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Fire promotion process questioned; board schedules follow-up and says personnel details will be handled in closed session
Summary
Board members and firefighters raised concerns about a recent lieutenant promotional process — including a letter from test participants alleging discrepancies — and asked for exam scores and procedural clarification. The board said personnel issues must be handled in a special meeting and committed to follow up by the next meeting.
Chair opened the St John Town meeting and called for approval of minutes before turning to public comments and personnel concerns.
An on-duty officer who identified himself as 'officer for, DTM' told the board that participants in a late-2025 promotional test had drafted a letter outlining 'multiple discrepancies' in the process and had requested a corrected procedure. The officer said the lack of movement and cancelled trainings left him frustrated in his acting role.
The chair acknowledged the letter and described the promotional timeline, saying the promotion list can be closed and reopened and estimating roughly a six-month closure in some circumstances. He also said the acting officer 'is being paid, as a lieutenant.'
Members and participants disputed whether candidates had adequate notice and time to prepare. One participant asked explicitly for exam scoring; a staff member responded, 'By state law, all we have to do is give you guys your written score,' and offered to show scores individually.
A staff member also emphasized that personnel matters — including naming individual candidates in public discussion — must be handled in a special (nonpublic) meeting and that the board had completed required forms to call a special meeting on personal issues.
Additional points raised in the discussion included the town's recent investment in fire services. A staff member said, 'The town has invested over $4,200,000 in the fire department.' The conversation also covered options for filling lieutenant vacancies, including the sequential list and the chief's discretion if a candidate declines the position.
The chair asked for a written report and said he would seek a formal response for the membership by the next meeting (March 5). No formal personnel action or final decision was recorded at this meeting.
Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows approval of the minutes after an "All in favor?" call and two audible "Aye" responses in the transcript; mover/second were not specified in the record.
What happens next: The board committed to follow up on the promotional-process concerns and to provide an update by the next scheduled meeting.
