepted for Volunteer of the
Quarter.
Volunteer applications and
Volunteer of the Quarter
nominations are available
at Keizer Civic Center, 930
Chemawa Road N.E., or you
can request an application
be mailed to you by calling
City Hall at (503) 390-3700.
Electronic applications are
available at www.keizer.org.
For additional information on
this volunteer position, please
contact Debbie Lockhart,
Deputy City Recorder at
(503) 856-3418.
Applications/Nominations
must
be
received
by
Wednesday, July 13.
Submitted
At its annual membership meeting on Tuesday, June 21, the Keizer Heritage Foundation honored
winners of two $1,000 scholarships. Miranda Glennie (left) won the Keizer Heritage Foundation
Scholarship. Blake Gerster (second from left) won the Pearl Langeland Memorial Scholarship.
Foundation president Lyndon Zaitz (right) also welcomes Blake’s parents: Phillip and Shan
Fletcher Gerstner.
At the same meeting the foundation recognized out-going board members JoAnne Beilke, Judy
Peterson and Al Rasmus, who represent more than 30 years service.
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