Peabody may hire private ambulance
Staff writer
Peabody could turn to a private ambulance company while a proposed county ambulance station remains in limbo.
Fire chief Colton Glenn asked council members Monday to support exploring a contract with TECHS for 24-hour emergency medical service.
Peabody has had 90 medical calls this year, and ambulance response can take more than 30 minutes, Glenn said.
Recent Hillsboro ambulance responses to Peabody included 26 minutes Aug. 25 for a seizure, 23 minutes two days later for an unconscious man, and 19 minutes earlier this month for a man bleeding severely.
Peabody police officer Charles Walker, an advanced EMT, controlled the man’s bleeding while an ambulance was en route.
TECHS already is leasing a building in Peabody for hospital and hospice transports, Glenn said. An ambulance and crew were there Monday.
Council voted 3-0 to send an exploratory letter allowing TECHS to develop terms and cost for emergency coverage. The letter does not commit the city to a contract.
Council began the meeting with a 40-minute executive session. Members ended their meeting Monday with two closed-door sessions to discuss nonelected personnel matters. No action followed either session.
Public Works employee Aaron Waddell asked city attorney Tim Hodge to review the city’s water-tower contract with USG.
The city is about $180,000 into a $300,000 contract and is not getting what Waddell believes it is paying for, he said. About $110,000 remains.
Council members voted 3-0 to pay a $10,000 balance due on another contract, with Professional Code Compliance, and end their agreeement with PCC after it turns over code-enforcement records.
A committee helping select a new police chief will reschedule its first meeting after it “went a little bit off the rails,” city administrator Paul Leeker said. Two applications have been received.
Mayor Bailey Penner recommended Frank Oursler to fill a council seat left vacant by Rodney Hague’s death. Martinez moved to appoint him, but the motion received no second as council members decided to talk to Oursler first.