Ambulance purchase tabled, commissioners hold on joining regional economic development group

The Kimball County Commissioners tabled a request to purchase a new ambulance and did not act on a proposal to join a new economic development group for the time being at last week’s regularly scheduled meeting.

After an hour-long explanation of upcoming regulation changes from Jody Staehr of FireFox Rescue Equipment of York, the commissioners received information on the potential purchase of an ambulance from two companies. At the previous meeting, the commissioners voted to waive the normal bidding regulations if an ambulance could be found to offer significant savings to the county.

Staehr presented a bid for a van style ambulance with a GMC chassis at a cost of $199,000. The 2015 model would not include contents, such as a defibrillator, bandages, cot and more. Additional costs would include a loading system. A Ferno loading system would cost an additional $38,000, while a Stryker system would cost about $45,000.

County ambulance director Carla Goranson said they would likely prefer the Ferno system because it could load a patient while the ambulance was uneven or at an angle, while the Stryker system needed to be level to load a patient.

“A fifth grader could load a 500 pound patient (using the Ferno system),” Staehr said

He added that the Stryker system could give the county problems on uneven roads.

“It’s wonderful for a nursing home or hospital. But on a country roads, they’ve had problems,” he said.

One thing Staehr noted is that the engine for the van style chassis would be discontinued in 2017, although parts would still be available after that time.

Virgil Johnson said the ambulance service also received a bid from Fyr-Tek of Gothenburg for a Road Rescue ambulance. The cost of the GMC chassis ambulance would be $208,000. He said the bid included the Stryker loading system.

Johnson said the bid was received last Tuesday morning, so they had yet to review all of the specifics of the proposal prior to the meeting.

Staehr said the commissioners could save up to $10,000 on his bid if they purchased the ambulance last week instead of waiting until after July 1 when new regulations go into effect.

The commissioners discussed whether the $10,000 would be considered significant savings, as required by the state statute in order to bypass normal bidding requirements for purchases. County clerk Cathy Sibal said the county would have to prove to the state auditor that the savings were significant enough to bypass bidding requirements.

“I don’t know if $10,000 is considered significant enough, but it’s your call,” County attorney Audrey Elliott said.

“I think what we’re going to have to do, because we’re not going to consider significant savings if we’re looking at $10,000, we’re going to have to put it out for bids after July 1,” Commissioner Larry Engstrom said.

The commissioners voted unanimously to table the item and go through the regular bidding process for the purchase of an ambulance.

Also at last week’s meeting, Kimball City Councilperson Christy Warner and City Administrator Daniel Ortiz pitched the Western Nebraska Economic Development group to the commissioners. The commissioners took no action on the item.

The group is in its development stages, said Warner, who is the city’s representative to the group. The group has met at least three times since it’s inception and the current yearly dues are $50 per entity.

“The idea is we’d all get together and work on projects, economic development projects, in the area, and find financing as a group to get that done,” Warner said.

The idea started with an economic development study from the City of Scottsbluff, Ortiz said.

“They brought in an outside consultant to facilitate it for them, and one of the things that kind of came out from there meetings and community forums was having a much more regional approach to economic development in the western Nebraska panhandle,” he said.

Elliott voiced concern that the group will be too Scottsbluff-centric. She said the first meeting mainly focused on development in Scottsbluff.

“My concern as a county is to hold off a little bit more and let them get a little bit more ideas in there,” Elliott said. “I think the idea is good, but we’ve really got to know where the money is going to be applied and how. I watch Scottsbluff and Gering battle all the time up there. It’s always a battle of who’s going to be the better one, and Scottsbluff has spearheaded this idea, so my concern is Scottsbluff is going to make sure they’re taken care of and worry about you guys might only get the trickle down. And that’s my only reservation with what I’ve read so far, because a lot of it is about redeveloping Scottsbluff, and then maybe everybody else will get in part. That’s my two cents.”

Elliott was also wary about the lack of details available at this point.

“The concern I have in agreeing to this right now is that there are no specifics to who provides what, what share they’re going to get, what they’re going to focus on and who gets top priority (and) how the ideas work,” she said. “And that is one of the concerns I have here, is to join into an agreement, first of all, without knowing what the cost is going to be and then, secondly, how those costs would be distributed over whoever, whatever county is going in there.”

Commissioner Tim Nolting asked if villages such as Dix and Bushnell would be approached about joining, and Warner said they would.

Nolting also asked how this group would affect Panhandle Area Development District and if the groups would compete for the same funds.

“No, I think from what I understand, it was moreso to regionalize efforts as well have a legislative voice with our elected officials at state and federal level,” Ortiz said.

“PADD is at the table,” Warner added.

“We don’t want it competing for the same dollars as PADD,” Nolting said.

Commissioner Daria Anderson-Faden asked if the City of Sidney would be included in the group.

“They have approached Sidney and Cheyenne County. We’re just waiting to hear back,” Warner said.

Other communities and counties would also be asked to join, Warner added.

“All of the smaller towns are in the same spot as us, wanting to make sure that we’re not left behind,” Warner said. “I think that’s the important part, is that we’ve had council from each of those smaller cities sit in and determine. It’s been a very balanced meeting, everybody seems to be able to put their say in. Everything is voted on, so obviously there’s a lot more little cities than there are big cities. When it comes down to a vote…in some ways, they do have more money and more people, they don’t have more people sitting at the table. The small towns have more people sitting at the table to vote on it.”

Ortiz said a regional effort is needed.

“The theory is great, I’m just concerned about the practicality of it after what happened with the 911 communications center and everything else,” Elliott said. “It’s a concern for everyone to take into consideration.”

Warner said even if the county did not join, it was asked to submit a wish list of things it would like to see in the county or the region.

“The growth is starting to come this way along I-80, and it’s going to pull us into it one way or another,” Ortiz said. “It’s a way for us to share our thoughts and ideas, issues that we see coming down the road.”

The commissioners also:

- Heard a report from assistant county highway/weed superintendent Randy Bymer on making several county roads minimum maintenance. The proposal was preliminary, and Bymer said he and Dave Hottell, county highway/weed superintendent, would soon set a final list before bringing it back to the commissioners at a July 21 public hearing.

- Appointed Lou Gawith as the shuttle coordinator for Kimball County.

- Approved a renewal of a contract between GIS Workshop, LLC and the counting planning and zoning commission. The contract runs July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, at a cost of $2,650.

- Declined to renew a contract between GIS Workshop, LLC, and the county sheriff’s office. The contract was declined at the request of Sheriff Harry Gillway, who reported that he did not need the service.

- Approved a renewal of the work and financial plan between the county and the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Wildlife Services for July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.