Sycamore Fire and Police Commission

Minutes

 

August 7, 2006

 

The meeting was called to order at 11:05 a.m.

 

In attendance were Chairman Samantha Dailey, Commissioner Ron Short, Commissioner Jeff Petersen, Fire Chief Bill Riddle, Police Chief Don Thomas, and City Attorney Marcy Buick.

 APPROVAL OF AGENDA

 Motion

 A motion to approve the agenda was made by Commissioner Short and was seconded by Commissioner Petersen.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                3

Nays:                0

Abstain:            0

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

 

OPEN SESSION

 

Motion

 

A motion to approve the minutes from the open session of the June 27, 2006 meeting, as written, was made by Commissioner Short and seconded by Chairman Dailey.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                2

Nays:                0

Abstain:            1

 

Commissioner Petersen explained that he abstained from voting on the minutes since he was not a yet a sworn Commissioner when this meeting took place.

 

CLOSED SESSION

 

Motion

 

A motion to approve the minutes from the closed session of the June 27, 2006 meeting, as written, was made by Commissioner Short and seconded by Chairman Dailey.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                2

Nays:                0

Abstain:            1

 

Commissioner Petersen explained that he abstained from voting, as he did not attend the closed session on this meeting.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

·         Letter from City Manager Nicklas concerning the Hiring of Firefighters

            Chairman Dailey read a letter from City Manager Bill Nicklas, which explained that two   new Firefighter positions had been authorized by the City Council, one which will be     filled in September when the new Firefighter Eligibility List is completed and the second          in December, 2006.  The Commission is also authorized to hire a Firefighter to replace             Todd Turner, who was promoted to Lieutenant in May.  This hire will also be made when             the new Eligibility List is completed in September.

 

·         Letter from Fire Chief Riddle concerning the end of the Probationary Period for Firefighter Eric Walker

 

            Chairman Dailey read a letter from Chief Riddle, which notified the Commissioners that    Firefighter Eric Walker would complete all the necessary requirements of his probation    effective September 12, 2006.  Recording Secretary Tritle explained that she had put          together a letter to send             to Firefighter Walker on September 12th, as long as nothing             happens that would change this status prior to that date.  She asked the Commissioners to             sign the letter and also asked City Attorney Buick if this was something the             Commissioners needed to vote on.  She answered that it was not. 

 

·         Letter from Police Chief Thomas concerning the end of the Probationary Period for Police Officer John (Mike) Domenighini

 

            Chairman Dailey read a letter from Chief Thomas, which notified the Commissioners that             Police Officer Domenighini had successfully completed all the necessary requirements of           his probationary period on July 28, 2006.  Recording Secretary Tritle said that she also       had prepared a letter for the Commissioners to send to Officer Domenighini.

 

·         Payment of Bills

           

            The Commission had received an invoice for $500.00 from Marv Fogel for the      psychological examination he performed on Cheryl Senne, the current Police Officer    candidate.

 

Motion

 

A motion to approve the payment of the invoice for $500.00 from Marv Fogel was made by Commissioner Short and seconded by Commissioner Petersen.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                3

Nays:                0

Abstain:            0

 

Commissioner Short asked if the Commissioners have always been paying Mr. Fogel $500.00 for this service.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that they have.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

·         Status on the testing process to establish a new Firefighter Eligibility List

 

Chairman Dailey explained that the Commissioners had all received a copy of the preliminary list, which ranks the candidates by the combined score they received on the written and oral exams.  Recording Secretary Tritle said that the list would be posted once the Commissioners approve it.  She explained that she had also completed the letters to send to each candidate, which notifies them of their score and how to apply for preference points.  She asked the Commissioners to look over the content of the letter before she sends it to each candidate.  She stated that she had also given each Commissioner two spreadsheets; the first one was the actual preliminary list and the second one was a tentative final list, which was based upon the possible preference points that each candidate was eligible to request.  She said that she and Chief Riddle were looking at these numbers earlier this morning and that some of the candidates may not receive preference points if they attended the Southern Kane County Training Academy.  Chief Riddle explained that the Southern Kane facility hosts two different types of training; one is the resident academy, which is 6 weeks long, 5 days per week; the other is just a few nights per week.  The Firefighters union contract specifies that all Firefighters hired into the Sycamore Fire Department must have attended a resident academy, which is a more intensive program.  He added that there are 4 or 5 of these academies in the State.  Chairman Dailey asked if the list might be incorrect.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that the preliminary list is correct.  However, the final list, in which possible preference points were considered, could change, depending on which points each candidate actually applies for. 

 

Recording Secretary Tritle stated that she and Chief Riddle need clarification concerning Veterans points and Paid-on-Call preference points.  Chief Riddle explained that they needed to determine if the Paid-on-Call preference points could be prorated.  The Sycamore Paid-on-Call Firefighters receive three points per year of service and Chief Riddle wondered if they could be awarded partial credit for a partial year of service.  It would mean ¾ of a point for a couple of the candidates; the other two are maxed out.  He added that this is done for in the promotional testing process.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked Attorney Buick if she would need to research this.  Attorney Buick asked Chief Riddle what he thought.  Chief Riddle answered that he believes they can do this, since it is done   in other testing processes.  For example, for promotional testing, length of service is listed in months when calculating seniority points.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked if the City could do this a different way if the State Statute specifies “each year”.  Chief Riddle said he just realized that, when the Rules and Regulations were published, they did not specify that a candidate could receive partial credit.  Therefore, we probably can’t award partial points for this test and will have to leave it at a full year.  Chairman Dailey agreed. Commissioner Petersen asked how many candidates this would affect.  Chief Riddle answered that, of the interns, it would affect Dustin Ruby and Andy Powers; Adam Honiotes and Ryan Gustafson are already at the maximum number of points allowed (nine).   Recording Secretary Tritle said that there is also an outside candidate, Mr. DeBiasi that this could affect.  City Attorney Buick asked if they have allowed partial points in the past.  Chief Riddle answered that they had not.  She asked if they had just come up with this idea.  Chief Riddle answered that they came up with the idea to add points for the Paid-on-Call candidates who had worked for the Sycamore Fire Department for quite awhile so that they could place at the top of our Eligibility List.  He explained that his Department feels that these interns should have an advantage, since they received their training here and they already know how our Department works.  He added that, while non-home rule communities cannot do this, there are many home-rule communities that do this in order to insure that their own people make it to the top of the Eligibility List.  Chairman Dailey asked if there would be a problem in allowing partial credits in the current process, since this was not announced to the candidates ahead of time.  Chief Riddle said that there could be, and suggested that the Rules and Regulations be changed to allow for partial points in future testing processes.  

 

            Chief Riddle said that a question had also arisen concerning Veterans points; he found      that municipalities are not consistent in the way these points are applied.  Recording            Secretary Tritle explained that the guide City Attorney Keith Foster had put together for the Commissioners concerning the testing and hiring   processes indicates that             candidates eligible for preference points for working as Paid-on-Call Firefighters may not      receive preference points if awarding them would place a candidate ahead of a veteran on    the Eligibility List.  Chief Riddle suggested calling the attorney for the Illinois Fire and            Police Commission Association to get the use of Veterans preference points clarified.  He            also suggested checking with City Attorney Foster to see what citations he has for the             information that he had put in the hiring guide.  Commissioner Short asked if the hiring        guidelines compiled by City Attorney Foster included the amendment that was recently           passed by the Commissioners concerning preference points.  Chief Riddle answered that they did not.      

 

            Chief Riddle asked what the deadline date was for candidates to request preference         points.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that the preliminary list would be posted on          August 8th, so the candidates had 10 days from that date to submit their requests.  She         added that the Rules and Regulations do not clarify whether or not the 10 days are 10             business days or consecutive days.  Commissioner Short said that the norm is 10 business             days, which will make the requests due by 5:00 p.m. on August 21, 2006.  Recording         Secretary Tritle explained that she had put together a handout to send to the candidates           that outlined the different types of preference points available.  She asked the             Commissioners to review it before she sends it out.  She also asked if the reference to the             fact that Paid-on-Call preference points cannot trump Veterans preference points should    be deleted, since this question needed clarification.  Chief Riddle thought it would be best      to delete this reference; the Commissioners agreed.  Commissioner Short asked if the             candidates who work as Paid-on-Call Firefighters in Sycamore have to apply for their       preference points just as the outside candidates do.  Chief Riddle answered that they do.         Recording Secretary Tritle added that it especially important that they formally apply for        the Paid-on-Call points, because they need to include a letter from the municipality in             which they work that confirms the length of time they served in this position for them,       since none of the candidates included this with their application along with their military            discharge papers or their college transcripts, if applicable.  

 

Chairman Dailey asked Chief Riddle if he was surprised as to how the candidates scored on the exams.  Chief Riddle answered that he thought the oral exam scores would be better than they were.  He said he was also surprised by the number of candidates who received scores in the 90’s, as he had not seen this before, adding that the average score on the written exam two years ago was about 85%.  Recording Secretary Tritle pointed out that nine candidates who took the test this year did not pass the oral exam.  Commissioner Short asked if the highest score that could be received on the written exam was 100%.  Chief Riddle answered that this was correct.  Commissioner Short asked what the highest score that could be received was for the oral exam, as he thought it was 60.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that a candidate could receive a maximum of 360 points on the oral exam (6 questions/criteria times 10 points time 6 interviewers); she calculated each candidate’s score by dividing the total number of points he or she received by 360. She then took 40% of this score, which was added to 60% of the written exam score to arrive at the preliminary score.   Chairman Dailey asked if the Commissioners needed to formally approve the preliminary list.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that they did not need to vote on it; she just wanted the Commissioners to review it before it was posted.  She also asked the Commissioners to review the letter that would be sent to all of the candidates to notify them of their score on the oral exam, their standing on the preliminary list, and instructions on applying for preference points.  The Commissioners all agreed that the wording of the letter would be fine, once the phrase concerning the application deadline for preference points was changed from “10 days” to “10 business days”.   Commissioner Short wondered if 10 days was enough time for the candidates to get their records together in order to submit their request for preference points.  Recording Secretary Tritle reiterated that the Rules and Regulations state that they have 10 days to get this done. Chief Riddle added that most of the candidates have already submitted the necessary documentation anyway (discharge papers or college transcripts); all they need is the written request to apply the preference points, and verification of their length of service if they are applying for Paid-on-Call preference points.  He added that there was only one outside candidate who qualified for Paid-on-Call preference points.  Commissioner Short said he thought there was more than one.  Chief Riddle answered that many of the candidates are contract medics or have not been with a municipality or fire district long enough to qualify.  Recording Secretary Tritle said that, along with the above letter, she would send each candidate a copy of the preliminary list and the handout describing the preference points available to him or her.  Commissioner Petersen asked if the candidates realize that the final list could be different from the preliminary list, due to the application of preference points.    Recording Secretary Tritle answered that this was explained at orientation, and it is also noted on the preliminary list that requests for preference points are due within 10 days.  Commissioner Petersen asked about the candidates who did not score 70 or better on the oral exam.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that the nine candidates who did not pass the oral exam would be receiving a letter to inform them that they will no longer be considered as a candidate.  Chief Thomas stated that he was glad the Commissioners decided to require that a candidate receive 70 or better on both the written and oral exams; they did not have this requirement last year when they tested candidates to establish an Eligibility List for entry-level Police Officers and several candidates who received low scores on the oral exam made it to the final list.

 

·         Status on the hiring of a new Police Officer

 

            Chief Thomas reported that candidate Cheryl Senne had taken both her medical and         psychological exams this past Thursday.  The psychologist told him that he would          recommend that she be hired.  He added that they are still waiting to hear the results of          her medical exam, though the doctor told Ms. Senne verbally that he did not find   anything wrong.  Chief Thomas also reported that her background exam was         completed, and he found no red flags in it.  He said that he does have a few concerns, but   they are not an impediment to hiring her.  He is anticipating that the Commissioners will             receive clean reports and will hire her as soon as possible.  Chairman Dailey asked if        Chief Thomas had a specific hire date in mind.  He answered he did not; due to the fact           that she is already a certified Officer, she will not need to be hired in time for the next            class at the Academy.      

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

·         Recognition of Assistant Fire Chief Cary Niewold’s Retirement

 

            Recording Secretary Tritle said that she had put together a letter from the Commissioners             to send to Mr. Niewold to thank him for his years of service to the Department as a       Firefighter, Lieutenant, and Assistant Chief.   She added that Mr. Niewold had retired on    July 1st, but will be staying on as a Paid-on-Call Firefighter. 

 

·         Fire Chief

 

Chief Riddle asked if the Commissioners would be meeting again to finalize the preliminary list.  Chairman Dailey answered that she believed they would.  Chief Riddle said that, at that time, they can also start the process to hire two Firefighters.   

 

·         Police Chief

 

Chief Thomas reported that probationary Police Officer Ann Carlson received information over the weekend that in all likelihood she will be deployed to Germany on October 15, 2006 for a period of one year as a part of her naval reserve duties.  He added that she does not have her written orders yet, but it is very likely that she will receive them soon.  He explained, in the past when a probationary Officer has been deployed, his or her probation is frozen when he or she leaves; when he or she returns to the Department, the probationary period resumes from that point on.  He added that, by law, we must hold his or her job for five years and, by City policy, we continue to pay his or her normal salary, minus the amount he or she receives for military pay.  Chief Thomas stated that Officer Carlson is an excellent employee and that his Department will miss her.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked if Officer Carlson needed to write a letter to the Commissioners asking for a leave of absence.  Chief Thomas answered that the last time an Officer was deployed, he sent a letter to the Commissioners; he believes that the Commissioners then sent the Officer a letter recognizing his deployment.   Recording Secretary Tritle said she remembered that, when a Firefighter was deployed a few years ago, he sent a letter to the Commissioners, who then voted to approve his leave of absence.  Chief Thomas said that he would instruct Officer Carlson to send a letter to him, the Commissioners, and the City Manager at the appropriate time.  Chairman Dailey asked Chief Thomas if he was concerned about staffing when Officer Carlson leaves for her military assignment.  Chief Thomas answered that he is and that he would try to expedite the hiring of the next candidate on the Eligibility List, or he may consider asking the Commissioners for an emergency hiring of a certified Police Officer since, according to the Rules and Regulations, the Commissioners have the flexibility to do this.  Chairman Dailey asked who was the next candidate on the Eligibility List.  Chief Thomas answered that he could not recall his name, though he knows the candidate after him is a certified Police Officer, who has almost completed her probationary period with the municipality for which she currently works.  Chief Thomas said that he has talked to this candidate and she has told him that, out of a sense of loyalty, she would not feel right leaving her current employer for at least a year.  Therefore, if she were offered a job with the Sycamore Police Department today, he believes that she would turn it down.   Chairman Dailey asked if the next candidate on the list is a good one.  Chief Thomas answered that he anticipates problems with the background checks on two of the remaining candidates on the list.  He added that two other candidates on the list seem very enthusiastic, while several others never responded to the preliminary phone calls that he made to them.  He said that, once Mrs. Senne is officially hired, they would start looking at the next candidate on the list.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked how many candidates are left on the list.  Chief Thomas answered that there are five or six.  Recording Secretary asked at what point it would be necessary for the Commissioners to interview the next tier of candidates.  Chief Thomas answered that they should probably think about doing this after Officer Carlson’s replacement is hired.  He said that they have budgeted to allow one or possibly two Police Officers to be hired on May 1, 2007; therefore, he believes the next tier of candidates should definitely be interviewed before that date.  Commissioner Petersen asked how old the current list is.  Chief Thomas answered that it is almost one-year old, adding that it is good for two years and will expire on November 1, 2007.   

 

Recording Secretary Tritle asked if the Commissioners would need to meet again to approve the hiring of Mrs. Senne.  Chief Thomas answered that this is what they have done in the past.  Chairman Dailey asked if this would happen in September.  Recording Secretary Tritle answered that they may need to meet next week, as the only thing they are still waiting for are the results of her medical exam, which she could receive this week.   Chief Thomas agreed, stating that, if the Commissioners met and approved her hiring next week, this would give Mrs. Senne time to give appropriate notice to her current employer.  Chairman Dailey informed them that she would be out of town next week.  Recording Secretary Tritle said that a meeting could still be held as long as the other two Commissioners were available to attend it.  She asked if the Commissioners wanted to do a final interview with Mrs. Senne, since neither Commisioner Short nor Commissioner Petersen has previously met the candidate.  She said that they could conduct a final interview and then meet to vote on hiring Mrs. Senne.  Chairman Dailey said that they had previously discussed the necessity for a final interview, adding that, whatever they decide to do, they need to be consistent with each candidate and not conduct final interviews on a sporadic basis.  Chief Thomas recommended that the Commissioners read the background and psychological reports on each candidate before deciding if a final interview with a candidate is necessary.   Commissioner Petersen asked if Chief Thomas was pleased with this candidate.  Chief Thomas suggested that the Commissioners read Mrs. Senne’s background and psychological reports.  He explained that, she has passed both the background and the psychological exams; however, there are some concerns.  Chairman Dailey said that it seems as though they debate the necessity of a final interview each time it comes up, yet it is her understanding that this is the last opportunity the Commissioners would have to pass on a candidate.  However, a candidate would not be told on a face-to-face basis in the final interview that the Commissioners have elected not to hire him or her.  Chief Thomas said that this is correct, adding that the Rules and Regulations allow the Commissioners to hire any candidate left in the top three.  Therefore, they could read the background and psychological reports and, based on the information contained in them, decide to move on to another candidate.  Chairman Dailey said that, prior to next week, they should have already gotten a feel about Mrs. Senne and, if they were not going to hire her, they would have made that decision before then.  Chief Thomas said that he thought if the background or the psychological reports brought up real red-flags the Commissioners would have heard this by now.  In Mrs. Senne’s case, he believes that in all probability, the Commissioners will make a favorable decision.  Recording Secretary Tritle said that they had already received the background and psychological reports on Mrs. Senne and asked if there was any reason why the Commissioners could not review them at this meeting.  Chief Thomas answered that they could choose to review them in closed session today.  Recording Secretary Tritle added that, as long as she passes her medical exam, the Commissioners in all probability could know today whether or not they wish to hire Mrs. Senne.  Chief Riddle said that he is not sure what the last interview has traditionally been for; it is more like a welcome to the candidate than anything.  He added that he had never seen this done before.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked if he had ever seen a candidate not be hired because of the final interview, or if the decision usually made by the time of the final interview.  Chief Riddle answered that the he thought the final interview was reserved for this purpose; the candidate may have passed the all of the pre-employment tests, but there is still something about him or her that that the Chief or the Commissioners do not like.   Chairman Dailey stated that the Commissioners would still not sit across from this person and tell him or her that they would not be hired.  Chief Thomas said that this was correct; they would meet first, vote on it, and then send the candidate a letter to notify him or her that they would not be hired.  Chief Riddle said that he believes that the Commissioners have continued to conduct a final interview because they have always reserved this final “stop-gap”.  Chief Thomas said that there really is no reason to conduct a final interview unless the Commissioners feel they need more information in order to not hire a candidate.  He added that, when he worked in St. Charles , the Commissioners did it only to clarify a problem with the background report, and he only saw this happen once.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked if this meant that they did not do a final interview if there were no problems with the background report.  Chief Thomas answered that sometimes they still did one.  For example, say a year has gone by and the candidate had been arrested in that time; the Commissioners could choose to conduct a final interview to talk to the candidate about this.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked Attorney Buick if there would be a problem with conducting a final interview with only some of the candidates, using the criteria that they are only conducted when there are questions about the candidate’s background.  Attorney Buick answered that she does not believe that this would be a problem unless the Rules and Regulations state that this must be done.  Chairman Dailey stated that she does not believe that they do.  Recording Secretary Tritle said that she remembers seeing reference to a final interview in the Rules and Regulations, but she couldn’t remember if it was in the State statutes or the Sycamore Rules and Regulations.  Chairman Dailey stated that she believes the only benefit of conducting a final interview with all of the candidates is that it gives them a chance to meet the Commissioners so that they know who they are.  Commissioner Short stated that it is a formality more than anything else, and he wasn’t sure that they needed to continue this formality.  Chief Thomas stated that he did not think the Commissioners could make the decision as to whether or not they wanted to conduct a final interview for a candidate until they read the background and psychological exam reports.  Commissioner Short said that, ultimately, the Commissioners would be taking the Chief’s recommendation as whether or not a candidate should be hired.  Chairman Dailey said that this might be how they need to proceed with each candidate; if they read the reports prior to the day of the final interview, then they can make a determination as to whether or not they will be hiring that candidate.                          


CLOSED SESSION

 

Motion

 

A motion to move into closed session was made by Commissioner Petersen and was seconded by Commissioner Short.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                3

Nays:                0

Abstain:            0

 

Closed session began at 11:50 a.m.

 

RETURN TO OPEN SESSION

Motion

 

A motion to return to open session was made by Commissioner Short and was seconded by Chairman Dailey.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                3

Nays:                0

Abstain:            0

 

Open session reconvened at 12:07 p.m.

 

Chairman Dailey stated that at this point the Commissioners should vote on approving the hiring of Cheryl Senne, the next candidate for the position of Police Officer.  Recording Secretary Tritle stated that the offer should be contingent on the results of her medical exam.  Chairman Dailey said they also needed to decide whether or not to give her a final interview.  Having read her background and psychological exam reports, Chairman Dailey asked for the other Commissioners thoughts on this.       

Motion

 A motion to offer Cheryl Senne the position of Police Officer in the Sycamore Police Department, contingent on her passing her medical exam, was made by Commissioner Short and was seconded by Commissioner Petersen.

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                3

Nays:                0

Abstain:            0

 

Commissioner Petersen stated that he was fine with the idea of giving Mrs. Senne a final interview, which could also serve as a formal welcoming to the City.   Commissioner Short agreed.  Chief Thomas stated the value of the final interview was to give the Commissioners a baseline so that if, in the next twelve months, he would need to recommend to the Commissioners that the candidate be terminated, they would already be familiar with information about the employee.  Commissioner Short said that, during the final interview, they could also stress to the current candidate that in order to be successful in the Sycamore Police Department she would need to develop skills in the areas that were identified as weaknesses in her examinations.  Chief Thomas thought that was a good idea, and asked the Commissioners if they would allow him to determine her date of hire.  The Commissioners agreed that was fine.  Chief Thomas said that he or Mrs. Tritle would contact Mrs. Senne to see how much notice she wished to give her current employer, so that they can determine her hire date.  Commissioner Short asked if it was normal for a Police Officer to give a thirty-day notice.  Chief Thomas said two or three weeks was usually sufficient for a Patrol Officer, adding that it was usually longer for a ranking Officer.  Recording Secretary Tritle asked if the Commissioners are authorizing her to send Mrs. Senne the final offer of employment when she finds out that she has passed her medical exam.  The Commissioners stated that was correct.             

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

Motion

 A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Commissioner Petersen and was seconded by Commissioner Short.

 

 

Vote

 

Ayes:                3

Nays:                0

Abstain:            0

 

The meeting was adjourned at 12:12 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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