Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund Board of Trustees met Feb. 21

Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund Board of Trustees met Feb. 21.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

A regular meeting of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF) Board of Trustees convened at the Fund offices at 4225 Interwood North Parkway, Houston, Texas 77032 on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.

Trustees present were Brett R. Besselman (Chair), Stephen R. Whitehead (Vice Chair), Lisa R. Slagle (Secretary), Gerard L. Daniels, Pete Ng, David Riegor David O. Lantrip, Earnest W. Wotring, and Albertino Mays. Trustee absent was Arif Rasheed. Also present were staff members Ajit Singh (Chief Investment Officer), Claudia McInnis (Director of Finance & Administration), Dalia De La Cruz (Director of Member Services), Andrea Sharayha (Director of Human Resources), John D. Moore II (Director of Technology and Building Services), and Adam E. Smith (General Counsel).

The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.

The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance and observed a moment of silence. The Chair invited comments from the public. No comments were received.

The Chair administered the oath of office to a newly elected Board member, David Riegor (Position II), for his new term.

The Chair called for election of the HFRRF Board Officers for calendar year 2023 and the following were uncontested and elected:

Brett R. Besselman as Chair; Stephen R. Whitehead as Vice Chair;

For the position of Secretary, the election was done by show of hands with Pete Ng receiving 3 votes and Lisa R. Slagle receiving 6 votes. Lisa Slagle was elected as Secretary.

There was a motion by David O. Lantrip, seconded by Stephen R. Whitehead, to approve the following items listed on the consent agenda:

A. Approval of the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

B. Approval of the minutes of the Pension Benefits Committee meeting held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

C. Approval of the minutes of the Personnel and Procedures Committee meeting held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

D. Approval of the minutes of the Legislative Committee meeting held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

The motion carried.

There was a motion by David Riegor, seconded by Pete Ng, to approve the Chief Investment Officer’s travel outside the 48 contiguous United States to attend the Advisory Committee & Limited Partners Meeting on March 28, 2023 in London, England with airfare and two (2) nights of hotel accommodation to be paid by ARCIS Group. The motion carried.

Tim Clepper and Steve Hall, Terracon representatives, made a presentation regarding the roof replacement.

There was a motion by David O. Lantrip, seconded by Stephen R. Whitehead, to approve the use of PVC overlay on the roof of the Fund’s buildings. The motion carried.

There was a motion by Lisa R. Slagle, seconded by Gerard L. Daniels, to accept the bid and hire CR Systems to replace the roof on the Fund’s buildings using PVC overlay. The motion carried.

Earnest W. Wotring departed the meeting room at 10:20 a.m.

The board discussed the authorization to release certain member information.

There was a motion by David Riegor, seconded by Pete Ng, to move that the board authorize the release of payroll ID numbers for all members who retired from active service on or after November 6, 2018 to the Houston Professional Fire Fighters’ Association IAFF Local 341 for various calculations relating to the impact of firefighter compensation under such organization’s pending lawsuits with the City of Houston. The motion carried with Lisa R. Slagle opposing.

The General Counsel provided updates on the Fund’s lawsuits against the City of Houston and City officials related to Senate Bill 2190 in the 85th Texas legislature and on the declaratory judgment relating to informal marriage.

For a future agenda item discussion, Lisa R. Slagle asked to discuss cadets visiting the Fund during education sessions.

The meeting adjourned at 10:31 a.m. on a motion by David O. Lantrip, seconded by David Riegor. The motion carried.

https://www.hfrrf.org/files/lists/7109/Minutes%20Board%20February%2021,%202023.pdf