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Village of Manlius, NY
Onondaga County
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[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Manlius as indicated in article histories.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This resolution superseded former Ch. 6A, adopted 11-10-1998.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Art. I, Board of Fire Commissioners, was repealed 9-26-2000.
[Adopted 7-13-1999]
The Board of Fire Commissioners of the Village of Manlius hereby finds that, in order to exercise its administrative responsibilities for the operation of the Village of Manlius Volunteer Fire Department, it is,necessary to establish a due process procedure for the hearing of charges of alleged misconduct or incompetence by a member of the Village of Manlius Volunteer Fire Department. In that existing provisions of law authorizing sanctions against a member of a volunteer fire department are limited solely to a removal proceeding, the adoption of this procedure will permit the Board to impose an appropriate penalty, short of a removal, should a member of the Department be found guilty of misconduct or incompetence.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
BOARD
The Village of Manlius Board of Fire Commissioners.
DEPARTMENT
The Village of Manlius Volunteer Fire Department.
MEMBER
Any member of the Village of Manlius Volunteer Fire Department.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, partnership, association, corporation company, public agency or public or private organization.
A. 
Charges.
(1) 
Any person may draw to the attention of a member of the Board or the entire Board in writing or otherwise, the facts or circumstances surrounding the conduct of a member of the Department which may constitute misconduct or incompetence on the part of a member. The Board by majority vote may prefer charges against a member of the Department, alleging incompetency or misconduct.
(2) 
A member against whom disciplinary action is proposed shall be given written notice of the charge or charges and specifications and shall be allowed at least 10 working days to respond to the charges in writing. A member against whom charges are preferred shall have the right to be represented by another and shall be allowed to call witnesses on his or her behalf. The burden of proving incompetency or misconduct shall be upon the Board. Compliance with technical rules of evidence shall not be required.
(3) 
Pending a disciplinary hearing and determination of disciplinary charges, the member against whom charges have been preferred may be suspended by majority vote of the Board as a member of the Department.
B. 
Hearing.
(1) 
The Board shall hold a hearing upon the charges presented against the member and shall make a determination by majority vote as to the guilt or innocence of the member charged.
(2) 
Unless delayed by request of the member charged, the hearing on charges filed against a member shall be held within 30 business days of the date on which charges were filed. No disciplinary proceeding shall be commenced more than 18 months after the alleged misconduct or incompetency has been brought to the attention of the Board. This limitation shall not apply where the alleged incompetency or misconduct would constitute a crime if proven in a court of appropriate jurisdiction.
(3) 
As an alternative, the Board may designate another individual to conduct the hearing, to make a record of the hearing and, after the conclusion of the hearing, to make a recommendation to the Board as to the guilt or innocence of the member. The Board shall receive such recommendation for review and make a determination by majority vote as to guilt or innocence of the member charged. Should the Board contradict the determination made by the hearing officer, such determination shall be in writing.
A. 
The procedure set forth herein shall be utilized only in the event that a majority of the Board might seek to impose a suspension upon a member for misconduct or incompetency, which shall be proven by a preponderance of evidence entered upon the hearing record.
B. 
As to any other adverse action taken by the Board against a member of the Department, including, but not limited to, a written reprimand, such a member may request a hearing before the Board to address the action taken by the Board, if such has not previously been provided.
A member of the Department who may be aggrieved by a final determination of the Board in the exercise of its author pursuant hereto may institute a judicial proceeding in accordance with the provisions of Article 78 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules.