Ambulance Council approves contract with Chickasaw Ambulance Service

The Chickasaw County Ambulance Council approved a two-year contract with the Chickasaw Ambulance Service Thursday, ending a meeting that lasted more than two hours and was contentious, to say the least, at times.
Council members voted 5-4 to send a contract to the supervisors that calls on the county to pay $165,000 the first year and $195,000 the second year.
The vote came after the council, which is made up of representatives of the eight cities located entirely in the county and one supervisor, received comments from about 20 county residents and heard a presentation from Iowa City-based CARE Ambulance Service owner Bob Libby.
But Libby did not make a formal offer to the Ambulance Council, saying only that his company was willing to work with the council on a contract.
In the end, despite objections from New Hampton Mayor Deb Larsen over some of the language in the contract (most notably the fact that the Chickasaw Ambulance Service would be able to renegotiate the contract with six month’s notice), the council voted to approve the two-year contract.
Voting yes were Alta Vista’s Amy Laures, Lawler’s Mark Muetherties, North Washington’s David Geerts, Ionia’s Randy Taylor and Fredericksburg’s Jim Mitchell, who sat in for his city’s mayor Shain Kroenecke.
Voting no were Nashua’s Scott Cerwinske, Bassett’s Jim Ashley, New Hampton’s Larsen and the council’s chairman, Steve Geerts, who represents the supervisors.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to take up the contract at its Monday meeting.
— For more on this story, see the June 4 Tribune