County Board meeting saw lengthy agenda, several constituents voiced their opinions

The Richland County Board met Tuesday night with a lengthy agenda and a full boardroom, as several constituents voiced their opinions regarding the local ambulance service.

Board Chair Kerry Severson led a productive meeting, along the way, Jeffrey Harrison was appointed as the new County Clerk, a new roof was approved for Pine Valley Community Village, at a cost $382,000, and the Board approved a resolution to exceed the levy limit as they move forward in the search for an ambulance service for 2027 and beyond.

The goal for the future ambulance service was not to actually choose one last night, it was to hopefully approve the funding mechanism that would enable the Board to choose the best ambulance service going forward.

Severson explained it to the Board, by saying, “This simply means that we’re looking to go outside our levy limits, it doesn’t mean we’re going with any particular service, or that we’re not going with Richland County EMS.  One model could be going with a third party, or it could mean Richland County EMS Service continues to provide service to the areas of the county they are servicing now.”

When asked to explain how monies collected by exceeding the levy limits would be applied to the ambulance service, County Administrator Trish Clements stated, ““Right now each entity takes care of itself, and the towns pay them for their service.  This would consolidate the funding into one place, the County, and then we would distribute those funds.”  

After the meeting Severson and I discussed the situation, he asked me to make sure people understand, “This could mean, for example, some of the money the County collected through this new system could actually be sent to the other EMS services in the County, such as Cazenovia or Lone Rock.  It’s a way to pay for EMS, we didn’t decide which EMS everyone has to use.”

At Pine Valley Community Village, the building is just ten years old, nonetheless, the roof had substantial leaks in multiple places, and had to be replaced.  One issue that led to the short life of the original roof was explained as poor ventilation – which will be corrected in the new roof.

The reorganization of the staffing structure at the Symons Recreation Complex was approved, the Director and Assistant Director positions are replaced with a Director of Development and a DIrector of Operations – both of whom will report to the County Administrator.  There will also be a member services manager, which will be a part-time position.