Board of Supervisors, EMS director reach tentative contract agreement
By Bob Fenske
The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors and the director of the new county-owned ambulance service reached a tentative contract agreement during a meeting held Monday, 12 days before Chickasaw County EMS is scheduled to begin service.
Joel Knutson was hired this fall and is currently working to set up the service that will serve rural residents of the county and six cities — New Hampton, Bassett, Fredericksburg, Ionia, Lawler and North Washington.
But a contract that will employ Knutson as a part-time director has yet to be finalized. During a Dec. 12 meeting, Knutson and supervisors couldn’t reach an agreement on a number of items — including vacation time, sick pay and holiday pay.
When supervisors agreed to hire Knutson, they offered the longtime advanced paramedic a salary of $60,000 for working 60 hours every two-week pay period, plus $31 per hour for any extra shifts Knutson needed to work.
On Monday, Knutson offered to forego vacation and sick time in exchange for receiving time-and-a-half pay if he worked as a paramedic on county holidays.
“I’m not thrilled with conceding that,” he said, “but if that is what it takes to get this moving through … so be it.”
He told supervisors that, as director, he expects paramedics to work at least one holiday a year and added that with nine paramedics currently on staff, he would be working a holiday or two.
“If our paramedics are going to get time and a half,” he said, “I think it’s only fair that I get the same consideration.”
Supervisor Jake Hackman made the motion to have the county’s human resources attorney draw up the contract that included language changes, removing vacation and sick time and giving Knutson time-and-a-half pay, $57.69 per hour, if he works on a rig on a holiday.
The motion passed on a 3-1 vote — Tim Zoll casted the lone nay vote — as Supervisor Steve Breitbach abstained because Knutson is his nephew.
The supervisors are expected to vote on the finalized contract at their meeting next week, which will be held on Tuesday because of the Christmas holiday.
The contract agreement came after the supervisors approved a number of purchases, as well as a lease for a house that will serve as crew quarters, for the new service.
Board members agreed to rent a home on South Walnut Avenue that will not only serve as living quarters but also house Knutson s office.
Knutson said of the four houses the EMS Advisory Committee looked at, “this one fit our needs the best.” He said it’s location near the city garage that will temporarily house the rigs was important, as was the fact that the landlord had agreed to a month-to-month lease.
Board members also rescinded a motion made on Dec. 12 to purchase two beds and two recliners from Slumberland and accepted a donation of the same items from Dungey’s Furniture and Flooring.
