SUN CITY FIRE DISTRICT SUN CITY, ARIZONA
BY LAWS

SUN CITY FIRE DISTRICT

 As amended:  9/8/1984, 7/16/1985, 6/17/1986, 2/19/1991, 2/18/2003, 9/16/2003, 10/18/2005, 12/16/2008, 8/12/2014, 10/14/2014, 3/10/2015, 7/16/2019, 12/17/2024

The Board of the Sun City Fire District, considering the provision of Title 48, Chapter 5, of the Arizona Revised Statutes, hereby adopts the following By-laws for the regulation and governing of the District.  These By-laws shall not supercede the ARS governing Fire Districts.

ARTICLE I – NAME

            The name of the District shall be Sun City Fire District located in the Unincorporated Community of Sun City, Arizona.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

            The purpose of the Sun City Fire District shall be to provide fire protection, rescue and medical services for the protection of persons and property within the defined boundaries of the District as approved by the Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County.

ARTICLE III – BOARD OF THE DISTRICT

Section I.  Members

Members of the Board shall be those individuals elected or appointed pursuant to ARS 48-802, 48-803 and 48-805.  The number of such members shall be five who shall serve terms as designated in 48-803.  If a vacancy occurs on the Board, other than from the expiration of a term, the remaining board members shall fill the vacancy by the appointment of an interim member.  The appointed board member shall serve the balance of the term left by the vacating board member. 

Section 2.  Meetings

The new Board shall hold an organizational meeting within fifteen (15) days following the date that the results of balloting are canvassed by the county Board of Supervisors, for the purpose of electing a Chairman and a Clerk.  Regular public meetings shall be held at the call of the Chairman or upon the request of two members of the Board.  The Clerk shall give at least two days notice of all meetings to all Members of the Board.  Should either the Chairman or the Board Clerk not be available for any meeting of the Board, a quorum of the Board shall elect, by majority vote, a temporary Chairman.  Action by the Board shall be by the majority of those members present.  For this purpose, the Chairman shall be a voting member of the Board.

Notice of ALL meetings shall be posted in three public places at least twenty-four hours in advance of the time scheduled for said meeting.

Robert’s Rules of Order (newly revised) shall be used as a guide to the conduct of Board meetings.

Section 3.  Quorum

The presence of at least three (3) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business at any meeting of the Board; the act of a majority of such quorum shall be deemed an act of the Board.  At any meeting where less than a quorum is present, the Board members present may adjourn or recess such meeting of the Board from time to time.

Section 4.  Powers

The public business, property and affairs of the Sun City Fire District shall be managed by the Board which shall have and may exercise all the powers of the District as provided by Arizona Law to do all such lawful acts and things as are not by law or by these By-laws directed or required to be done by the electorate.

Section 5.  Renumeration

Members of the Board shall not receive any salary or other compensation for such services as Members of the Board.  Members may be reimbursed for their actual expenses incurred in the performance of duties required by law.  ARS 48-803.C.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS OF THE BOARD

Section 1.  Officers

The Officers of the District Board shall be the Chairman, who shall be Chief Executive Officer, and the Clerk who shall keep the Minutes of the Board, all correspondence and records (except financial) of the District, and shall act as the Executive Officer in absence of the Chairman.   All officers shall have general authority to perform within the policies set by the Board and all acts necessary or advisable in connection with the activity and responsibilities of the Board for the operations of the District.

Section 2.  Fire Chief

(a)                  The Board shall appoint a Fire Chief who shall be the Chief Administrative and Operations Officer and who shall be responsible for all fire fighting, rescue and medical activity.  The Fire Chief shall hold his position at the pleasure of the Board and may be removed for cause. 

(b)                  Members of the Sun City Fire Department shall not be members of the Board and conversely, a member of the District Board shall not be an employee of District.  ARS 48-805.B.1

Section 3.  Duties of the Board and Fire Chief

The Board and the appointed Fire chief shall perform the duties and exercise the powers usually incident to positions held by them and/or such other duties and powers as may be assigned to them from time to time by the Board or as contained in the Sun City Fire District Board Code of Conduct for the Board and the Fire Chief.

Section 4.  Election and Terms of Office

The Board Officers shall be elected at the Organizational Meeting of the board as provided in Section 3 of Article III, and shall assume office after the November Election has been certified and shall serve for a term of two (2) years, or until their successors are elected.

ARTICLE V – THE COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD

Section 1.  Special Committees

The Chairman may appoint, with the approval of the Board, such Committee or Committees, as he may deem necessary or expedient for the proper conduct of the affairs of the District, and may invest such groups with such powers and duties, as he deems advisable.  The Committee so appointed shall serve until the purpose for which they were created has been accomplished or until the next District election, whichever shall first occur.

ARTICLE VI – FINANCIAL POLICY

Section 1.  Fiscal Year

The Fiscal Year of the District shall be a twelve-month period beginning on July 1, and ending on June 30 the following year.

Section 2.  The Budget

The Budget is to be prepared by the Fire Chief and the District Finance Officer for each fiscal year and shall be reviewed and considered by the Board.  Publication of the proposed Budget shall be (a) posted in three public places for twenty (20) days prior to the public hearing (ARS 48-405.02 A), (b) A complete copy of the budget shall be published on the district’s official website for twenty (20) days prior to the public hearing (ARS 48-405.02 A), and (c) by making copies available to Sun City residents upon written request to the District.  Following the public hearing, the Board shall adopt the Budget at a public meeting of the Board.

Section 3.  Annual Report

The Board shall cause the annual records and affairs of the District for each fiscal year to be audited by a firm of Certified Public Accountants.  An Annual Financial Report shall be prepared in the form prescribed by the State Auditor.  ARS 48-251, and ARS 48-253.

Section 4.  Pensions 

The Board is responsible for three pension programs for both the volunteer and paid staff as listed below.

      (a) Sun City Fire District Firefighters Relief and Pension Fund

     This relief and pension fund provides pensions for qualified volunteer firefighters of the District and may also fund a portion of the employer’s Public Safety Personnel Retirement System cost.  This retirement program is organized and operated by ARS §9-951 through §9-981.   Financial Management of the District’s Firemen’s Relief and Pension Fund shall be the responsibility of the Board of Trustees of said Fund.  The Board shall authorize an annual audit and report of the Fund by a Certified Public Accountant.  The Board shall send a copy of the annual audit and report of the fund to the state fire marshal and the Arizona state library, archives and public records by January 1st of each year.    

(b) Public Safety Personnel Retirement System

     This retirement system covers the district’s full-time fire suppression personnel.  This retirement program is organized and operated by ARS §38-841 through §38-859.  The Board shall be responsible for seeing that the Fund receives its yearly contribution from the fire insurance premium tax pursuant ARS 9-981B.  Pursuant to ARS §38-847 a Local Board, five members, shall be constituted as follows;  the Board Chairman or a designee approved by the District Board, shall serve as chairman, two members elected by secret ballot by members employed by the district, and two citizens.

c) Arizona State Retirement System

    This retirement system covers the district’s full-time non-suppression personnel and suppression personnel who are not eligible for participation in the PSPRS.  This retirement program is organized and operated by ARS §38-711 through §38-797.  There are no requirements of the Board in the administration of this retirement program.

Section 5. Capital Asset & Depreciation Policy

As a governmental entity the Sun City Fire District adopts the following Capital Asset & Depreciation Policy to ensure an accurate, complete, and up-to-date record of capital assets retroactive to July 1, 2002.

(a)  Capital assets include land, land improvements, buildings, building improvements, construction in progress, machinery and equipment, vehicles, infrastructure and easements. 

(b)  All purchases where the useful life is more than one year and the value is $5,000 or more, including cost of freight, site preparation, architect and engineering fees, applicable taxes, etc., shall be capitalized.

(c)  All new equipment meeting the threshold limits above and any repairs that significantly extend the useful life of a piece of equipment shall be capitalized and depreciated according to the following schedule;

Asset Type                                                Examples                                  Life in Years

Furniture, office equipment          Desks, tables, chairs                         10

Computer Hardware                        Monitors, CPU, printer                      5

Telephone Equipment                      Control unit, phone sets                  10

Cars and light trucks                         Sedans, SUV, pickups                         10

Fire Trucks/Apparatus                     Pumpers, ladders, tenders             15

Buildings; temporary                        Storage containers                             25

Buildings; permanent                        Fire stations                                          30

Buildings; HVAC systems               Air conditioners, ventilation            5

Buildings; roofing                                Roof repairs/maintenance              20

Buildings; flooring                             Carpet, tile                                                15

Buildings; systems                             Electrical, plumbing                             25

Buildings; kitchen equipment      Stoves, refrigerators                         10

Equipment; engineering                 Test equipment, air sampling          5

Equipment; firefighting, misc.      Ladders, nozzles                                  10

Equipment; fire hose                         Fire hose and couplings                     5

Equipment; air packs                        SCBAs, compressors                        15

Equipment; medical                         Monitors/defibrillators                      8

Equipment; mobile radios             Vehicle mounted radios                 10

Equipment; portable radios         Walkie-talkies                                         5

Equipment; athletic                         Weight machines, treadmills         10

Equipment; custodial                      Floor scrubbers, vacuums                10

Land improvements; structure       Parking lots, sidewalks, fencing    10

Land improvements; grounds        Landscaping                                          15

Land                                                            Property                            No depreciation

(d) Capital assets and depreciation shall be tracked by a computer based system.  All new purchases and all capital items disposed or sold shall be reported to and recorded by the District’s financial manager.

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these By-laws may be proposed in writing at any regular or special public meeting of the Board.  Such proposed amendments shall be acted upon at the next regular public meeting of the Board or at a special public meeting called for that purpose, and shall be adopted by an affirmative vote of a majority of the Board members present.  Notice of intention to present amendments to these By-laws for adoption shall be contained in the notice of the meeting.

            All By-laws adopted shall conform to Arizona State law.  Any By-law not in such conformity shall be invalid and State Law shall replace same.

By-laws amended approved by the Board at a Special Meeting on June 18, 2019.

Clerk of the Board

LBN

SUN CITY FIRE DISTRICT

BOARD CODE OF CONDUCT

 LEADERS are people who make decisions, who make plans, who set objectives, who know where they are going.  They give confidence to those around them.  They set the tone and the feeling of the entire organization.

A BOARD MEMBER

• Understands business principles
• Has integrity
• Does not allow “end runs”
• Observes Board policies
• Has good role identification
• Understands the role of the Administrator
• Has a sense of humor
• Has a broad scope of vision
• Is a good listener
• Has community awareness
• Is politically aware
• Maintains a positive attitude
• Can be flexible on issues
• Is open minded, without hidden agendas
• Is consistent
• Shares mutual respect with the Fire Chief
• Is loyal to fellow Board members
• Respects decisions not of his or her liking
• Has the confidence of his or her peers