NORTH BALTIMORE – Village Council, on Tuesday, moved to hire a full-time, interim EMS chief.
The nine-month appointment, to begin April 1 and run through Dec. 31, will have a $35,000 salary,
including benefits. The resolution was approved unanimously.
The position is for a working chief, which means the candidate will handle all of the administration
functions of the position, in addition to making emergency runs for the department.
Members also authorized Village Administrator Kathy Healy to advertise for the position.
Council intends to place some form of tax levy on the November ballot as it plans to restructure its EMS
department. The hiring of an interim full-time EMS chief has been billed as a way to get the department
through the next nine months before decisions are made on how to restructure the department. Privatizing
the village EMS service, or moving to a paid "in-house" structure are among the options.
Several EMS members were in attendance at the meeting and expressed that having a full-time chief was a
necessity to get the department through the end of the year.
The decision to hire an interim chief came after a lengthy public discussion and a 30-minute executive
session.
At one point during the meeting, council members considered paying the candidate much more. One proposal
called for an estimated $57,000 salary, including benefits.
"That was an amount ($35,000) council could agree on and felt we could support," said council
member Janet Goldner, who chairs the public safety committee, after the meeting.
Currently, the village has a part-time police chief, Eric Larson. Goldner said Larson will be considered
for the full-time position, if he applies.
Prior to the agreement on a $35,000 salary for the interim EMS, council members expressed concerns on
being able to sustain the higher cost for a full-time EMS chief.
"I approve the establishment of a full-time chief, but I have a problem with the amount," said
council member Aaron Patterson.
Mayor Mike Julien pleaded with council to take action on the position.
"Failing to act is an act of failure," Julien said. "I feel it is time for us to
act."
Patterson responded to Julien’s plea.
"Mr. Mayor, you said a failure to act is an act of failure. I don’t think any of us want to
fail," Patterson said. "I think we want to take responsible action.
"I don’t want to go to the voters in November and have them help us pay for a full-time chief and
then we have to go back to them again when we can’t pay for equipment."
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, council, approved employment of two new part-time police officers. New
officers, Alex Niese, 34, of Gilboa, and Ryan Welch, 27, of Rossford, were both sworn into office at the
meeting.