Village East Fire Regular Meeting Held on December 15, 2025

Village East Fire Regular Meeting Held on December 15, 2025 Proceedings of the Village East Fire Protection District Board, of the Parish of Terrebonne, State of Louisiana, Taken at a Regular Meeting Held on December 15, 2025 The board of Village East Fire Protection District met in regular session at its regular meeting place, Village East Fire Station, 100 Development St., Houma, LA, on Monday evening, December 15, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. Attendance THERE WERE PRESENT/ABSENT: Board Members: Nigel Hodgson (President) X Present Absent Cody Ritchey X Present Absent Roy Desmore X Present Absent Lydell Crochet X Present Absent Louis Prosperie, Jr. (Treasurer) Present X Absent Quorum Met X Yes Employees/Guests: Armond Triche (Chief), Scott (Accountant), Mr. Guidry (Guest) The Board of Village East Fire Protection District was duly convened as the governing authority of said Fire District by Nigel Hodgson, President. The Board then led those in attendance with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, led by Cody Ritchey. The Board President called for public comment on any agenda items. There were no members of the public present wishing to speak. Approval of Minutes Before the motion, the board asked for an update on Engine 1 from the previous meeting. Chief Triche confirmed the issue was a computer fault in the transmission, and the computer was changed. On a motion by Roy Desmore, seconded by Cody Ritchey, the board accepted the minutes from the last meeting of October 6, 2025, as presented. The motion carried with all present in favor. Financial Report A financial status report was delivered to the Board by its accountant. The report consisted of income/expense reports, balance sheet account balances, and budget-vs-actual reports, as well as check registers/deposit detail since the last Board meeting. Other items presented were: A listing of invoices and their corresponding payments were presented. Journal entries were also provided for review and approval with backup for the entries. Bank reconciliations, deposits and transfers were presented for review as well. Additionally, provided were reports for the payments made through the automated accounts payable process. The board's accountant pointed out the current cash availability in the checking accounts and LAMP account, as well as the amount of interest earned year-to-date. Mr. Jenkins reminded all board members and firefighters to complete the annual ethics training before December 31st. Mr. Jenkins recognized Chief Triche's excellent job of keeping expenses very reasonable. Mr. Jenkins reminded the board that a new second signer at the bank is needed for issuing physical paper checks, as the previous one, Mr. Johnny, is no longer with the board. The board agreed to address this after the election/reappointments when board membership is confirmed, since Mr. Louis Prosperie is stepping away. Old Business Update on Engine 1 repair Engine 1 has been repaired; the issue was a faulty transmission computer. The truck is back in service and operating correctly. Update on Truck Room Concrete Repair The concrete repair work is completed. The contractor found that a water line was busted. This had caused the sub-base to be washed out beneath the concrete, creating a hole. The crew excavated the area (almost 1-2 feet deep), laid and packed rock, redid the water and drain lines, and poured the new concrete slab. The truck began parking on the new slab around Thanksgiving. The line will be painted when the weather warms up. There was no further old business. New Business Consider and adopt Amended 2025 Budget Mr. Jenkins explained the amended budget is necessary to ensure the district is compliant with state law requiring they remain within a 5% variance of their budgeted revenue and expenses. The proposed amended budget for 2025 changes the Total Income to $555,060 and the Total Expenses to $655,000. This budget proposes ending the year spending $100,000 more than was taken in (to be covered by existing funds in LAMP and checking accounts) to ensure enough capacity is approved in the budget to cover all year-end expenditures. On a motion by Cody Ritchey, seconded by Lydell Crochet, the board approved the Amended 2025 Budget as proposed. The motion carried with all present in favor. Consider and adopt Original 2026 Budget Mr. Jenkins presented the Original 2026 Budget for next year's operation. The proposed budget includes $575,000 in revenue and $568,000 in total expenses. The net income, if the budget is followed, would be $6,000 to be put into investments. On a motion by Roy Desmore, seconded by Cody Ritchey, the board approved the Original 2026 Budget as proposed. The motion carried with all present in favor. Consider and take action on part-time employee pay rate Chief Triche noted that the part-time employee pay rate has not been raised since 2018. The current pay is $14.00 an hour with no benefits. The discussion noted that due to inflation, the purchasing power of the current wage is significantly lower than in 2018, and a higher rate is needed to keep staff. Chief Triche stated that increasing the pay to $17.00 would make the district competitive with neighboring districts. On a motion by Lydell Crochet, seconded by Cody Ritchey, the board approved to increase the part-time employee pay rate to $17.00 an hour. The new rate will be effective on the first pay period after January 1st. The motion carried with all present in favor. Consider and take action to add any additional agenda items Truck Maintenance: Chief Triche reported that a local mobile mechanic, Jr.'s Diesel, fixed a bad fuel pressure sensor on Engine 3 and fixed significant air leaks on Engine 2 (including repairing a cracked air tank). The mechanic also tightened loose rear axle U-bolts and body mount U-bolts on Engine 2. The plan is to continue using Jr.'s Diesel for regular maintenance (oil changes, filters, grease) on the trucks, as he is local and more precise. Christmas Parade: The district participated in the Christmas Parade on Saturday, which went well. There was no further new business. Adjournment On a motion by Cody Ritchey, seconded by Roy Desmore, the meeting was adjourned. The motion carried with all present in favor. Nigel Hodgson (President) Publication Dates LLOU0425461 $