Legislation about the city’s ambulance service exclusive franchise agreement and uniformed employee Review Committee will be up for the third and final reading Monday at the Pine Bluff City Council meeting.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers at the civic complex. The Public Safety Committee meets at 4 p.m. in council chambers. The Ways and Means and Ordinances and Resolutions committees meet at 5 p.m. in the conference room adjoining council chambers.
Ambulance franchise
The council will consider a proposed ordinance, up for its third and final reading, that would amend the city ordinance that grants an exclusive ambulance franchise agreement to Emergency Ambulance Service Inc. and Ambulance Transport Service.
The proposed amendment would remove language in the original ordinance that allows the agreement to self-renew every three years. It would add language requiring that a competitive bid process be held 90 days before the expiration of the agreement on Sept. 20, 2013. The city will solicit bids, which will be reviewed by the City Council Public Safety Committee and sent to the full council for final approval.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Attention was drawn to the ordinance, which was adopted in 1999, when earlier this year Galbraith Emergency Medical Services Ambulance Service Inc. opened offices in Pine Bluff and approached the City Council, asking the aldermen to change the ordinance.
None of the aldermen sponsored the change, but GEMS began running non-emergency transports in the city and on two occasions, responded to emergency calls.
The city attorney’s office responded with a cease-and-desist notice with regard to the emergency transports. GEMS has since obtained legal representation and responded with a list of legal complaints against the city, which were filed in April in Circuit Court.
Both the city attorney’s office and GEMS’ lawyer agree the 1999 ordinance contains language that violates state law. They disagree on what should be done about it. GEMS’ lawyer has said the exclusive franchise agreement should be declared invalid and a competitive bid process for a new agreement be conducted immediately.
City Attorney Althea Hadden-Scott has argued that the ordinance can simply be amended to make the changes. The proposed ordinance that the council will review on Monday contains those changes.
Review Committee
The council will also consider a proposed ordinance, up for its third and final reading, that would restructure the Review Committee that hears disciplinary appeals from uniformed police and fire employees.
Currently, when a public safety employee appeals a decision by the police or fire chief, a three-member panel of other city employees hears the appeal.
The proposal would change the makeup of the Review Committee to a 10-member committee made up of members of the public and divided into two panels. Members of the committee will be appointed by the mayor and City Council and serve two- or three-year terms, determined by drawing lots. The committee will retain a private attorney to advise it on legal matters.
Formerly such appeals were heard by the Civil Service Commission, but that body was abolished last year.
Other business
In other business, the council will consider:
• A proposed resolution that would authorize and direct the mayor to contract with Sports Court of Arkansas to replace the gym floor at the Chester Hynes Community Center for a cost of $41,520.
• A proposed ordinance, up for its third and final reading, that would adopt amendments to the Pine Bluff Police Department Policy and Procedures Manual, including establishing guidelines for inspections of police personnel and equipment and amending the uniform guidelines. The proposed ordinance includes an emergency clause, which — if approved by the council — would cause the policies to go into immediate effect.
• A proposed budget adjustment that would allocate $60,000 from undesignated funds to the Inspection and Zoning Department budget for demolishing condemned structures. The department has already spent its demolition budget for the year.
• A proposed ordinance, up for its third and final reading, that would close a portion of an alley between West 11th Avenue and West Martin Place.
• A proposed ordinance, up for its third and final reading, that would amend the city’s alcohol and drug use testing policy for public safety employees in security sensitive positions.
• Several proposed resolutions appointing or re-appointing members of city boards and commissions: Donna Mooney, Rosie Pettigrew and Carla Martin to the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library Board of Trustees; Dee Herring and Darnell Hawkins to the Historic District Commission; and Christopher Blunt to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
• A proposed resolution commending outgoing Parks and Recreation Commissioner Teki Jimenez for her service.
• And a proposed resolution charging the costs of correcting nuisances as delinquent taxes to a list of eight property owners.