Supervisors detail formation of EMS Advisory Council

     Action is still pending with the Jones County Supervisors as they narrow down a decision regarding the formation of the EMS Advisory Council.

     During the April 12 board meeting, discussion continued on possible names and whether certain members would have voting privileges or not.

     County Auditor Whitney Hein handed out a draft copy of the proposed structure of the Advisory Council, based on direction from the supervisors. Council members would consist of voting and non-voting members. Voting members would total 11 individuals: six people from each EMS service area and five people representing each of the county supervisor districts. The non-voting members would include the six EMS service directors and one county supervisor.

     Term limits would be staggered three-year terms, with one-third of the Advisory Council terms expiring each year.

     The basic structure:

     • All meetings shall have a posted agenda at least 24 hours prior to the meeting start time.

     • All meetings are open to the public.

     • After all appointments have been made, the council shall elect a chair and a vice-chair, and shall do every year at the first meeting of the calendar year.

     • The auditor will serve as the clerk of the EMS Advisory Council and shall keep minutes of all meetings.

     Hein also offered additional Council member names to the board, those who submitted applications to serve after the initial deadline. One of those applications was from a non-county resident who is an EMS service director.

     “Typically our boards are made up of Jones County citizens because their decisions directly affect Jones County,” noted Hein.

     Service Directors Britt Smith and Sheila Frink were both present at the board meeting. Smith felt it was important to leave the non-county resident on the list.

     It was also noted that should any service directors leave their job during the process of recommending a levy rate to the board of supervisors, that person would come off the Advisory Council and be replaced with the new director.

     “We need to list it as a position and not by someone’s name,” explained Supervisor Joe Oswald of the various EMS service directors.

     Hein said if there was a case that a director couldn’t attend one of the meetings, they would be allowed to send someone else on their behalf, still maintaining that non-voting member status.

     “The votes need to come from people not in the director position, not in direct contact with their funding,” added Supervisor Jeff Swisher. “We need to keep it fair.”

     Swisher said he was also willing to serve on the Advisory Council as the board of supervisor representative.

     “We still need a couple more names of people willing to serve,” Hein reminded the board.

     The board plans to take action and finalize the EMS Advisory Council list next week during their regular board meeting, knowing the EMS services wish to see this on the November ballot.