Updates from the September Board Meeting

A draft budget was established for 2023 to present to the community for discussion and vote at the annual meeting. Chief Harris requested the board consider the purchase of a new (used) fire truck. The budget was put on hold to gather more information on the details of purchasing the truck. This truck would take the place of three of our current trucks. A special meeting will be called prior to the Annaul Meeting to discuss the potential purchase and proposed budget.

Once the truck has been decided for or against, a budget proposal will be released for the public to review.

Financial Summary from August:
Checking balance start $75,326.49. Ending balance $54,309.06. Expenses $49,371.27
Income $28,353.84
There was a large expense of $13,095.16 for truck repairs on 1302. This was reimbursed by an insurance payment. Savings balance: $75,010.59

The Annual Meeting of the Members will be October 18th at 7PM at Station 1. A preliminary agenda will be posted 14 days prior to the meeting. There is one board seat due for election. All nominations must come from the floor at the meeting.

The 2022 billing cycle starts October 1st. If you would like a copy of your invoice emailed to you, send your information to contactus@lakeviewfire.org. Fire Dues may now be paid by credit card in person or over the phone. Online invoicing is available upon request by emailing billing@lakeviewfire.org.

Fire prevention week is October 9 – 15th. The theme this year is “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape”. Every home needs to have a plan and practice that plan. Parent/guardians of home school children may request fire prevention week materials by emailing contactus@lakeviewfire.org.

Finally, we are still working on updating our website and other social media sites. You may now view past meetings on our YouTube channel. A link is on the “Welcome” page of the website. We will still post minutes on the website once they have any corrections made and approved however there may be a delay.

Questions, comments, or concerns may be emailed to contactus@lakeviewfire.org.

As fall approaches so does the next budget and billing cycle. Billing will start October 1st. This year, we will be sending out an update newsletter with your invoice. The letter will also be available online and at the annual meeting. New for this 2022 year, the annual meeting will be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, October 18th. We will be posting signs around the community and on social media. We also ask the community to help spread the word. As of right now it will be held at Station 1.

There is a change in proxy voting as well. If you will not be able to attend the meeting but still want to vote, instructions for voting by proxy will be available on the website by September 1st.

Seat 5 on the Board of Directors will be up for election at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Directors serve 4 year terms. Nominations for the seat must come from the floor the night of the election. Qualifications can be found at lakeviewfire.org.

For those who came to the City of Lake View’s National Night Out, we appreciate the support! Turnout was more than we expected. Lake View Police Department did an excellent job putting the event on.

From the August board meeting, the rate increase committee is still finalizing their proposal.

Lakeview Fire received another $3000.00 in grant money for the Deck. We are waiting on word for our federal grants. Hopefully that will be in the next month.

The checking account started at $112,869.16. We had $17,133.26 in revenue, $22,377.49 in expenses and transfered $32,298.44 to savings.

The next regular board meeting will be September 20, 2022 at 7PM held at Station 1.

Questions, concerns, or comments? We would love to hear from the community. Message us, look for us on social media, or email contactus@lakeviewfire.org.

Lakeview Fire will be participating in the National Night Out scheduled for August 12th from 5 PM to 8PM at City Hall/Station 2 located in Tannehill Preserve. We would love to see you!

If you missed the last meeting, the video is on Facebook. We are still working on options for those not on Facebook including uploading the video to YouTube and podcast.

Staffing remains a priority. Chief Harris is working on recruiting firefighters and volunteers. One possible solution to increase volunteers is to start a volunteer medical response unit. This group would respond to medical calls only. Deputy Chief Bossard is putting a plan together to present at the next meeting.

The dues increase committee will present their report at the August meeting.

We are waiting on the results of two grants, one for turn out gear and one for a new truck. It may be September before we receive an answer. We were fortunate enough to receive a $29,431.00 from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation for new extrication equipment.

Financial information for June 2022:

Checking: 

Beginning balance $157,081.82

Ending balance:$112,869.16 

The expenses for June 2022 were higher than usual due to the purchase of the extrication equipment covered by grant money.

Savings:$42,701.56

The board voted to move a small portion from checking to our reserve fund. 

The 2020 and 2021 financial audit is available on the website under documents.

The 2021 billing cycle is coming to a close. If you have not paid your bill, please pay as soon as possible to avoid fees or collections. The new billing cycle will begin October 1st. 

And last but certainly not least, the deck at  Station 1 is complete! A portion of the deck was covered under a grant from the Tom Bigbee Foundation. 

If you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, please send us an email to contactus@lakeviewfire.org.

Just a reminder that monthly board meetings are now on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be July 19, 2022 at Station 1 starting at 7PM. The agenda is posted online at lakeviewfire.org on the documents page.

Meetings are live on Facebook. We are looking at options for streaming on YouTube and offering the audio as a podcast for those not on Facebook.

The 2020 and 2021 audit has been completed. The report can also be found on the documents page at lakeviewfire.org.

We are starting to prepare for the 2022 billing cycle. We receive our updated owner information from the Tuscaloosa County Tax Assessor’s office. Once we receive our list, we may not receive any updates. If you or someone you know and address change recently, please ask them to notify the billing office.

The business office will be closed Friday June 24th and reopen Monday June 27th. Please be aware that several small construction projects are still ongoing. If you go to Station 1, please use caution and watch for any construction signs. If you need to reach someone for non fire or emergency related questions please email contactus@lakeviewfire.org.