By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the regular meeting of the Panora City Council on Oct. 26, the council considered a request to purchase a 2006 Toyota HME pumper truck for the fire department. It was noted that new pumper trucks of this type generally cost between $875,000 and $1.5 million, depending on the size and features. The used pumper truck has approximately 17,000 miles accrued and relatively low hours of operation. The council approved the purchase up to $200,000.
No action was yet taken to appoint a councilmember to replace Roger Dorr, who resigned in recent weeks. City Administrator Lisa Grossman stated that, so far, Shane Gliem is the only citizen who has voiced an interest in being a candidate for the appointment, but others may speak up before the next council meeting.
The council held discussion about the transportation agreement with Guthrie County Hospital.
Councilmember Brian Dorsett shared a conversation about Stuart and Panora coming up with a sharing plan in which each EMS service would perform roughly half of the transports to lessen the demand currently being borne by Panora alone. The consensus was to develop a “per trip” reimbursement rate rather than a blanket payment for a specific timespan.
“They seemed to be interested,” Dorsett said, adding that Stuart and Panora will need to discuss the details of the proposal.
The council approved coordination with Stuart to develop such a rate and plan within the next 60 days.
Kenneth Headlyn addressed the council regarding a request to allow hunting within city limits. The matter will be discussed at the council’s next meeting.
The council approved paying an invoice of $113,624 from Choice Concrete LLC for paving work on Clay Street.
Police Chief Matt Reising discussed the squad car (2024 Dodge Durango) that sustained hail damage. Grossman shared that the two estimates to repair the damage were roughly $6,500 and $4,100.
Reising noted that the damage is only cosmetic, and he suggested not repairing the damage, or at most, repairing/replacing only the hood of the vehicle. The council took no action.
The next regular meeting of the council will be Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Interested persons may attend in person or electronically by visiting the website https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or by phone 1-312-757-3121 (Access Code 295-099-701, Audio PIN 220#).