2025 04-02 Fire Merit Commission Meeting Minutes - Final

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APRIL 02, 2025 2 7. Article 9 addressed conflict of interest, requiring commissioners to disclose any conflicts, and adherence to the city's ethics code, including prohibitions on accepting gifts. 8. Article 10 emphasized confidentiality, prohibiting commissioners from sharing misconduct information outside of commission duties. 9. Article 11 prohibited commissioners from furnishing information to applicants, with violations potentially resulting in removal or criminal charges. 10. The board decided to table the bylaws until the next meeting to allow for further review and corrections, with a clean copy to be provided for the next meeting. The board decided to table the bylaws until the next meeting to allow for further review and corrections. Upon a motion to table by John Ginter and seconded by Dan Jones, and carried by roll call, the bylaws were tabled. E. PROPOSED RULES Attorney Connell provided an overview of the proposed rules and regulations, including applicant requirements, hiring process, performance evaluations, promotional process, disciplinary actions, rehiring of previous merit firefighters, and lateral hire requirements. 1. Section 2 laid out the applicant requirements for the fire department, detailing the standards and steps in the hiring process. 2. Section 3 described the performance evaluations required under the merit code, outlining how they would be conducted. 3. Section 4 detailed the promotional process, including the rank of captain, criteria for promotion, and the need for a career development manual. The fire department confirmed the manual is being revised. 4. Section 5 covered disciplinary actions, noting the intent to pass the discipline matrix alongside the rules and regulations, and emphasizing the need to refer to the code for executing discipline. 5. Sections 6 and 7 outlined the framework for rehiring previous merit firefighters and the criteria for lateral hires. Since there was no privilege of the floor for the public to speak, Eric Griffin, president of South Bend Firefighters Local 362, asked if he would be allowed to speak to the commissioners. Upon a motion by John Ginter, seconded by Dan Jones, Mr. Griffin was given permission to speak. Eric Griffin, president of South Bend Firefighters Local 362, provided feedback on the proposed rules and regulations, highlighting previously discussed promotional process percentages agreed upon within labor management. He also emphasized the importance of formal training for the Merit Board. The board agreed to consider the feedback and schedule a training session before implementing the rules and regulations. He also requested the opportunity for the union's legal counsel to review the documents and provide recommendations. The commissioners will review the rules and regulations and discuss them further at the next meeting, with copies to be sent out for review and edits. F. ELECT PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, AND SECRETARY The board elected Dan Jones as President, Kenneth Marks as Vice President, and John Pinter as Secretary. Upon a motion by John Ginter, seconded by Kenneth Marks, Dan Jones was elected