A committee with members appointed by Iola and Allen County to study ambulance service in the county may be scrapped in favor of one acting at behest of county commissioners alone.
Mayor Bill Shirley said Monday he had appointed Mike Russell, local radio newsman, and former Iola mayors Bill Maness and John McRae as the city’s committee representatives.
Dick Works’ response voiced that of all three commissioners. He “wasn’t pleased with the city selections,” saying he thought they had too much history with the controversy that has surrounded ambulance service in the county the past four years.
Instead, commissioners said they were eager for a committee of citizens, with “no dog in the fight” as Commissioner Rob Francis put it.
“I’m thinking about scrapping” the Iola-county committee, Works said at one point, “and going strictly with one from the county. Objectivity is the key word. We don’t have to include the city (Iola) and could do a study on our own,” which “would be more credible.
“Ambulance service is our responsibility,” he said.
Commissioners have said that they hoped a study would illuminate ambulance service to the point that it would give citizens a clear view of finances and capabilities, and lead to resolution of issues that led to the two services.
Mayor Shirley told the Register Tuesday evening opposition to his selections “surprised me. I thought they would be good people. Bill (Maness) and John (McRae) have a good record of getting things worked out.”
He huddled with Gary McIntosh, county commissioner, Tuesday afternoon, which prompted Shirley to observe, “McIntosh and I want to move ahead” with discussions and “I hate to see us fall apart.”
COMMISSIONERS characterized Shirley’s appointees as insiders; Works called them partisans.
The selections also didn’t find favor with all on the Iola Council.
Councilmen Ken Rowe and Kendall Callahan said Monday night they thought councilmen should have a role in the selections because that was what the five-year agreement called for.
Rowe, in a brief meeting with county commissioners, said a council with a strong mayor form of governance that Iola has permitted the mayor to make appointments unless they were shown to be unqualified or unfit. He painted none of the three selections as unqualified or unfit.
Even so, he argued that the council should have made the appointments since that was the intent of the original agreement.
“Everyone loses in a fight between the county and the city,” McIntosh said. “I want to do what’s best for everyone in the county, which includes those living in Iola.”
Commissioners concluded their meeting without making any appointments and with no indication that they would immediately.
