OPEN SESSION MINUTES

The regular meeting of the Burlington County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund (BURLCOJIF) was held at the Hainesport Township Municipal Building, 1 Hainesport Centre – Rt. 537, Hainesport, New Jersey, on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 4:00 PM, prevailing time. Chair Donna Ryan, Westampton Township, presiding. The meeting was called to order at 4PM.

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH OPEN PUBLIC MEETING ACT

Notice of this meeting was given by: (1) sending sufficient notice herewith to the Burlington County Times, Mt. Holly, NJ, and to the Courier Post, Cherry Hill, NJ; (2) filing advance written notice of this meeting with the Clerks/Administrators of all member municipalities of the Burlington County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund; and (3) posting notice on the public bulletin boards of all member municipalities of the Burlington County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund.

ROLL CALL

Those in attendance were:

Richard Ireton, Alternate, Bass River

Heather Cheesman, Bordentown City

Leonard Klepner, Bordentown Township

Bonnie Haines, Alternate, Chesterfield

Michael Templeton, Delanco

Jeffrey Hatcher, Delran

Linda Dougherty, Edgewater Park

Richard Brook, Florence

Edward Ruggiano, Alternate, Hainesport

Maryann Regn, Alternate, Lumberton

Kathy Burger, Medford

Meghan Jack, Riverside

Michael McFadden, Southampton

J. Paul Keller, Springfield

David Matchett, Shamong

Donna Ryan, Westampton

Freda Gorman, Wrightstown

Absent were:

Dawn Human, Beverly

Jennifer Blumenthal, Mt. Laurel

Arthur Puglia, Mansfield

Monica Zur, North Hanover

Doug Cramer, Tabernacle

Those also in attendance were:

Paul Forlenza, Deputy Executive Director, AJG Risk Management Services

William Kearns, Jr. Esquire, Fund Solicitor, Kearns, Reale & Kearns

Joanne Hall, Safety Director, Conner Strong Risk Services

Kathleen Kissane, Esquire, Account Management, Scibal Associates

Jen Pard, Senior Account Representative, CSG

Tom Tontarski, Fund Treasurer

Also present were the following Risk Management Consultant agencies:

EJA & Associates

Insurance Agency Management

Conner Strong

Hardenberg Insurance Group

James Tunney Insurance

The Barclay Group

MONTHLY MEETING CONDUCT

Chair Ryan entertained a motion to allow that this monthly meeting be conducted directly by the Fund Commissioners present with all matters to be decided upon by a combined majority vote of all Fund Commissioners.

Motion by Mr. Hatcher, seconded by Ms. Jack to allow the meeting to be conducted directly by the Fund Commissioners present. All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Chair Ryan presented the meeting minutes of the January 19, 2010 Executive Committee Meeting, as found in the agenda packet, for approval.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

Chair Ryan entertained a motion to approve the meeting minutes of the January 19^th Executive Committee Meeting as presented.

Motion by Mr. Ruggiano, seconded by Mr. Hatcher to approve the meeting minutes of the January 19^th Executive Committee Meeting as presented. All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

APPROVAL OF CLOSED SESSION MINUTES

There was a distribution of the Closed Session Meeting minutes to the Executive Committee at this time.

Chair Ryan presented the Closed Session Meeting minutes of the January 19, 2010 Executive Committee Meeting for approval.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

Chair Ryan entertained a motion to approve the meeting minutes of the January 19^th Executive Committee Meeting.

Motion by Mr. Keller, seconded by Mr. Hatcher to approve the Closed Session Meeting minutes of the January 19^th Executive Committee All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

The Closed Session Meeting minutes of the January 19^th meeting shall not be released to the public until the reason(s) for their remaining closed is no longer applicable and the Fund Solicitor has had the opportunity to review them.

Closed Session Meeting minutes from the January 19, 2010 meeting were collected at this time.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Mr. Forlenza stated the Executive Director’s Report is found in the February 2010 agenda packet and is self-explanatory. He highlighted the following items from the report.

-       2009 Safety Incentive Program Awards – A letter describing how to collect the 2009 SIP award moneys was recently mailed. Members should follow the instructions for claiming awards. The deadline for claiming these funds is November 30, 2010.

-       2010 Optional Safety Budget – A reporting detailing the available balances for each member for the 2010 OSB is included in the packet. The deadline for claiming or encumbering these funds was November 30, 2010.

-       Elected Officials Training – Due to added interest, one final seminar will be held in Westampton. A notice will be sent out shortly.

The MEL will reduce each member’s 2010 loss funding liability premium by $250 for each municipal elected official who attends one of the training sessions by March 31, 2010. The total credit is limited to 25% of a member’s liability loss funding premium.

-       Managers & Supervisors Training – One final session has been scheduled for the morning of March 25^th at the Wildwood Convention Center. A copy of the invitation is made part of the agenda packet. Sign in sheets from previous sessions are available on the JIF website, www.burlcojif.org.

-       Police Training Announcement – An additional requirement of the MEL’s 2010 EPL Program is attendance by all Police Chiefs and as many Command Staff as possible at the Risk Management for Police Executives training session. A copy of the invitation including dates, locations, and registration is included in the agenda packet.

-       Contact Designation Forms – A listing of those members that have not responded with their Contact Designation information as of February 5^th is made a part of the agenda packet.

-       Financial Disclosure Forms – All Fund Commissioners and appointed JIF officials were e-mailed their Financial Disclosure Form on February 4^th. These individuals are asked to completed these forms and provide two copies with original signatures to the Fund Office by April 9, 2010 in order to meet the filing deadline with the state.

-       MEL Coverage Bulletins – The MEL mailed Bulletins 10-1 through 10-22 on January 30^th to all Fund Commissioners. These bulletins address MEL policy and procedure for certain areas of exposure. They should be reviewed with the RMC.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

SOLICITOR'S REPORT

The Fund Solicitor gave the following report in Open Session.

-       Goodlyne vs. Mount Laurel – Settlement has been received from the defendant and this matter is closed.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

SAFETY DIRECTOR'S REPORT

The Safety Director’s Report is made part of the agenda packet and is self-explanatory. Ms. Hall highlighted the following items from the report.

-       2010 Annual Safety Breakfast – This year’s event was very successful. A Safety Coordinators’ Roundtable was held immediately following the breakfast.

-       MSI Classes – The training schedule for February, March and April 2010 is included in the report. Pre-registration is required for all MSI classes. A listing of all 2010 MSI Classes can be found on the MEL website, NJMEL.org.

-       Special Training – The Active Shooter in the Workplace: How to Respond training will take place on February 26^th at 10am at the Gloucester County Fire Academy in Clarksboro, NJ.

-       Safety DVD – Members were presented with the Safety DVD “Stop & Think to Avoid Back Injuries”.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT

The Claims Administrator reported on the following items.

-        Lessons Learned from Losses – February 2010 (handout)

Workers’ Compensation 101

§       What is TTD?

T.T.D. is an acronym for temporary total disability and refers to the wage replacement component of typical workers’ compensation benefits.

§       What is Maximum Medical Improvement?

M.M.I. refers to maximum medical improvement. When an injured employee is determined by a physician to have reached their medical improvement potential or plateau, they are deemed to have reached MMI.

§       Section 20 Settlements Revisited: What are They?

Section 20 Settlements are often discussed in claims that have questionable causation or multiple body parts or pre-existing conditions. Section 20 Settlements do limit a petitioner’s ability to reopen their claim regarding the same injury.

The State of New Jersey has an excellent resource for common questions at its Department of Labor and Workforce Development website: ttp://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/wc/workers/workers index.html

The remainder of the Claims Administrator’s report is for Closed Session.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

MANAGED HEALTH CARE REPORT

Ms. Pard presented the self-explanatory Managed Care Report for January 2010 from CSG Solutions, which is contained in the agenda packet.

Lost Opportunity Days Summary Report – January 2010

The Lost Opportunity Days Summary Report of Open Cases as of January 25, 2010 reflected 58.15% of Transitional Duty days utilized for the BURLCOJIF.

Lost Time v. Medical Only Cases

The BURLCOJIF Lost Time v. Medical Only Cases for the 13-month period of January 2010 thru January 2010 reflects the following averages.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

TREASURER'S REPORT

Mr. Tontarski presented an overview of the Treasurer's Report for the one month period of January 2010, a copy of which was included in the agenda packet for members’ consideration.

Investment Interest

Interest received or accrued for the reporting period totaled $10,176.06. This generated an average annual yield of 1.20%. However, after including an unrealized gain of $7,705.00 in the asset portfolio, the yield is adjusted to 2.10% for this period. The total overview of the asset portfolio for the Fund shows an overall gain of $41,457.50 as it relates to market value vs. the amount invested.

Receipt Activity for the Month(s)

Claim Activity for the Month(s)

Claim activity during the period for claims paid by the Fund and claims payable by the Fund at period end in the amount of $149,530.61. The claims detail is as follows:

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

Chair Ryan asked for approval for payment of the above-mentioned Claims Activity for the Month of January 2010 in the amount of $149,530.61.

Motion by Mr. Hatcher seconded by Mr. Ruggiano to approve the Claims Activity as submitted by Mr. Tontarski.

All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

Cash Activity for the Month(s)

During the reporting period the Fund’s “Cash Position” changed from an opening balance of $9,334,057.50 to a closing balance of $11,067,158.57 showing an increase in the Fund of $1,733,101.07.

February 2010 Bill List - Approval

For the Executive Committee’s consideration, Mr. Tontarski presented the February 2010 Bill List in the amount of $471,366.86 as provided to the membership in the agenda packet. The Bill List included the 1^st Quarter MEL Installment.

Further, Mr. Tontarski presented the February 2010 RMC Bill List in the amount of $86,359.00 as provided to the membership in the agenda packet.

Mr. Tontarski is seeking approval in the combined amount of $557,725.86 for the February 2010 Bill List and February 2010 RMC Bill List as presented.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

Chair Ryan entertained a motion to accept the January 2010 Treasurer’s Report, and approve the February 2010 Bill List and February 2010 RMC Bill List in the combined amount of $557,725.86 as presented.

Motion by Mr. Hatcher, seconded by Ms. Jack to accept the January 2010 Treasurer’s Report, and approve the February 2010 Bill List and February 2010 RMC Bill List in the combined amount of $557,725.86 as presented.

All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

1st Quarter Assessments

All but two (2) premiums have been received. Mr. Tontarski will be contacting those members.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

None.

MEL/RCF/ E-JIF REPORT

None.

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS

Next Meeting

The next Regular Meeting of the BURLCOJIF will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 4:00 PM at the Hainesport Township Municipal Building, Hainesport, New Jersey.

Public Works – Snow Plowing Efforts

Ms. Dougherty requested that the Safety Director look into how many hours an employee can consecutively work, for example during the recent snow storms, and the parameters surrounding the time worked.

Ms. Hall along with a few Fund Commissioners that volunteered will research the issue and create some guidelines. They will have the Fund Solicitor review the guidelines and a draft will be presented to the membership at the March meeting.

Ms. Hall does suggest that all member municipalities have a plan in place that addresses the issue.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Chair Ryan opened the meeting to the public for comment.

Hearing no comments, Chair Ryan closed the public portion of the meeting.

EXECUTIVE SESSION MEETING – Resolution 2010-14

Chair Ryan presented Resolution 2010-14 and entertained a motion to go into a Closed Session to discuss matters effecting the protection and safety in the public and to discuss pending or anticipated litigation and/or contract negotiations.

Motion by Mr. Hatcher seconded by Ms. Jack, to approve Resolution 2010-14. All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

A Closed Session of the BURLCOJIF was held and the meeting was then reopened to the public.

REOPEN PUBLIC PORTION OF THE MEETING

Chair Ryan entertained a motion to Reopen the Public Portion of the Meeting.

Motion by Mr. Hatcher seconded by Ms. Burger, to reopen the public portion of the meeting. All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

CLAIMS PAYMENTS - APPROVAL

Chair Ryan asked for a motion for Approval of Claims Payment on the following claims as presented in Closed Session.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

Motion by Mr. Ruggiano, seconded by Mr. Hatcher, to approve the following claims as discussed in Closed Session.

All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

AUTHORIZATION TO ABANDON SUBROGATION - APPROVAL

There were no matters presented for Abandonment of Subrogation.

Chair Ryan asked if there were any questions at this time. No questions were entertained.

MOTION TO ADJOURN

Chair Ryan entertained a motion to adjourn the February 16, 2010 Executive Committee Meeting of the BURLCOJIF.

Motion by Ms. Jack, seconded by Mr. Hatcher to adjourn the February 16, 2010 Executive Committee Meeting of the BURLCOJIF. All in favor. Motion carried by unanimous vote.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:35 PM.