The Spring Valley City Council held a regular council meeting on August 10, with all members attending (Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, Mike Hadland, John Dols, and Mayor Tony Archer). Also attending was City Administrator Deb Zimmer. One of the main topics discussed was the suggestion to increase the EMT call rate.
Deb Zimmer explained that two of the ambulance crew directors (Sue Puffer and Mike Zimmer) have been picking up an excessive amount of call hours, and there is an increasing concern of them getting burned out. She said that an increase in the call pay rate would hopefully encourage others to sign up for call shifts, which would alleviate the risk of burn out. John Dols said, “I will say this, trying that for a dollar an hour is a small price for us as a city to pay to try to get some others to step up to keep our ambulance service, and not have to put out the kind of money that Preston and Grand Meadows are paying right now… to get coverage to have an ambulance service in their communities.”
Mike Hadland shared his reluctance about increasing the rate, especially during these tough economic times, saying, “With COVID, we don’t know what’s going on with our General Fund and everything else, so for me it’s a timing issue.” Deb responded, saying, “My fear is if you lose any of the top two (EMTs) that you have, if you reach burnout and they resign, you can’t replace them.” Sue Puffer chimed in, stating, “There are days it’s really, really close,” but she went on to explain that she hopes and intends to stay on the crew for the foreseeable future.
Luan Ruesink asked about the expected cost increase if the proposed EMT rate increase were implemented. Deb said it would equate to an increase of roughly $8,000 to $10,000 annually, and she added, “But right now, their revenue is keeping up with that.” Hadland replied, “How about the firemen? Are they going to get a raise, too?… What’s good for one is good for all.” The council voted to approve the proposed call pay rate increase, with Hadland as the sole vote against.
Tom Brunson addressed the council regarding a concern. He stated, “About a year ago, I had an issue with our manhole cover in our backyard. I brought it to Deb Zimmer’s attention, and nothing has been done.” After noting that council members appeared to have no knowledge of this issue, he said, “So Deb, you dropped the ball.”
Deb replied, stating, “I told Chad and Aaron, and they went up and looked at it… they can’t pull the manhole cover off because they’re afraid it will fall in” due to its deteriorating condition. Brunson said he is also concerned, and worries that someone could fall into the manhole. Deb said she would ask city staff to again check into the issue. Mayor Archer thanked Mr. Brunson for bringing the issue to the council’s attention.
The council discussed replacing the emergency siren at the “Peterson” location in town. John Dols described it as “not repairable” and he added, “We’ve known for some time that our sirens in town are getting old and outdated. Deb’s been setting aside money in the capital fund for this expenditure.” The council considered a bid from Ancom Communications for a new siren, at a cost of $18,135. It was pointed out that installation would be an additional cost. The council unanimously approved purchasing and installing the new siren.
Regarding the recent cancellation of Ag Days, Chris Danielson said, “I appreciate that Chamber and Ag Days have decided to cancel, considering all of the ramifications that there would have been… I appreciate keeping our people safe here. We have school starting here in a couple of weeks, and I think that’s the big picture.”
Hadland shared his opinion, saying, “I want to thank the Chamber for attempting to have Ag Days. I feel sorry for this community, that certain people go out of their way to call the Attorney General and put the cart in front of the horse, because we don’t know if it’s going to cause more or not. But the snowflakes in the community definitely got their way, and I feel sorry for this town, because there’s certain businesses that are going to lose a lot of income because of that weekend. It’s just too bad.”
The council approved Resolution 2020-31, approving CARES Act funding for business relief. The council also approved Resolution 2020-32, approving the use of MIF exception money for daycare grants.
The next regular meeting of the council will be Monday, August 24, 6 p.m., at the community center. The public is welcome.
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