Thursday, March 29, 2007

Tweed hired to head county ambulance

by Kenneth Lassiter

County commissioners found the search for a new ambulance director short and sweet Monday and also consolidated the county cell phone service to save some money on that expense.

Two applicants were in the running for the ambulance director position but when one applicant withdrew from the search, that left interim ambulance director James Tweed as the lone applicant.

Tweed interviewed with commissioners for 25 minutes Monday before agreeing to accept the job for a salary of $52,000 per year. Tweed’s first official move as the newly affirmed department head was to ask for permission to fill vacant positions within the department, which the commission agreed to by consensus.

Tweed started work with the county as a part-time paramedic in December 2004. He moved to full time in May 2005 and had been a full-time paramedic until taking over the ambulance director position from Don Haynes while Haynes was on administrative leave with pay in November 2006. When Haynes was terminated from that job in December, Tweed kept his interim status until being hired Monday.

Commissioners also made short work Monday of a proposal from Cingular Wireless for cellular phone service for 64 county employees, mainly in the sheriff’s and road and bridge departments. The county currently spends $23,000 annually on service mainly through Cingular, although the sheriff’s department had contracted with Verizon Wireless for its cell phone service.

Commissioners had heard sales pitches from both Verizon and Cingular in January and had stated intentions to combine all the county cell phone plans under Cingular, as Cingular provides better signal coverage in the county. The county had haggled with Cingular, however, over the proposed cost. After undersheriff Jeff Herrig proposed eliminating the purchase of new Treo personal data assistants from the proposal, Cingular proposed a final bid of service of $18,400 annually, which includes text messaging costs and other assorted costs.

The county plans to buy phones from Cingular and those costs weren’t factored into the bid.

In other business Monday, the commission:

• Stated intent to attend the Northeast Kansas County Officials spring meeting April 13 in Emporia.

• Reviewed and signed vouchers and tax change orders. Commissioners also signed a notice to a township board for a cereal malt beverage license.

• Heard an update from Eloise Tichenor, planning and zoning director. Tichenor discussed the denial of an agricultural lot split made by Sandy Poeverlein on property at 5917 Buck Creek Road. Poeverlein was present to discuss the request and commissioners unanimously approved the lot split as presented.

• Heard an update from George Pogge, road and bridge superintendent. Pogge updated commissioners on bridge projects and road maintenance issues. He said a crew would be working in the Sarcoxie Township area next week, including doing erosion control work along Wellman Road.

• Heard an update from Eileen Filbert, health department director. Commissioners approved the appointment of Joyce Volmut to the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging board of directors. Filbert also updated commissioners on sewer districts and other department issues.

• Signed service awards for five years of service for Tani Ruff of the ambulance department, Yvonne Hewitt of the sheriff’s department and Marlin Youngquist of road and bridge.

• Met in executive session with county counselor Jan Hayes and county clerk Linda Buttron for 20 minutes to discuss issues of attorney-client privilege.

• Met with Todd Wyss of Platinum Services regarding the income protection insurance plan offered by his company. Commissioners instructed Wyss to meet with the employee committee.

• Signed a proclamation making April Fair Housing Month on behalf of the Kansas Resource Housing Corporation.

• Met with Hayes, Buttron and Mike Hayes, county attorney, in executive session for 45 minutes to discuss matters of non-elected personnel.

• Met with Mark Richards, auxiliary services director, to discuss the regional household hazardous waste proposal. Richards was instructed to put together a budget along with the other involved counties in the program and bring the budgets to the 2 p.m. meeting next Monday at the sheriff’s annex regarding the issue.