Monarch Fire Protection District Going More High-Tech

Monarch Fire Protection District representatives look to be headed toward the use of more technology.

Inspections are now done with hand-held iPads, speeding up the input of data no doubt, and providing past inspections for reference.

Then, at Wednesday's meeting of Monarch's Board of Trustees, President Kim Evans called for electronic "pay stubs" for employees, instead of paper ones. The majority of employees have direct deposit officials said.

Evans said the printed stubs were costing $1,000 per pay period. For example, if employees were paid every two weeks, that would be 26 pay periods totaling $26,000, over a year.

Evans suggested that electronic storage of pay stubs was the way to go.

"In the private sector, I would scan mine (paper pay stub) into the computer, to store it electronically," Evans said.

The district also got bids for the creation of a new website. The current one is from 2005, and much has changed since that time.

The Board wants Monarch staff to be able to update the website site itself with information, photos, meeting minutes and more details. Apparently the current website does not have that capability. Chief Tom Vineyard said he has a prospect along those lines and would follow up. 

The district is also installing a system of security cameras and electronic door locks with badges at the Monarch administration building on Olive Boulevard near Woods Mill Road/141.

The system monitors who goes in and out, and when, of the doors. The district cut a check for the system, but it is not yet installed. 

Prior to Chief Vineyard's hiring, there were questions over confidential files and a need to keep track of who was where in the building.

Monarch's House No. 2, at 18424 Wildhorse Creek Rd., services residents.