OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Baton Rouge Fire Police Civil Service Board Meeting - August 24, 2026

Fire and Police Municipal Board — Monday, August 24, 2026
BodyBaton Rouge, Louisiana
SessionFire and Police Municipal Board
DateMonday, August 24, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 15:20

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good morning.

0:06

I call to order the August 24th, 2026, regular meeting of the Baton Ridge Fire Police Civil Service Board.

0:15

Ms.

0:16

Shawanda, could we get a roll call?

0:17

Yes, Mr.

0:18

Joshua Newville.

0:19

Present.

0:20

Mr.

0:20

Bradley Riggs?

0:21

Present.

0:21

Mr.

0:22

Antwin Barra?

0:23

Present.

0:23

Mr.

0:23

Michael Lemming.

0:24

Present.

0:25

Mr.

0:25

Todd Sterling.

0:26

Here.

0:27

Do you have a quorum?

0:28

Thank you, ma'am.

0:29

I will open the floor for public comment.

0:32

Seeing none, close the floor for public comment.

0:36

Agenda item three, consider motion to approve the agenda.

0:39

Mr.

0:39

Ricks, I believe you had a separate internal issue.

0:44

Yeah.

0:44

So as Vice Chair, uh I think I'm gonna have to uh step down as vice chair um circumstances that beyond that are beyond my control, so I'm gonna have to step down as uh as vice chair at this time.

1:00

All right, so just uh I don't know if we need it, but just to be safe, are you making a motion to step down as vice chair?

1:08

Yes.

1:08

All right, I'll second in case we need any objection.

1:14

Hearing none, motion carries.

1:16

That immediately brings us to needing to fill that position.

1:22

Do I have any motions to nominate individuals for vice chair, and people can nominate themselves if they so choose?

1:32

Yeah, I'll move to nominate uh Mike Lemming as vice chair.

1:38

All right, and these do not need seconds.

1:42

Any other nominations all right hearing no other nominations and a motion to close, nominations are closed.

1:53

Having one nominee, I will still bring it for a vote because I technically believe we need one.

1:58

Um we have a motion to appoint Mr.

2:03

Mike Lemming to vice chair.

2:06

Any do we need a roll call or no?

2:10

Any opposed?

2:11

Hearing none, motion carries.

2:13

Um I I don't believe we need seconds for nominations.

2:19

I didn't take a second.

2:21

Are we I thought we were passing that one?

2:23

Are we still on the nomination?

2:25

Oh so we have the in fairness, we had the nomination.

2:28

We had the but once the nominations are in place.

2:31

I don't think we need a separate motion that would need a second.

2:34

I agree.

2:35

Okay, then yeah, it we don't need a second.

2:37

Uh Mr.

2:39

Lemming, I'm sorry, and congratulations.

2:42

You are now vice chair.

2:43

Uh as a reminder, that that means that any time I am not present, you would run the meeting.

2:49

If for some reason I need to recuse myself or step out, you run the meeting.

2:54

Um as Mr.

2:55

Ricks made us all aware.

2:57

When he did not elevate up to chair, does not mean you have to be chair for some reason.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████63%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████37%
Summary of Proceedings

Baton Rouge Fire Police Civil Service Board Meeting - August 24, 2026

The Baton Rouge Fire Police Civil Service Board held its regular meeting on August 24, 2026, with all five members present: Joshua Newville, Bradley Riggs, Antwin Barra, Michael Lemming, and Todd Sterling. The board addressed personnel changes, approved minutes, handled personal action forms, called for examinations, received department notifications, and discussed office relocation and transition to an online personnel action system.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Resignation and Election of Vice Chair: Vice Chair Bradley Riggs announced his resignation effective immediately due to circumstances beyond his control. The board accepted the resignation and nominated Michael Lemming as Vice Chair. Lemming was elected unanimously.
  • Agenda Approval: The board voted to remove bullet point 4 from agenda item 7 (concerning Charles LeBrine and Ray Rose as substitute appointments) per the fire chief's request. The agenda as amended was approved unanimously.
  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from July 27, 2026, were amended to correct the spelling of Todd Sterling's name and to note his presence in the roll call. The corrected minutes were approved.
  • Personal Action Forms: The board deferred action on the Baton Rouge Fire Department's personal action forms as the department has not yet transitioned to the new online system. The Baton Rouge Police Department's personal action forms were approved unanimously.
  • Call for Examinations: The board approved a motion to call for examinations for the position of Chief of Hazardous Materials in the Baton Rouge Fire Department.
  • Department Notifications: The board received informational notifications of three promotions in the Fire Department: Miles Wilkinson to Fire Inspector 1, Roger Jones to provisional Fire Inspector 2, and Joshua Harris to substitute Fire Inspector 1, all effective July 25, 2026.
  • Board Operations Accommodations: Board member Ricks reported that the Police Department is relocating Second District to a building on Third Street, and the Civil Service office will be co-located there with space for hearings. The expected timeline is end of 2026 or early 2027.
  • Transition to Online PAS System: Board members discussed the transition from paper to online personnel action forms. Ms. Harris requested a backup period of paper forms for at least six months. The board decided not to mandate this but to discuss the transition timeline with the departments and civil service, planning to invite representatives to the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Bradley Riggs resigned as Vice Chair; Michael Lemming was elected Vice Chair.
  • The agenda was approved after removing item 7, bullet point 4.
  • July 27, 2026 minutes were approved with a correction to Todd Sterling's name and attendance.
  • Fire Department personal action forms were passed without action; Police Department forms were approved.
  • Examination for Chief of Hazardous Materials was authorized.
  • Promotions in the Fire Department were noted.
  • Board will communicate with departments regarding the transition to an online PAS system, with a follow-up at the next meeting.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. I call to order the August 24th, 2026, regular meeting of the Baton Ridge Fire Police Civil Service Board. Ms. Shawanda, could we get a roll call? Yes, Mr. Joshua Newville. Present. Mr. Bradley Riggs? Present. Mr. Antwin Barra? Present. Mr. Michael Lemming. Present. Mr. Todd Sterling. Here. Do you have a quorum? Thank you, ma'am. I will open the floor for public comment. Seeing none, close the floor for public comment. Agenda item three, consider motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Ricks, I believe you had a separate internal issue. Yeah. So as Vice Chair, uh I think I'm gonna have to uh step down as vice chair um circumstances that beyond that are beyond my control, so I'm gonna have to step down as uh as vice chair at this time. All right, so just uh I don't know if we need it, but just to be safe, are you making a motion to step down as vice chair? Yes. All right, I'll second in case we need any objection. Hearing none, motion carries. That immediately brings us to needing to fill that position. Do I have any motions to nominate individuals for vice chair, and people can nominate themselves if they so choose? Yeah, I'll move to nominate uh Mike Lemming as vice chair. All right, and these do not need seconds. Any other nominations all right hearing no other nominations and a motion to close, nominations are closed. Having one nominee, I will still bring it for a vote because I technically believe we need one. Um we have a motion to appoint Mr. Mike Lemming to vice chair. Any do we need a roll call or no? Any opposed? Hearing none, motion carries. Um I I don't believe we need seconds for nominations. I didn't take a second. Are we I thought we were passing that one? Are we still on the nomination? Oh so we have the in fairness, we had the nomination. We had the but once the nominations are in place. I don't think we need a separate motion that would need a second.

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