* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] LET'S CALL [PSPRS Board Meeting on October 12, 2022.] TO ORDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL RETIREMENT SYSTEM LOCAL BOARD SELECTION COMMITTEE AT 12:30 PM ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12TH, 2022. ADAM CLERK, WOULD YOU CALL IT MAYOR MORIARTY? HERE. VICE MAYOR JLO. HERE. COUNSELOR CANELLA HERE. OKAY. AND OUR FIRST APPLICANT TODAY, YOU WILL TELL ME IF I'M PRONOUNCING THIS RIGHT. MOZZARELLA MAZZELLA MAAR. CLOSE. OKAY. SO WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR REPLYING. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY. AND, UH, WE HAVE, UH, UH, SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU AND WE'VE READ YOUR RESUME OF COURSE. SO LET'S BEGIN WITH THE QUESTIONS, AND IF NOBODY OBJECTS, I THINK I'LL JUST READ 'EM ALL. THAT'S FINE. YEAH. FINE WITH ME TO, UH, BUT MEETINGS ARE TYPICALLY HELD IN THE MORNING ON THE FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH, AND THE BOARD IS REQUIRED BY STATUTE TO MEET AT LEAST TWICE YEARLY. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE FOR YOU? YES. THANK YOU. THE, UM, JUST SOME FOLLOW UP. THE, THE, UM, FIRST THURSDAY, THAT'S BEEN MOVING AROUND A LITTLE BIT THOUGH, SO THERE DOES NEED TO BE SOME FLEXIBILITY YEAH. AS OPPOSED TO THAT BEING IN STONE. SURE. I HAVE FLEXIBILITY. THERE'S NO PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH ADVANCE NOTICE YOU WOULD GIVE, BUT I'M FAIRLY, YOU KNOW, VERY FLEXIBLE ON THAT. YOU'D USUALLY HAVE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS ADVANCE. OH YEAH. NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL. OKAY. YEAH, THIS IS, THIS IS NOT A, A BODY THAT NEEDS PARTICULARLY OFTEN. RIGHT. ONLY AS NEEDED. SO, ALTHOUGH WE'VE BEEN MEETING FAIRLY REGULARLY, UM, WE'VE BEEN GOING OVER, WE MEET WHEN THERE ARE APPLICATIONS TO REVIEW, EITHER FOR NEW HIRES TO ADMIT INTO THE, OR LATERAL HIRES TO ADMITTED INTO THE SYSTEM IF THERE'S A CLAIM FOR DISABILITY. BUT LATELY WE'VE BEEN MEETING MORE BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN GOING, THE STATE HAS GONE OVER THE RULES OF PROCEDURE. IT'S BEEN, UH, A BIG REWRITE, BIG CHANGE OF THE RULES. AND THEN EACH MUNICIPALITY ADOPTS ITS OWN RULES, WHICH MAY SUPPLEMENT THOSE RULES OR HAVE A SLIGHT VARIATION AS LONG AS IT'S DOESN'T CONTRADICT. AND WE, WE'VE DONE ALL THAT AND WE'RE IN THE END STAGE OF THAT PROCESS, SO. OKAY. AND THAT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE OR SOMEWHERE? EVERYTHING SHOULD BE ONLINE. AND IF YOU CAN'T GET ANYTHING, UM, JUST ASK, UH, WELL, YOU COULD ASK CHARICE AND SHE COULD DIRECT YOU OR BRENDA REGA IS OUR, THE CLERK TO THE BOARD. YEAH. OKAY. AND SO THE NEXT QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE ANY PRIOR EXPERIENCE SERVING ON A PENSION BOARD OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF MUNICIPAL BOARD? NO. AND IF YES, PLEASE DESCRIBE. NO. NO. SO THEN WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN THIS POSITION? UH, I WANTED TO VOLUNTEER FOR SOMETHING. I THINK OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO US. SO I WANTED TO GET FIRSTHAND INFORMATION. UH, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD ADDRESS. YOU KNOW, DO WE, HOW DO WE RETAIN POLICE OFFICERS? I WOULD ASSUME IT'S FAIRLY YOUNG ORGANIZATION AND THEY, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY GO OUT AFTER 20 YEARS OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANY WAY TO RETAIN THEM? SO JUST INFORMATION I'M, I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR. OKAY. AND WE CAN'T ADDRESS THAT QUESTION NOW, SO, YES. UNDERSTAND. AND WHAT, IF ANY, EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE WITH USING OR REVIEWING ACTUARIAL REPORTS? I HAVEN'T. OKAY. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE ARIZONA OPEN MEETING LAWS OR THE RULES AND USE OF EXECUTIVE SESSION? YES. OKAY. HOW, HOW DID YOU GET THAT UNDERSTANDING? JUST, UH, LOOKING IT UP ONLINE, FINDING OUT WHAT THE A AR S IS AND SEE IF I COULD FIND OUT ANY INFORMATION. SO COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR INTERPRETATION OF OPEN MEETING LAW? UH, OPEN, LIKE AFTER THIS MEETING, I GUESS YOU'RE GOING TO A CLOSED MEETING SESSION FOR CERTAIN THINGS WHERE THE PUBLIC ISN'T INVOLVED. UH, SO AN OPEN MEETING, I ASSUME, IS THAT THE PUBLIC IS COMING IN AND HAS POTENTIALLY HAS INPUT TO WHAT'S GONNA GO ON AT THAT MEETING. SO ACTUALLY OPEN MEETING LAWS DESCRIBE HOW YOU COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS. MM-HMM. , AND IN THIS CASE, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A SMALL BOARD MM-HMM. PRIMARILY NOT MUCH OUTSIDE OF A MEETING. YOU, YOU JUST CAN'T, UH, HOW MANY ARE THERE ON THE, WE ARE FIVE AND TWO OF THE MEMBERS ARE PUBLIC MEMBERS, WHICH WERE APPOINTED BY THIS BODY. UH, ONE MEMBER, WHICH IS THE, WHO ACTS AS THE CHAIR, IS THE MAYOR'S DESIGNEE, WHICH IN THIS CASE IS, IS ME AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. AND THE MAYOR'S DESIGNATED CHAIR THAT, SO THAT'S THREE OF THE FIVE. THE OTHER TWO MEMBERS ARE ELECTED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO [00:05:01] BE THEIR REPRESENTATIVES. SO THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC MEMBERS, AGAIN, APPOINTED BY THE THE COUNCIL, ARE TO LOOK AT THE PUBLIC INTEREST. MM-HMM. , THE POLICE MEMBERS ARE TO REPRESENT, OBVIOUSLY PUBLIC INTEREST AS WELL, BUT FROM THE POLICE PERSPECTIVE AND BRING THAT. AND THEN THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR IS TO SORT OF TIE IT ALL TOGETHER AND, AND, AND, UM, MAKE SURE THAT MEANING PROCEDURES ARE PROPERLY FOLLOWED. UM, I, SO THAT LEADS ME, IF, COULD I ASK A FOLLOW UP WHICH SORT OF LINKS INTO THAT? YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, SO THE BASICALLY OPEN MEANING LAW SAY THAT YOU CAN'T DISCUSS ANYTHING WITH THE QUO OF THE ENTIRE BODY. SO THAT MEANS YOU PROBABLY CAN'T TALK TO MORE, YOU WANT THE PERSON OF THE FIVE. RIGHT. CAUSE THREE WOULD BE MEETING, EVERYTHING ELSE HAS TO BE DONE ACTUALLY AT THE MEETING. THAT'S WHAT OPEN MEETING WAS. YEAH. SO, SO FOR INSTANCE, ON CITY COUNCIL, WE HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS. I CAN'T NO, NO COUNCIL MEMBER CAN SPEAK TO MORE THAN TWO ON THE COUNCIL. THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT WORKS. IT'S ALSO TRUE OF TELEPHONE IS JUST THE SAME AS IN PERSON. SO NO, YOU CAN'T, DOESN'T MATTER HOW EMAIL COMMUNICATE, YOU JUST CAN'T EMAIL. YEAH. I WAS A, I AM AN ARBITRATOR FOR FINRA FINANCIAL REGULATORY AUTHORITY AND WE HAVE THE SAME RULES THAT APPLY. OKAY. GO AHEAD AND KATHY, ASK THE FOLLOW UP. UH, NO, I THINK, OKAY. WELL, ACTUALLY YES, IF I MAY. OKAY. SURE. THANK YOU. SO, AS I EXPLAINED WHO REPRESENTS WHO, I GUESS A QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS, KNOWING THAT THOSE ARE THE ROLES ON THE BOARD, DO YOU HAVE A FEELING OR, OR WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE CITY AS AN EMPLOYER? BECAUSE THE ROLE OF THIS, OF THIS BOARD, THIS PERSONNEL BOARD, IS BASICALLY TO BE ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. SO I'M WONDERING WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THE CITY AS AN EMPLOYER. I THINK THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE. HONESTLY. UH, CHARISE HAS HELPED ME. I'VE CALLED A NUMBER OF TIMES. EVERYBODY'S VERY PLEASANT TO DEAL WITH AND SEEMS KNOWLEDGEABLE ALSO. SO I THINK THEY'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB. OKAY. HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU CORRESPONDING BY EMAIL? I'M FINE WITH IT. AS A BOARD MEMBER, YOU'LL BE MAKING DECISIONS REGARDING SWORN STAFF ON ISSUES SUCH AS MEMBERSHIP DATES IN THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM, APPROVING RETIREMENT SERVICE PURCHASE REQUESTS, AND ON RARE OCCASION APPROVING OR DENYING DISABILITY BENEFITS. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH? YES. I'VE HAD OTHER JOBS WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE MAY NOT BE HAPPY WITH, BUT THEY HAVE DECISIONS HAVE TO BE MADE. OKAY. SO THOSE ARE OUR SET QUESTIONS. UH, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM YOU. YES. WELL, AS PART OF THAT REVIEW, IN THE LAST QUESTION THAT THE MAYOR JUST ASKED, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO REVIEW MEDICAL RECORDS, THINGS THAT ARE HIPAA PROTECTED. UM, AND I JUST WANNA SURE THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT AND THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH. CUZ I KNOW SOMETIMES SOMEBODY DOESN'T WANNA HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE'S PERSONAL INFORMATION OR BE PRIVY TO THAT. SO I I WE WANNA MAKE YOU AWARE THAT THAT'S PART OF THE JOB AS WELL. YEAH. AND THAT'S, ONCE AGAIN, FINE. MY WIFE'S A PHYSICIAN, SO I'M AWARE OF, YOU KNOW, REVIEWING DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. NOT THAT I PARTICIPATED IN IT, BUT I'VE SEEN HER DO IT. SO, AND AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, THE PREVIOUS JOBS I HAVE, ALTHOUGH NOT ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, I THINK WE'RE A GOOD BACKGROUND. LIKE MY ARBITRATOR ABILITY TO BUY, BEING A CAPTAIN, CHECK AIRMEN AT AMERICAN AIRLINES, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST TAKE ON CERTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES THAT HAVE TO BE DONE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN, UH, WHAT A CHECK AIRMAN IS? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT. YEAH. AZE AIRMAN, I WAS A CAPTAIN, LINE CAPTAIN, BUT ALSO A CHECK AIRMAN IS THE ONE WHO INSTRUCTS TRAINS OTHER PILOTS BEFORE THEY GO FLYING. WE'LL GIVE THEM LINE CHECKS WHEN THEY'RE DOING A A PARTICULAR ROUTE. WE'LL GO THERE, SIT THERE, MAKE SURE THEY FOLLOW ALL REGULATIONS, AND EITHER DISCUSS ANY ABNORMALITIES OR THINGS THAT WE WANNA DO. OKAY. GOOD. THANK YOU, DOCTOR. I WAS GONNA ASK YOU BEFORE, YEAH, AND, AND DOES THAT JOB EXIST IN, IS THAT ONLY IN PRIVATE AERONAUTICS OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU GOT MILITARY EXPERIENCE ON AT OR, UH, NO, IT WAS ALL CIVILIAN. IT'S ALL CIVILIAN. I'M JUST CURIOUS. YEAH. I WAS VERY LUCKY I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF FLYING AROUND WORLD. YEAH. YOU KNOW, AND IT SEEMS LIKE A FASCINATING, IT, IT WAS, I LOVED IT. THE ONLY REASON I RETIRED CAUSE IT WAS MANDATORY RETIREMENT. OH, REALLY? SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I RETIRED. EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE NOT FLYING. YEAH. WOW. SO, SO IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO JUST NO, I SAID, UH, GIVE YOU A CHANCE. YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOUR DECISION IS, I WOULD LIKE TO START, YOU KNOW, IF I'M APPROVED, I GET SOME INFORMATION ON ALL THESE PARTICULAR ITEMS THAT POTENTIALLY CAN COME UP FOR REVIEW. SO THAT'S THE ONLY THING I WOULD BE ASKING FOR. [00:10:01] WELL, BASICALLY WE REVIEW AGAIN, UM, THE PRIMARY ITEMS ARE SOME OF THE WE. AND THIS ONE IS PRETTY PROFORMA ACTUALLY, WHEN, UH, IT, WHEN ALL THE BOXES ARE CHECKED ON THE LIST, FOR SOMEBODY THAT'S COMING INTO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE TO BE OFFICIALLY APPROVED INTO THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. I SEE. THAT VOTE COMES HERE. BRAZIL SAID IT'S REALLY SORT OF IF THE BOXES ARE CHECKED, BECAUSE THERE'S A PROCESS THAT YOU GO THROUGH WITH ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL CHECKS AND YOUR, YOUR HIRING PROCEDURES. AND ONCE THAT'S DONE, IT COMES TO US FOR THE VOTE. IT'S REALLY JUST OFFICIALLY VERIFYING THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN FOLLOWED. UM, THE OTHER THING WE DO IS, IS THE RETIREMENT, UM, IMPROVE THE RETIREMENT, BUT ALSO THEN IMPROVE DISABILITY. THAT'S THE ONE THAT WOULD BE, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE, IT COULD GO OUT OVER SEVERAL MONTHS. YEAH. YOU DON'T KNOW THE FACTS OF THE CASE. IF SOMEBODY'S CLAIMING DISABILITY, HOW'S RELATED OR NOT? THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. AGAIN, THE ROLE OF THE BOARD IS TO PROTECT THE CITY'S INTEREST, WHICH IS THE PUBLIC INTEREST. THERE ARE ONE IN THE SAME IN THIS CASE BECAUSE THIS IS THE CITY'S, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC FUNDS IS PAYING OUT IN THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. AND TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THAT IS FOLLOWED. AND THEN ABOVE AND BEYOND THOSE PERSONNEL ROLE ARE THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES THAT WE LOOK AT AND THAT WE UPDATE FROM TIME TO TIME. AND THOSE QUESTIONS, THAT, THAT'S REALLY THE, THAT'S REALLY, AM I MISSING SOMETHING? THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE JOB EMAIL WAY MORE THAN I DO . OKAY. I'M HAPPY TO THE CHAIR PERSON OF THE BOARD. SO THAT'S WHY SHE'S HERE AND SHE'S THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE. SURE, OF COURSE. SO THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MORE TECHNICAL JOBS THAT WE HAVE ON A VOLUNTARY BOARD. THAT'S RIGHT. AND, WHICH I ALMOST DID FORGET ONE, WHICH IS THE, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE DO EVERY YEAR IS THE ACTUARIAL REPORTS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AND THE FUNDING. AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATION IS MADE. WE HAVE A CITY FINANCE DEPARTMENT. THEY'RE EXTRAORDINARILY TALENTED. UM, THAT INFORMATION COMES IN, THE PRESENTATIONS ARE MADE, BUT WE LOOK AT HOW MUCH IS BEING FUNDED TO FILL THE GAP OF THE UN, WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? THE UN UNFUNDED OR UNFUNDED? THE UNFUNDED, THE DIFFERENCE, THE UNFUNDED BALANCE, THAT'S THE WORD BALANCE, UH, IN THE PENSION FUND TO WHAT WE SEE WILL BE COMING ONLINE AS POTENTIAL RETIREMENTS IN THE SYSTEM. SO WE LOOK AT THAT BALANCE EVERY YEAR, REPORT THAT BACK RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE TO THE COUNCIL, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS THE BODY THAT APPROVES THE BUDGET OR NOT. THIS PRIOR, THIS COUNCIL, THIS CURRENT COUNCIL JUST PUT AN EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS IN ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WAS BUDGETED BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME SURPLUS FUNDS TO TRY AND CLOSE THAT GAP AS WELL. AND THE CITY OF SEDONA IS ACTUALLY IN VERY, VERY STRONG SHAPE COMPARED TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. BUT THERE IS STILL AN UNFUNDED BALANCE. SO WE DO LOOK AT THOSE. HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU WITH FINANCIAL DETAILS? I'M VERY, YOU KNOW, I SAID BESIDES BEING AN ARBITRATOR FINRA FINANCIAL AUTHORITY, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE INVESTED, WE HAD A COUPLE OF BUSINESSES THAT WE OPENED UP AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE DO MAKE PROJECTIONS. AND YOU THINK BUSINESS IS AT LOCAL? ANY KIND OF CONFLICT? UH, NO. NO. THIS WAS IN, UH, FLORIDA. OH, NO, THAT'S FINE. JUST WANNA SURE. LONG GONE. YEAH, GOOD QUESTION. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I THINK THAT COVERS WHAT THE JOB DOES. ARE THERE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT OUR ROLE OR HOW WE NO, AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING UPON YOUR DECISION, AND I'LL PROBABLY BE PASSING ON SOME QUESTIONS OR LOOKING FOR INFORMATION. MM-HMM. , THAT'S FINE. GREAT. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR APPLYING. THANKS FOR THE JOB YOU GUYS DO ALSO. VERY, I HAVE A QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE ANY RELATIVES BACK IN, UM, THE HUDSON VALLEY OF NEW YORK? UH, NO. OKAY. SAME NAME. . YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK TOO GOOD TOO. YOU, THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE STILL RECORDING. WE HAVE ABOUT 10 MINUTES TO THE NEXT ONE. DO WE WANNA RECESS OR, UH, JUST, JUST UH, TURN IT OFF? YEAH, I'LL JUST PAUSE IT. OKAY. SO YOU HAD TO CUT, CUT YOUR TRIP SHORT. 55. SO I THINK WE CAN GET, JUST GET GOING. YEAH, WE'RE RECORDING. UM, SO OKAY. I'LL BEHAVE. SO WE HAVE ABOUT SIX QUESTIONS I WANNA ASK. AND THEN, AND THEN SHOULD WE HAVE LYNN STATE HER NAME FOR THIS SINCE IT'S THE SECOND ONE ON RECORDING? YEAH, YEAH, SURE. WE'RE INTERVIEWING, WE'RE NOW INTERVIEWING LYNN NAS AND, UM, SHE'S OUR SECOND INTERVIEWEE TODAY. AND WE'RE ABOUT TO START WITH THE QUESTIONS. SO THE FIRST QUESTION IS, MEETINGS ARE TYPICALLY HELD IN THE MORNING ON THE FIRST THURSDAY OF [00:15:01] THE MONTH, AND THE BOARD IS REQUIRED BY STATUTE TO MEET AT LEAST TWICE YEARLY. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE FOR? YES. OKAY. OKAY. AND AS I SAID TO THE OTHER APPLICANT, THERE HAS BEEN MOVEMENT AND FLEXIBILITY. WE HAVE NOT STUCK STRICTLY TO THAT FIRST THURSDAY SCHEDULE. IT'S ALWAYS A PREFERRED DATE, BUT BECAUSE OF CONFLICTS WE'D HAD TO MOVE IT AROUND. SO JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ANY APPLICANT IS AWARE THAT THAT'S NOT ETCHED IN STONE IN THAT DATE. OKAY. BUT YOU WOULD ALWAYS HAVE ABOUT TWO WEEKS NOTICE AT LEAST. OKAY. SO YOU TRY TO DO THE FIRST THURSDAY, BUT THEN A LOT OF TIMES YOU DON'T MEET, I PRESUME THAT'S CORRECT AS WELL. WE'VE BEEN MEETING MORE RECENTLY THAN, THAN THE BODY NORMALLY WOULD IN A YEAR BECAUSE WE ARE JUST WRAPPING UP, UH, THE RULES OF PROCEDURE, WHICH THE STATE DID A WHOLE OVERHAUL OF THE STATE PROCEDURES. AND THEN WE HAD TO DO OUR, AND WE ACTUALLY, SEDONA WAS SO PROACTIVE IN THAT AND THROUGH, WE GAVE COMMENTS TO OUR ATTORNEY THAT WERE SUBMITTED INTO THE STATE THAT ACTUALLY GOT INCORPORATED INTO THE STATE PROCEDURES CUZ WE WERE SO THOROUGH. COOL. SO YEAH, IT WAS PRETTY COOL. SO WE'RE JUST WRAPPING THAT UP. WE'VE ADOPTED OUR PROCEDURES AND, AND THE, AND, BUT THERE'S ONE REMAINING PIECE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR HOW TO IMPLEMENT PROCEDURALLY ONE OF THE REGULATIONS NOW. OKAY. SO, BUT AFTER THAT IT GOES INTO USUALLY MEETING, YOU KNOW, ABOUT, UH, ADMITTING THE NEW HIRES OR LATERAL TRANSFERS, WHICH HAPPENS, AS I SAID TO THE OTHER, THERE'S REALLY A CHECKLIST THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PROCEDURAL VOTE AUTHORIZING IT BASED ON THE WORK THAT WAS DONE ON THE CHECKLIST OF ALL THE HIRING PROCEDURES. OBVIOUSLY RETIREMENTS NEED TO BE APPROVED AND DISABILITIES, NOW DISABILITIES ARE THE ONES THAT COULD BE TIME CONSUMING WHERE YOU MAY HAVE, IF THERE WAS A CASE FOR THAT. WE ACTUALLY HAD, UM, A COUPLE TIMES WHERE WE MET LIKE EVERY TWO WEEKS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE REVIEWING. AND THE REASON FOR THAT WAS TO NOT TRY AND UNDULY BURDEN THE APPLICANT WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE GETTING PAID OR HAVE TIME LEFT. RIGHT. AND SO YOU WANNA BE CONSCIOUS OF THAT AS WELL. SO IT COULD EXPEDITE THE TIMEFRAME OF MEETINGS. OKAY. SO IT'S, IT CAN BE, IT'S DEPENDENT ON WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH PROBABLY. EXACTLY. RIGHT. OKAY. UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY PRIOR EXPERIENCE SERVING ON A PENSION BOARD OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF MUNICIPAL BOARD? IF YES, PLEASE DESCRIBE. UH, YES. I'M ON THE P S P R S FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. OH. SO THAT'S ACTUALLY WHY I APPLIED TO THIS, CUZ I THOUGHT I HAD SOME FAMILIARITY WITH WHAT THEY DO. AND, UH, THEN AS YOU KNOW, I'M ON THE P AND Z, BUT, UM, I THINK THE MOST RELEVANT TO THIS IS THE P S P R S FOR FIRE. ARE YOU STILL ON THAT BOARD? I AM. AND I THINK I'M MIDTERM. SO IT'S BEEN ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW, FIVE, SIX YEARS AT THIS POINT THAT I'VE BEEN DOING IT. AND I PLAN TO STAY ON IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT AN HONORS RESPONSIBILITY. AND SO ONE OF THE REASONS I APPLIED FOR THIS IS THAT, UM, I, I HAVE THE COMPETENCY AND YOU NEVER KNOW ON WHEN SOMETHING'S PUT OUT THERE WHO'S GOING TO APPLY. AND I WANTED YOU TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE COMPETENT APPLICANT. UM, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF APPLICANTS, SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. MM-HMM. . UM, AND I'D SAY THAT MY SPECIAL EXPERTISE IS ON THE DISABILITY SIDE. SO A LOT OF WHAT WE DO ON FIRE PS P R S IS FAIRLY ROUTINE. IT'S MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S IN ORDER FOR A RETIREMENT, A HIRE, ET CETERA. BUT THEN ON DISABILITY CASES, I, I MANAGED DISABILITY IN WORKERS' COMP FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND I'M A NURSE, SO IN THOSE CASES I BRING THAT BACKGROUND AND ITY WITH IES AND THAT SORT OF STUFF. AND WOULD YOU FORESEE ANY CONFLICT WITH THAT SCHEDULE COMPARED? OH NO. OH MY GOSH. , THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. BUT THEY DON'T MEET TOO OFTEN. WE, WE TYPICALLY, WE MEET LESS THAN IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DO. AND IT'S NOT THIS TIME OF DAY OR? NO, IT'S ALL AD HOC. SO IT'S NEVER SAID TIME OF DAY. AND WE MEET PROBABLY ABOUT FOUR TIMES A YEAR AND I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT. OKAY. BECAUSE THE RULES CHANGED AND SOME OF THE ROUTINE MEETINGS THAT WE USED TO HAVE ARE NOW, UH, NOT NECESSARY. SO WE USED TO MEET ON ALL RETIREMENTS AND IF IT'S JUST A PAPERWORK PROCESS, WE'RE NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE. HOW MANY MEMBERS ARE ON THAT BOARD? UH, I THINK THERE'S ABOUT SIX OF US. THERE'S UM, DAVE SOTOS, THE HEAD OF THAT, [00:20:01] AND THEN THERE'S A COUPLE OF FIRE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVES AND A COUPLE OF US FROM THE COMMUNITY. UM, HOW MANY? SAME. IT'S A FIVE MEMBER BOARD. TWO. OKAY. TWO ARE ELECTED BY THE PLEA. THEY ACTUALLY GO THROUGH AN ELECTION PROCESS FOR THE POLICE REPRESENTATIVES, UM, TO OUR PUBLIC MEMBERS, WHICH ARE APPOINTED BY THE COUNCIL. UH, AND WHICH IS THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH HERE. YEAH. AND THEN THE CHAIR IS THE MAYOR'S DESIGNEE, WHICH IS A THE MAYOR OR A COUNCIL MEMBER IN THAT CASE. IN THIS CASE IT'S ME. GOT IT. OKAY. YEAH. SO IT IS PRETTY SIMILAR. MY INTERVIEW WITH THEM WAS WITH, UM, THE FIRE RIGHT DEPARTMENT AND THAT BOARD MM-HMM. . RIGHT. BUT I THINK IT'S PRETTY SIMILAR. UH, WHAT IF ANY, EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE USING OR REVIEWING ACTUARIAL REPORTS? QUITE A BIT BECAUSE IN MY CAREER, UM, THERE WAS, I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT A BILLION DOLLAR ANNUAL BUDGET OVER AT DELTA AIRLINES FOR HEALTHCARE AND FOR, UH, DISABILITY WORKERS COMP, ET CETERA. BUT THE BIG ONE WAS HEALTHCARE. AND WE HAD TO WORK WITH ACTUARIES EVERY YEAR ON, UH, UH, PRICING THE PLAN BECAUSE IT WAS SELF-FUNDED. WE PAID ALL THE BILLS. AND SO THERE WERE DETAILED ACTUARIAL REPORTS THAT I WAS GRATEFUL THAT WE HAD ACT GOOD ACTUARIES. DID YOU HAVE AN UNFUNDED BALANCE? UH, NO. NOT ON THE, THAT, ON THE PENSIONS. YES. MM-HMM. , THERE WAS AN UNFUNDED BALANCE. IT'S BEING PAID DOWN PRETTY AGGRESSIVELY ON THE HEALTH PLAN. IT WAS ALL MONEY IN AND OUT. IT JUST, IT WASN'T A TRUST, IF YOU WILL. SO, UH, WE JUST PAID THE ANNUAL COST. YEAH. NEXT BE TALKING, THE PROBLEM WITH CITY SYSTEMS IS THE LEGISLATURE GETS THEIR FINGERS INTO THE MIX AND THAT YEAH. THEY KEEP CHANGING THE RATIOS CITY. YES. AND I'VE SEEN THAT WHILE BEING ON THE FIRE BOARD. WE HAVE AN ACTUARIAL MEETING EVERY YEAR AND, UM, THAT'S REVIEWED. AND IT'S INTERESTING, THERE'S DIFFERENT RULES FOR DIFFERENT, OF COURSE THAT HAPPENED AT DELTA AROUND THE PENSION PLANS BEFORE THEY GOT FROZEN. DIFFERENT COHORTS HAVE DIFFERENT RULES THAT APPLY TO THEM AND THAT I KNOW THAT THERE'S A FUNDING, UM, UH, UH, ISSUE TOO. MM-HMM. . YEAH. SO, SO THE WORST ONE IN AMONG CITIES I BELIEVE IS PRESCOTT, BECAUSE THEY INCLUDED THAT WILDFIRE UNIT. OH YES. THAT WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY WIPED OUT EXCEPT FOR ONE PERSON. OH NO. 19 OF THEM KILLED IN THAT ONE FIRE. THE UNFUNDED BALANCE HERE DIDN'T, AT LEAST WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, IT'S NOT BAD. OURS IS NOT BAD. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NUMBER OF HAND, BUT OURS FROM CITY TO CITY. BUT THIS ONE BECAUSE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT OUR CITY HAS A WILDFIRE UNIT AND, AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T AND, AND OTHERS DON'T. AND THIS IS A REASON WHY YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO DO IT CUZ RIGHT. THE ENTIRE COMPANY GOT WIPED OUT AND THEY'RE STILL, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S GONNA TAKE THEM A LONG TIME TO RECOVER FROM THAT. SO. YEAH. BUT ALSO SEDONA, WE'VE BEEN, THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN AGGRESSIVE ABOUT TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, FILL THAT GAP. MM-HMM. FROM THE UNFUNDED BALANCE AS WELL. WE JUST PUT IN THE LAST BUDGET, APPROVED AN EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS TOWARD THAT AND PAYING THAT DOWN. SO I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING WHEN YOU HAVE THE MONEY MM-HMM. BECAUSE THEN THERE'S DRY SPELLS WHERE IT'S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT. RIGHT. NEXT QUESTION'S TOUGH. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE ARIZONA OPEN MEETING LAWS? I KNOW YOU ARE . I AM, YES. SO WE THINK YES. AND THE NEXT ONE'S EVEN HARDER AND RULES OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. AND I KNOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS. IT SAYS JUST DESCRIBE YOUR UNDERSTANDING, BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE. I MEAN, I'M YES. FROM BEING ON THE P AND Z AND ALSO, WELL, EVEN THE FIRE PS, PS VERY SIMILAR. YES. MM-HMM. THE SAME RULES APPLY. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT NUMBER FIVE. THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. AND I'M SURE YOU'RE COMFORTABLE CORRESPONDING VIA EMAIL AS WELL. BY PHONE. NOT SO MUCH ANYMORE , RIGHT? ISN'T THAT YEAH, TEXT AND EMAIL. I DREAD PHONE CALLS. . I DO TOO. MM-HMM. . SO AS A BOARD MEMBER, YOU'LL BE MAKING DECISIONS REGARDING SWORN STAFF ON ISSUES SUCH AS MEMBERSHIP DATES IN THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM, APPROVING RETIREMENT SERVICE PURCHASE REQUESTS, AND ON RARE OCCASION APPROVING OR DENYING DISABILITY BENEFITS. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH? WHY OR WHY NOT? YEAH, IT IS. AND AND THAT AGAIN GOES BACK TO MY BACKGROUND. THAT THAT'S PART OF WHAT I DID IN EARLIER PARTS [00:25:01] OF MY CAREER. UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD TOO MANY DISABILITY CASES COME UP ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE'VE HAD A FEW OF THEM. MM-HMM. . SO, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'LL JUST, SO FOR CONSISTENCY, SINCE I ASKED THE LAST APPLICANT MM-HMM. I'LL JUST PUT IT OUT THERE, ALTHOUGH I ANTICIPATE YOUR ANSWER. SO PART OF WHAT WE DO IN THE DISABILITY CASE, OBVIOUSLY IS THERE'S HIPAA PROTECTED INFORMATION AND PRIVATE MEDICAL INFORMATION. AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE CAUSE NOT EVERYBODY REALIZES THAT THAT'S PART OF IT AND MAY OR MAY NOT BE COMFORTABLE. SO I'D JUST LIKE TO PUT THAT ON THE TABLE THAT ARE YOU COMFORTABLE REVIEWING CERTAIN INFORMATION? SURE. AND I AM, OF COURSE. I'VE DONE A LOT OF THAT IN MY CAREER. SO ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE FOR US? NO, NOT REALLY. I, UH, I'D BE DELIGHTED TO SERVE ON IT. AND I ALSO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SPREAD THE WEALTH TOO, SO MM-HMM. . UM, BUT I'M, I'M PLEASED TO APPLY AND I THINK THAT I'D BE A, UH, A STRONG MEMBER OF THE GROUP AND DON'T SEE IT AS A HONORS RESPONSIBILITY AT ALL. GREAT. GOOD. THANK. RIGHT. EXCEPT THE, WHEN YOU TRAVEL BACK TO NAIROBI, YOU WON'T BE HERE FOR THOSE, THE MEETING ON THAT WEEK. SURE. YOU LAND ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY. DO YOU END UP ON THE, WITH TRIPS IF PEOPLE ARE AWAY? UH, SOMETIMES YOU WORK WITH THE SCHEDULE. YES, ABSOLUTELY. YEAH, THAT'S 100%. BECAUSE, AND THAT'S WHY I TALK ABOUT THE FLEXIBILITY, CUZ THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT, CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO WITH THE FIRE TOO, DEPENDING ON MM-HMM. , BUT BECAUSE UNLESS IT'S A DISABILITY CASE MM-HMM. , WE USUALLY KNOW WHEN THE RETIREMENTS ARE COMING. YEP. WE USUALLY KNOW WHEN THE, WHEN THE NEW ARE COMING, WE CAN GET THAT IN. BUT THAT'S THE ON, THAT'S THE ONLY TIME. AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE RARE. YOU KNOW, WE'VE, THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT DICTATES THE TIMEFRAME. AGAIN, OUT OF FAIRNESS TO THE APPLICANT, EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID. CUZ WE HAD A SITUATION LIKE THAT TOO. RIGHT. GETTING PAID AND WE HAVE THE ESSENTIAL IMPORTANCE. BEEN ABLE TO ALSO ZOOM IN IF NECESSARY TO MEET QUORUM. MM-HMM. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ON THE TABLE. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. WE'VE DONE THAT TOO. RIGHT. AND AGAIN, WE CAN FUNCTION AS LONG AS WE ACQUIRE. SO WE'RE, WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUE. YEAH. YEAH. SO THESE DAYS, ONCE COVID HIT, WE'VE ALL GOTTEN SO USED TO ZOOM. YEAH. WELL IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING THAT WAY, ISN'T IT? BECAUSE YEAH, I HAD, I ZOOMED IN ONE BECAUSE IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO MY SURGERY, BUT WE NEVER DID THAT BEFORE. YEAH, NO, UH, IT WASN'T REALLY ON THE TABLE. IT'S NOT REALLY, IT'S A GREAT TOOL, GREAT TOOL FOR SITUATIONS LIKE THAT. I'VE NEVER HAD BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH MY FAMILY SINCE ZOOM HAS COMING TO ME. YEAH. THAT'S KIND NICE. THAT'S SOMETHING WE ALL LEARNED. IT WAS. RIGHT. WELL THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. GOOD LUCK. I'M GOOD. YOU'RE GOOD. IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE IT, BUT I AM . UM, ALRIGHT. YEAH, DO WELL. AND, UH, SO WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU BREAK TIBIA AND THE FIBULA AND A DISLOCATION? THE WHOLE THING. THE WHOLE THING. OH MY GOD. SHOULD WE JUST GET GOING? IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS. THAT'S, I, IT'S UP TO YOU, MAYOR. I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IT'S OKAY. I MEAN, WE, WHEN IT COMES TO CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER, WE HAVE TO WAIT THE TIME. OKAY. YEAH. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE INDIVIDUAL ITEM, I THINK IT'S FINE. UM, GREAT. I'LL TAKE THAT EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE TO MAKE THAT DECISION. GOOD. SO, OKAY. SO, UM, UH, YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF IF YOU WANT. WE HAPPENED TO SEE YOU LAST NIGHT. OKAY. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. HOW, UH, HOW IN DEPTH WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTRODUCTION TO BE? OH, JUST BRIEF. OKAY. BOTH OF YOU TO START WITH AND, OKAY. UM, WEST LITTLE, UH, WE, UH, MOVED HERE IN 15 FOR PART-TIME, UH, LIVING, UH, FULL-TIME AS OF IN 2017. BEEN HERE EVER SINCE. CAME FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. UH, LIVED WITH MY WIFE, UH, SHE'S RETIRED TEACHER. I RETIRED FROM, UH, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION. AND, UH, I CAN GIVE YOU AS MANY DETAILS AS YOU LIKE ABOUT ANY OF THAT STUFF. UH, JUST, UH, WHAT HAS YOUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BEEN IN SEDONA? UH, I'M ON THE BOARD WITH DELL, SO AS YOU KNOW MM-HMM. , UM, I, UH, LOVED TO DO TRIATHLONS, SWIM, BIKE, RUN, AND I WAS, MY EMOTIONAL HEARTSTRINGS WERE PULLED WHEN I GOT READ THE NOTICE, UH, FROM, UH, JOSH FREE WHEN THAT THEY MIGHT CLOSE THE POOL IN AUGUST BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH, UH, LIFEGUARDS. SO I VOLUNTEERED AND, UH, CITY OF SITTING ON LIFEGUARD. OH, ARE YOU REALLY? OKAY. YEAH, WE KEPT YOUR OWN. I'VE SEEN YOU UP THERE. OH, . YEAH. AND, UH, LET'S SEE, REMEMBER THE VERDE VALLEY CYCLIST? [00:30:01] UM, THAT'S ABOUT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN THIS POSITION? THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO VOLUNTEER IN THE CITY. INTERESTING. SURE. WELL, IT SEEMED, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT RELATABLE TO MY OLD LINE OF WORK, SO I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, I REALIZE IT'S PRETTY TOUGH RUNNING A LARGE ORGANIZATION AND THE CITY RELIES ON VOLUNTEERS, I'M SURE FOR A LARGE EXTENT OF THINGS. AND, UH, CITY'S ONLY AS GOOD AS SOME OF ITS PARTS. SO WHAT THE HECK? I, I SEE WHAT, YOU KNOW, IF I WAS WORTHY, COULD I ASK ONE, GIVE YOU A HAND? SURE. BASED ON, BASED ON WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BEING A LIFEGUARD MM-HMM. AND ALSO RECOGNIZING THE CITY AS AN EMPLOYER, AS A LARGE BODY DOING THAT. MM-HMM. , WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE CITY AS AN EMPLOYER? UH, IT'S BEEN PRETTY LIMITED AND, UH, MY ENTIRE DEALINGS WITH HR HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, FLAWLESS. I MEAN, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY ISSUES AS FAR AS THAT GOES, SO. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, WE'VE GOT SIX QUESTIONS TO ASK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MANY AS YOU LIKE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY. MM-HMM. , WE'VE GOT A COUPLE EXTRAS. SO FIRST OF ALL, THE MEETINGS ARE TYPICALLY HELD ON THE, IN THE MORNING, ON THE FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH, AND THE BOARD IS REQUIRED BY STATUTE TO MEET AT LEAST TWICE YEARLY. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE FOR? YEAH. BORROWING ANY KIND OF, UH, EMERGENCY. SURE. AND AS I'VE SAID TO THE OTHER APPLICANTS AS WELL, UM, WE HAVE DONE SOME FLEXIBILITY AND GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT OFF OF THAT THURSDAY ONLY BECAUSE OF TIME CONSTRAINTS AND CONFLICTS AND IN ORDER TO HAVE THE BODY MEET. SO, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS, THERE'S ALWAYS A GOOD NOTIFICATION PROCESS AND FLEXIBILITY WITH THAT. YEAH. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT SOMEBODY SAYS, YES, I'M BUSY EVERY MORNING, BUT THURSDAY, SO THIS WORKS. AND THEN GUESS WHAT, WE'RE NOT MEETING ON THURSDAY. SO JUST WANNA PUT THAT DISCLAIMER OUT THERE. NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT. OKAY. OKAY. AND DO YOU HAVE A, I KNOW YOU DO, DO YOU HAVE ANY PRIOR EXPERIENCE SERVING ON A PENSION BOARD OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF MUNICIPAL BOARD? AND IF YES, PLEASE DESCRIBE. OKAY. UM, I'LL GIVE YOU A, A 25 CENT TOUR OF MY TIME WITH SOCIAL SECURITY. I STARTED IN 75 AS A, UH, TERM CLAIMS REPRESENTATIVE. THAT IS SOMEBODY WHO, AT THAT TIME WE WERE RE REVIEWING ELIGIBILITY OF, UH, PEOPLE ON A PROGRAM CALLED SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME. I DID THAT FOR TWO YEARS, UH, IN A TOWN CALLED UKIAH IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. I THEN TRANSFERRED TO PASADENA AND WORKED THERE FOR TWO YEARS, BECAME PERMANENT AS A CLAIMS REPRESENTATIVE, UH, WHERE I TOOK INITIAL CLAIMS FOR DISABILITY AND OLD AGE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME. DID NOT LIKE LOS ANGELES. TRANSFERRED UP TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AGAIN TO A TOWN CALLED SANTA ROSA. UH, BECAME A FULL-TIME CLAIMS REPRESENTATIVE, UH, TAKING SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY CLAIMS, SOCIAL SECURITY, RETIREMENT CLAIMS, DISABILITY CLAIMS, SURVIVOR CLAIMS, MEDICARE CLAIMS, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS, UH, EVERYTHING RELATING TO THAT, UH, OVERPAYMENT, UH, COLLECTION AS WELL. UH, THEN APPLIED FOR A SUPERVISOR POSITION IN TOWN CALLED LANCASTER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN 84. UH, STAYED IN THAT POSITION, WAS PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT MANAGER IN 94. STAYED IN THAT POSITION, UM, TILL MY RETIREMENT IN OH NINE. I HAD SOME DETAILS IN BETWEEN WHERE I ACTUALLY TAUGHT CLAIMS REPRESENTATIVES HOW TO TAKE CLAIMS AND ADJUDICATE CLAIMS AND AS WELL AS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES. AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT YOU MEET WHEN YOU GO IN TO EFFECTUATE CHANGES, YOU KNOW, WHILE YOU'RE STILL GETTING A CHECK. UH, AND I WOULD USUALLY, UH, BE IN CHARGE OF, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD OF A SMALL TOWN CALLED BISHOP CALIFORNIA CALLED WHAT? BISHOP. OH, BISHOP. I KNOW BISHOP PRETTY WELL. OKAY. YEAH. SO, UH, I WAS THE REPRESENTATIVE, THE FACE OF SOCIAL SECURITY THERE FROM ROUGHLY 2000 TO WHEN I RETIRED IN 2009. AND WE'D GO UP THERE AND, UH, TAKE CARE OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT LIVED IN THAT AREA. AND, UH, YEAH, SO THAT'S ESSENTIALLY IT. I I, IN MY LATTER FIVE, SEVEN YEARS OF MY CAREER, I GAVE SPEECHES, RETIREMENT SEMINARS TO USUALLY PUBLIC EMPLOYEE GROUPS, TEACHERS, SOME PRIVATE EMPLOYERS, LOCKHEED BOEING, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, AND YOUR LAST POSITION WAS WHERE? UH, LANCASTER. LANCASTER . [00:35:01] AND I HAD A GOOD FRIEND WHO LIVED THERE TOO. SO I DON'T, LANCASTER I KNOW BISHOP BECAUSE I, MY SISTER LIVED IN JUNE LAKE MANY YEARS, AND HER NOW EX-HUSBAND WAS A DOCTOR WHO WORKED IN BISHOP, AN ER DOCTOR WORKING IN BISHOP. SO OKAY. WE SPENT SOME TIME IN BISHOP. YEAH. WE WOULD GO UP THERE ONCE A MONTH DURING WINTER TO ENUMERATE THE, UH, FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS THAT GOT JOBS AT THE LIFT PROVIDING A TEMPORARY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS. OKAY. UH, WHAT IF ANY EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE USING OR REVIEWING ACTUARIAL REPORTS? UH, NONE TO SPEAK OF. YOU KNOW, I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE CONCEPT AND THEY'RE USED IN SOCIAL SECURITY ALL THE TIME TO DETERMINE THE SOLVENCY OF THE SYSTEM AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT NO PERSONAL EXPERIENCE PER SE. OKAY. AND ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH ARIZONA OPEN MEETING LAWS? NO, I'M NOT. OKAY. OR THE RULES OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO, UM, I, I'LL DESCRIBE IT BRIEFLY AND I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY. OKAY. BUT, UH, ARIZONA OPEN WINNING LAWS HAVE ACTUALLY EVOLVED SINCE I FIRST GOT TO KNOW OF THEM. UH, AND IT'S NOW PRETTY STRICT ON HOW THEY'RE APPLIED. THEY ARE APPLIED BY THE LEGISLATURE ON ALL OTHER GOVERNING BODIES, BUT NOT THEMSELVES. HMM. FUNNY, SHOCKING . AND SO WHAT IT MEANS IS YOU CAN'T MEET WITH A QUORUM OF YOUR FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS OUTSIDE AN OPEN, OUTSIDE OF A NOTICE MEETING. SO THAT MEANS YOU, IN THIS CASE IT'S A FIVE MEMBER BOARD, YOU COULDN'T TALK TO MORE THAN ONE OTHER PERSON I SEE. OUTSIDE THE MEETING. AND THAT INCLUDES TELEPHONE CALLS. AND YOU, SO YOU WOULDN'T, YOU SAY, WELL, I'VE ONLY TALKED TO ONE PERSON AND THEN SOMEBODY ELSE TALKS TO ONE PERSON AND THEN YOU TALK TO EACH OTHER. NO, THAT'S BREAKING THE OPEN MEETING LAW. IT'S REALLY STRICT. IT'S, IT DIDN'T USED TO BE THAT AS STRICT AS THAT, BUT IT IS NOW, AND THEY TAKE IT PRETTY SERIOUSLY. AND EXECUTIVE SESSION IS JUST, UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN MATTERS FOR WHICH YOU ARE ALLOWED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PERSONNEL AND, UH, AND IT'S TOTALLY CONFIDENTIAL EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THAT MEETING MM-HMM. OR ENTITLED TO BE IN THAT MEETING. YEAH. RIGHT. SUCH AS IF YOU MISSED A MEETING THAT WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND FOR SOME REASON YOU WEREN'T, IF YOU WERE ON THIS BOARD AND YOU WEREN'T THERE, YOU WOULD STILL BE, IF YOU HAD BEEN ENTITLED TO BE IN THAT MEETING, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THE INFORMATION BY AVAIL IT YOURSELF IN THAT. THAT MAKES SENSE. YEAH. MM-HMM. , AND I'M, I'M SURE THIS IS KIND OF A SILLY QUESTION THESE DAYS, HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU CORRESPONDING WITH VIA EMAIL? IT'S NOT A PROBLEM. WE, WELL, YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH OF IT. IT, IT'S PRETTY MUCH HARD TO FIND ANYBODY WHO ISN'T THESE DAYS. YEAH. YEAH. WE SHOULD PROBABLY GET THIS QUESTION OFF OF THE . I CAN REMOVE IT. SO AS A BOARD MEMBER, YOU'LL BE MAKING DECISIONS REGARDING SWORN STAFF ON ISSUES SUCH AS MEMBERSHIP DATES IN THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM, APPROVING RETIREMENT SERVICE PURCHASE REQUESTS, AND ON RARE OCCASION APPROVING OR DENYING DISABILITY BENEFITS. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU'D BE COMFORTABLE WITH? WHY OR WHY NOT? I THINK SO. YOU KNOW, UH, ASSUMING I HAVE ACCESS TO THE, UH, RULES AND REGULATIONS MM-HMM. , YOU KNOW, IT'S ESSENTIAL TO HAVE THAT, TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY, WHICH IS THE IMPORTANT THING. SO THAT'S A, A GOOD SEGUE. SOMETHING I LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF. SO WE, WE USUALLY MEET SOMEWHAT INFREQUENTLY, AS WE SAID IN THE FIRST QUESTION. THERE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, TWICE A YEAR HAS TO, WHEN THERE ARE NEW HIRES TO ADMIT IN, WHEN THEIR RETIREMENT'S TO APPROVE LEAVING. BUT THEN THERE MAY BE, AND ACTUARIALS, WE REVIEW THE ACTUARIALS EVERY YEAR, THE, UM, THE DISABILITY OF THE HARD ONES. AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONE WHERE THERE MAY BE A SPADE OF TIME WHERE YOU'RE MEETING MORE FREQUENTLY BECAUSE YOU WANT, YOU DON'T WANNA DRAG THAT OUT BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE STATUS IS OF THE APPLICANT IN TERMS OF WHAT THEIR INCOME IS IF THEY'RE ON A DISABILITY WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TRYING TO NOT, YOU'RE TRYING TO BE SENSITIVE TO THOSE ISSUES. SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE IS, THERE MAY BE, IS THERE'S A SP CUZ USUALLY WHEN THERE'S A CASE LIKE THAT, IT'S A LITTLE TIME INTENSIVE FOR THAT BRIEF PERIOD. UH, THE OTHER THING IS IN REVIEWING THOSE RECORDS, UM, THERE'S PRIVATE INFORMATION AND HIPAA PROTECTED INFORMATION AND WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE SOMEBODY'S COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. WE HAD THAT ALL THE TIME. YEAH. YEAH. I THOUGHT YOU WOULD, FROM YOUR BACKGROUND AND THE RULES, UH, GOING BACK TO THAT, WE'RE JUST FINISHING UP, WE JUST ADOPTED THE RULES. THE STATE WENT OVER A BIG OVERHAUL OF THE, OF THE PROCEDURES AND WE ARE ACTUALLY AN INTEGRAL PART OF THAT. AND WE HAVE ADOPTED OUR SUPPLEMENTAL PROCEDURES [00:40:01] AS WELL. THE LAST REMAINING PIECE IS SOME OF THE PROCEDURES NOW, OR SOME OF THE REGULATIONS WE'VE ADOPTED. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PROCESS IN PLACE TO ACTUALLY ENSURE THAT IT HAPPENS, SUCH AS IT'S EASY TO SAY THIS PHYSICIAN REVIEW WILL COUNT WELL, HOW WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE, THAT PHYSICIAN KNOWS THAT THERE'S A, A PAPER THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO CHECK TO GET BACK TO THE CITY THAT VISIT, THAT REVIEW WAS DONE SO THAT THE FILE IS COMPLETE. SO THAT'S THE LAST STAGE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT. BECAUSE YOU SAID PROCEDURES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PROCEDURES ONLINE. UM, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY DETAILED AND I'M QUITE PROUD OF THE WORK ACTUALLY THAT THIS PRS BOARD DID AND THE IMPACT IT HAD ON THE STATE RULES AND PROCEDURES. YOU WERE PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST PROACTIVE MUNICIPALITY. SO ANY IDEA HOW MANY DISABILITY APPLICANTS YOU TYPICALLY HAVE IN A YEAR? I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR TWO YEARS NOW AND HAVE HAD ONE. OKAY. RETIREMENT APPLICANTS? SEVERAL. MORE THAN FIVE? UH, MORE THAN FIVE. NO, I, I, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT SURE. I'M NOT SURE I HAVE FOUR-ISH MAYBE. I THINK THERE WERE WHO LEFT? I HAVE NO FEEL FOR IT. YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME THAT HAVE LEFT. MOSTLY IT'S PROVING THE, UM, NEW HIRES AND LATERAL TRANSFERS. RIGHT. WHICH AGAIN, AT THAT POINT IT'S REALLY PROCEDURAL. IT'S, IT'S US MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THE BOXES OF THE PROCESS HAVE BEEN CHECKED. IT'S NOT AN AN ARBITRARY CALL. IT'S HAS PROCESS BEEN FOLLOWED? YES. THEN WE'LL APPROVE IT. RIGHT? MM-HMM. . AND THEN I'M JUST GONNA ASK KATHY TO DESCRIBE THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD TO YOU BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE GOOD. YEAH. SHE KNOWS. SO IT'S A FIVE MEMBER BOARD. UM, THE, THERE ARE TWO ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO REPRESENT THEIR INTEREST, THEIR PERSPECTIVE. EVERYBODY'S INTEREST ON THE BOARD IS THE PUBLIC INTEREST, BUT THEY, FROM A POLICE PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT. THEY MM-HMM. REPRESENT TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, WHICH IS ONE OF THE POSITIONS YOU'RE APPLYING FOR, WHICH IS APPOINTED BY THE COUNCIL TO PROTECT THE CITY'S INTEREST, WHICH IS THE PUBLIC INTEREST. THEY'RE SYNONYMOUS IN THAT POINT. AND THE FIFTH MEMBER IS THE CHAIR, WHICH IS THE MAYOR'S DESIGNEE, THE MAYOR OR HER DESIGNEE, WHICH IN THIS CASE IS ME. I SERVE IN THAT ROLE ON THIS BOARD. I SEE. SO FIVE MEMBER BOARD, TWO POLICE, TWO PUBLIC, AND THE CHAIR. WHAT ABOUT THE FIRE DEPART? AND I THINK BECAUSE THE POLICE, UH, DEPARTMENT HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES OF ANY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY IS, AND THAT, AND THEY'RE OFTEN PROBABLY THE MOST SUBJECT TO THE KIND OF CLAIMS THAT COME THROUGH HERE IS WHY THEY HAVE TWO REPRESENTATIVES. RIGHT. AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE, THEY'RE TOTALLY INDEPENDENT OF US. COMPLETELY. OH REALLY? HOW THEY'RE ALL PS, PS BOARD AS WELL. MM-HMM. , THEY HAVE A SEPARATE GOVERNING BOARD. RIGHT. THEY'RE A SEPARATE TAXING AUTHORITY. COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM US. IT'S NOT DEPARTMENT, BUT IT'S NOT. RIGHT. THAT'S WHY IT'S A FIRE DISTRICT AND NOT A FIRE DEPARTMENT POSSIBLY UNDER THE THAT MAKES SENSE. THE UMBRELLA OF THE CITY. YEAH. SO, SO HAVING SAID THAT, WE DO WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. RIGHT. OUR POLICE AND FIRE REALLY ARE, BUT THEY, BUT NOT ON THE PERSONNEL ISSUES. THOSE ARE SEPARATE. NO, TOTALLY SEPARATE WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. BUT THEY'VE INCORPORATED WAY, WAY BEFORE THE CITY, YOU SAID FOR SEVERAL DECADES. RIGHT? UH, WELL, UH, CAUSE THEY HAVE MUCH BIGGER, THE CITY'S BEEN ABOUT 34 YEARS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. RIGHT. THE FIRE DISTRICT GET WAY MORE THAN THAT. AND THE FIRE DISTRICT HAS EVOLVED FROM THEY CONSOLIDATED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. YEAH. THEY'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME. BECAUSE, BECAUSE BEFORE SONSONA WAS INCORPORATED, WE WERE STILL ALL LIVING. NOT ALL OF US WERE LIVING HERE, BUT THERE WERE PEOPLE LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY MM-HMM. . AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, THE ONLY UTILITY WE OWN IS THE SEWER DISTRICT, THE CITY, THE, THE WATER AND THE TRASH AND THE ELECTRIC, YOU KNOW, POWER ALL HAD TO BE IN PLACE BEFORE THERE WAS A CITY. SO WE DON'T GO IN ANY OF THOSE. SOME OF THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES NOW OWN THEIR WATER COMPANIES, BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, UNLESS THEY'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME. HMM. THAT'S, THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS. WHICH IS A PITFALL I KEEP FALLING INTO. I KEEP SAYING WATER WHEN I MEAN SEWER BECAUSE EVERYWHERE I'VE LIVED BEFORE THE WATER AND SEWER HAD BEEN ONE UNIT, YOU KNOW, RUN BY THE MUNICIPALITY. SO I TOOK BAD HABIT. I CANNOT BREAK. AND PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHEN IT COMES TO OUR SEWER RATES, HOW WE CAN DETERMINE IT AND WE RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. I I SO YEAH, IT'S INTERESTING. BUT, UM, BUT THE FIRE DISTRICT WAS HERE AND THERE WERE TWO AND THEN THEY CONSOLIDATED AND THERE STILL IS A SEPARATE VERDE VALLEY FIRE DISTRICT AND THERE'S A COPPER CANYON OR SOCAN. YEAH, YEAH. AND THEY USED TO BE MONTE DOUMA ROOM ROCK, AND THEY CHANGED AND THEY, AND THEY INCORPORATED ANOTHER TOWN FURTHER SOUTH YEAH. TO BE, AND, AND SOME OF THE TALENTED LOWER HAVE INCORPORATED INTO THE BIRDIE DISTRICT. RIGHT. INSTEAD OF OURS. AND I THINK JEROME MIGHT INCORPORATE THE COTTONWOOD OR THE UH, UH, DALES IN, [00:45:01] UH, I I DON'T, THEY, THEY WOULD PROBABLY BE PART OF THE BIRD. I DON'T THINK THEY WERE, I DON'T KNOW. WELL CAUSE COTTONWOOD IS THEIR OWN DEPARTMENT. THE REST OF THE DISTRICTS, COTTONWOOD HAS ITS OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT, FOR INSTANCE. AND YEAH. AN AMBULANCE AS WELL. NOT EVERYBODY DOES HERE. IT'S ARIZONA'S STILL WILD WEST IN SOME WAYS. . HOW, HOW BIG IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL? THE CITY? YEAH. AS A WHOLE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE UP TO NOW. MUST BE SHE DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA? I'M NOT SURE. I KNOW A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS HIRED, IT WAS 144, THEY SAID FOR LIKE PERSONNEL WITH THE LITTLE 50, BUT I KNOW IT'S GONE UP. YEAH. WE'VE ADDED, UM, LIKE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS AND STUFF. SO I, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS CLOSER TO A HUNDRED THAN A HUNDRED NOW. BUT THIS DOESN'T COVER ALL THE EMPLOYEES. THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION. YEAH. THIS ONLY COVERS THE UNIFORM. I SEE. AND THAT REPRESENTS SWORN, SWORN OFFICERS. ISN'T THE TITLE, WHAT, MAYBE TWO THIRDS OF THE EMPLOYEES? I WOULD SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION MATTER. I'M JUST CURIOUS. AT LEAST HALF, AT LEAST HALF. MAYBE TWO, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MAYBE. YEAH. I MEAN WE HAVE, DON'T FORGET CAUSE WE DID TSAS AND THE YEAH, ACTUALLY IT'S PROBABLY HALF OR LESS NOW I THINK ABOUT IT. OKAY. WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PRI OF, UH, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. MM-HMM. AND THOSE PATROL PEOPLE ARE ALL NON, WHAT WE CALL NON-COVERED EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL SECURITY. THAT IS, THEY DON'T PAY INTO SOCIAL SECURITY ONLY MEDICARE, IS THAT RIGHT? UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT, I DON'T, THERE IS A STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND I RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT THE POLICE ALL BELONG TO IT MM-HMM. , UM, AND I BELIEVE ALL OUR CITY EMPLOYEES DO, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT COULD BE OPTIONAL FROM CITY TO CITY, BUT, BUT MOST OF 'EM ARE IN STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. YEAH. AND SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE, YOU CAN OPT TO HAVE OPT OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY, I THINK. AND I DON'T KNOW. I THINK HE CAN ANYMORE. HUH? I DON'T THINK HE CAN ANYMORE. I KNOW WHEN I WAS WORKING BACK IN 1980, THEY GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY AND THEY SAID YOU CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE AT THE FIRE DISTRICT. RIGHT. AT AT, AT THE POLICE BACK IN NEW YORK. OH. OH. AND THEN THEY SAID, THEN THOSE WHO SAID, WHO ACTUALLY OPTED OUT, THEY REGRETTED IT. THEY WERE GIVEN MORE EACH MONTH. WHAT THEY DIDN'T CONTRIBUTE TO INVEST AND THEY DIDN'T INVEST IT AND THEY DON'T HAVE THAT SOCIAL SECURITY AT ALL. I KNOW AS A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE AND NOT IN ARIZONA, I'VE NEVER BEEN EMPLOYED IN ARIZONA, BUT IN NEW YORK, I COULD NOT OPT OUT EITHER. MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE, I'VE LASTED HERE LONGER THAN IT DID THERE. I'VE BEEN HERE 50, ALMOST 51 YEARS. AND SO I REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS, IT WAS OPTIONAL HERE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS TODAY. THEY CHANGED A LOT OF THAT IN 84. YEAH. THAT'S WHEN I STARTED IN 80 AND THEY HAD THAT OPTION THEN DAVID BELIEVED IT, I THINK, WHO DID REALLY REGRET IT. SO ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE FOR US? WELL, I THINK THAT PRETTY MUCH COVERS MOST OF MY QUESTIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A MOUNTAIN OF INFORMATION IN TERMS OF UH, WHAT CONSTITUTES, UH, GLADMAN ONCE THESE PEOPLE APPLY. BUT, UH, I'M SURE THAT'S, UH, DOWN THE ROAD. RIGHT. BUT NO OTHER, OTHER THAN THAT, I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE, UH, ANSWERED PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I HAVE. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANY NO, I'M GOOD. I'M GOOD. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU FOR GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. HAVE A GREAT AFTERNOON. ENJOY THE HOT. DID YOU GUYS WANNA GO INTO EXEC SESSION TO DISCUSS OR LEAVE IT LISTED? YEAH, EXACTLY. I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. I THINK WE'LL DO THAT. AND I DO WANNA GET STRAIGHT TOO WITH YOU WHAT THE SITUATION IS ON VACANCY. WELL, YEAH, BECAUSE AGAIN, I, I'M SURE WE'RE ONLY GETTING ONE AND THAT'S PETE'S POSITION. YOU'RE RIGHT. I LOOKED IT UP TOO, SO I MISSPOKE. THAT WAS MY MISTAKE. RIGHT. IT IS PETE'S POSITION, BUT AND IT'S JUST THE ONE. YEAH. OKAY. SO I'M GONNA STOP THE OPEN RECORDING THERE AND THEN WE'LL GO IN FOR AN OPEN. OKAY. OBJECTION. WE'RE ADJOURN. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.