Minutes 1948/01/12
971
Gilroy, California,
January 12, 1948.
This regular adjourned meeting of the CODlmon Council was
called to order by his Honor, George C. Milias.
Present Councilmen: J. H. Wentworth, Bay L Stevens, J. B.
Thomas, George M. Mason and Nat Heiner.
Absent Councilman: George A. l~rtin.
The Mayor stated that the purpose of the meeting was to
discuss the Fire Department program and directed the Deputy
City Clerk to read two letters from the Gilroy Volunteer Fire
Department.
A letter, dated December 19, 1947, was read, stating that
at a meeting called for the purpose of submitting a proposed
wage scale to the Comraon Council for full time firemen had
just been completed. In the letter the following proposed scale
of wages TIaS submitted:
Chief
Firemen: starting salary,
without any experience
After 90 days experience
After 1 years service
All Drivers, after 1 years
service
Secretary,
$275.00 per month.
230.00 "
240.00 "
250.00 TI
"
"
"
.
250.00 n It
5.00" "
The letter also stated that all the men who attended the
meeting were elegible for any or all of the jobs that were open.
A letter was read, dated January.5, 1948, and signed by the
Board of Directors of the Gilroy Volunteer Fire Department,
recommending that the present Fire Chief, Jack Ramazane, be
appointed as a full time Fire Chief, starting as of January I,
1948, at a salary of $275.00 per month.
The Mayor asked for discussion on the recommendations set
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forth in the letters.
Councilman Wentworth asked if the Fire Chief was also to serve
as a building inspector. The Llayor replied that it had been
talked over but no action had been taken by the Common Council.to
combine the two jobs.
Councilman Heiner stated that he saw no reason why the Fire
Chief could not qualify as building inspector and that Carl
9'72
Weppener, the present Building Inspector, had said he would help
out until the new man was able to take care of the job. He
stated that two n~aes were to have been submitted for a full
time fireman.
Chief Rffiaazane stated that any man in the Fire Department
was eligible ~or the job as full time fireman, but that no one
would want to apply for the job until the amount of the salary
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was set.
Mayor Milias stated that up until the present time the
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Gilroy Volunteer Fire Department had been a self governing body
and asked the City Attorney if the Co~~on Council had the legal
right to appoint a Fire Chief.
It was the opinion of the City Attorney that the Common
Council had that right.
Mayor Milias then presented the following facts to the
Common Council and to the members of the Gilroy Volunteer Fire
Department who were present: that the appointment of a Fire Chie~
by the Common Council would mean that the Gilroy Volunteer Fire
Department would no longer be a self governing body, that the
Fire Chief would serve at the will and pleasure of the COnID10n
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Council, that he would be asked to attend all regular meetings
of the Common Council and that he would be responsible to the
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Common Council for the proper coordination of the Department.
Fire Chief Ramazane stated that the members of the Fire
Department brought the matter of appointments up themselves and
that they were interested in having a better Department.
The matter of combining the jobs of Fire Chief and Building
Inspector was discussed and it was unanimously agreed by the
Councilmen present that the two jobs should be combined.
The matter of the proposed salaries of the full time Fire
Chief and a full time Fireman were discussed and compared with
salaries being paid to other City employees. It was stated
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that no provision had been made in this years budget for
additional salaries and that in the next years budget it would
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be necessary to raise the tax rate to take care of this addit-
ional expense.
. Chief Ramazane was asked if he could act as Fire Chief and
5&"\~
Building Inspector and he could if the Department had another
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full time fireman.
Motion by CounciL~an Reiner, second by Councilman Thomas
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and carried that Jack Ramazane be appointed as full time Fire
Chief and Building Inspector to serve at the will and pleasure
of the Common Council.
Councilman 1~son, chairman of the Finance Committee, was
asked by the Mayor for a redommendation on the salary to be paid
for the combined jobs of Fire Chief and Building Inspector.
~ Councilman Mason recommended a salary of $235.00 per month as
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~ Fire Chief and $25.00 per month as Building Inspector.
Chief Ramazane was asked if this was satisfactory and he
replied that he would accept.
Motion by Councilman Heiner, second by Councilman Wentworth
and carried that the salary to be paid for the combined jobs of
full time Fire Chief and Building Inspector be set at $260.00
per month, starting January 15, 1948.
The matter of the salary to be set for an additional full
time Fireman was placed in the hands of Councilman Mason and
Chief Ramazane and the Fire Chief was directed to submit a name
for this job at the next meeting of the Common Council.
Councilman Heiner, chairman of the Fire Committee, presented
~..'~...
a quotation from the Pacific Fire Extinguisher Company on a
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portable Floodlite Unit. No action was taken.
Mr. Rubino of Rubino's Gilroy Garbage Disposal appeared before
the Council and stated that their truck had burned up and that
they were now operating with rental equipment. He said that they
would like to buy new modern equipment, but that before investing
they would like to apply for a new Franchise as the present one
would expire in seventeen months.
The matter of new franchise was placed in the hands of
Councilman Thomas, chairman of the Public Health and Safety
Committee for study and recommendation.
Mr. Ed Hanna appeared before the Council asking permission to
:-- lay conduit in the sidewalk on the north west corner of Fifth
L an Monterey Streets for a siren to be used when it is necessary
for fire trucks to come on to Monterey Street.
Permiss ion was granted Vir. Hanna to lay the conduit.
Adjourned subject to the
oall of the chair.
~t8/~
Deputy City Clerk.