Commission approves $1,200 in claims; commissioner abstains on Junior Achievement fee

The AMSO Fire Merit Commission on Dec. 10, 2024, approved two claims totaling $1,200 that the Board of Public Works had previously approved for payment. The commission voted to pay $200 for eight instructor promotional exam books and $1,000 for the Junior Achievement (JA) JobSpark vendor fee; one commissioner abstained on the JobSpark item. The $200 claim for "eight instructor promotional exam books" was moved and approved without recorded dissent. President (unnamed) then moved to approve the $1,000 JA JobSpark vendor fee; the motion passed with one abstention. Commissioner Dickinson said, "I'm going to abstain on the Junior Achievement. I have a personal connection with them," and that abstention was recorded. Commission discussion about the claims was limited; members confirmed the items had been approved earlier at a Board of Public Works meeting and that the amounts would come from the commission's budget. The commission separated the two claims for voting after a member requested handling the JA fee separately because of the stated conflict. The commission recorded the outcomes and directed staff to process payment following the approvals.