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BELPRE -- Further action to approve a proposed emergency medical service contract for the city of Belpre was halted Wednesday during a special meeting of Belpre City Council, with the issue being tabled and no action taken.
Council held a special meeting Monday on a resolution authorizing the city's safety-service director to execute a contract with City of Belpre EMS Inc. for emergency medical services for the city of Belpre.
During Monday's meeting, council voted 6-1 with Councilmember Steve Null opposed to approve the first reading of the resolution. A motion to suspend rules to hold second and third readings at Monday's meeting failed on a 5-2 vote, with Null and Councilmember Paul Wallace voting against the rule suspension. A total of six affirmative votes were required for the motion's passage.
Councilmember Lyndsay Dennis, chair of council's Police and Fire Committee, called for another special council meeting to be held Wednesday for possible additional readings.
One of the concerns raised at Monday's meeting involved the Belpre Volunteer Fire Department Association's response to the proposed contract, with two VFD association officials speaking in support of it at Wednesday's meeting.
Additional discussion followed a motion to approve the second reading Wednesday, including some proposed changes Wallace wished to make in the contract regarding reporting requirements, potential future council action on the contract and leasing issues.
City Law Director Tom Webster said Wallace could make a motion to amend the resolution to reflect those changes, but it would then have to go back to the EMS board for approval or rejection of those changes before council could vote on the resolution again as amended.
The board of City of Belpre EMS Inc. meets at 4:30 p.m. each Monday, according to Webster. It is a private non-profit 501(c)3 entity operated by a board of volunteers. The board has 11 members drawn from the community, along with three non-voting members representing the city of Belpre; the mayor, safety-service director and council's Police and Fire Committee chair.
Some of the provider's licensing, insurance and other requirements are contingent upon approval by council of the proposed contract. It would initially provide eight-hour coverage seven days a week for 60 days with the goal of transitioning to 12-hour coverage by the end of that period, if not sooner, based on staffing and funding issues.
No motion to amend the contract was made Wednesday, but Null made a motion to table the second reading. That motion passed 4-3 with Null, Wallace and councilmembers Alan Milhone and John McClead voting in favor and Dennis and Councilmembers Dave Ferguson and Susan Abdella voting against.
The council meeting was then adjourned since the resolution was the only item on the agenda.
The next regular council meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Belpre has been without its own EMS coverage since January when the city suspended its previous contract with Belpre Volunteer Fire Department Inc. to provide EMS services over reporting issues. Since that time, the city has been working with mutual aid partners to provide coverage for Belpre residents, although several officials said that has placed a strain on those partners while Belpre worked to get new coverage in place. The contract with Belpre VFD Inc. had been in place since November 2021.
Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com