By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the Dec. 16 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, discussion was held regarding how to create an EMS advisory council, as the county investigates the feasibility of designating EMS as an essential service.
Panora EMS Director John Delavergne shared that the three services currently operating within Guthrie County (Panora EMS, Stuart EMS and Adair EMS) are largely dependent on grants, which could expire. He added that Panora EMS is generally only collecting about 45% of what the service bills. He said many city EMS services are facing a similar challenge. Delavergne also noted that it is difficult to have adequate numbers of EMS personnel in the various parts of the county.
“We are, unfortunately, a struggling breed right now,” Delavergne said.
One area of significant discussion was how many voting members to have on the advisory council. There was discussion of the possibility of a smaller voting council and a larger ad hoc council. Supervisors noted how, on one hand, a larger council allows more widespread representation, but a larger group makes it more challenging to hold meetings that can be attended by all or nearly all voting members.
“Are we looking at seven to nine, or 10 to 15?” Supervisor Steve Smith asked.
Smith suggested that the supervisors should not name individuals to serve on the advisory council but instead should name an organization/entity and let that entity determine which individual would serve on the council.
No vote or formal decision was made at this time. The supervisors will gather feedback from various areas of the county to bring back for discussion at an upcoming meeting.
The supervisors heard from the Guthrie County Library Association with a fiscal year 2027 funding request. No vote was taken at this time.
“In January, we’ll make some decisions,” Armstrong said.
At the recommendation of county Treasurer Brenda Campbell, the supervisors voted to approve two City of Bayard Tax abatements (Parcel 0000440001 and Parcel 0000440501).
The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#