A special meeting for the Panora City Council was held last Tuesday, where they discussed pay for emergency medical services.

The Council started the meeting by discussing adding two more full-time employees for Panora EMS, per EMS Director Levi Johnson’s request. The Council approved hiring one new employee with a starting salary of $54,000. This would bring the total number of employees to five, and opens the way for a sixth to be hired in six months.

The second item that the Council considered, and denied, was a counter proposal from Guthrie County Hospital. This offer included an annual amount of $102,500, 60 minute minimum response time and a five year contract. The Council then proposed and approved a counter offer to Guthrie County Hospital for the ambulance and health care transportation services. The Council’s proposal requests $110,000 in annual funding with a two percent annual increase for inflation, a 60 minute response time and a five year contract.

To finish off the meeting, the Council discussed, but took no action, on mandatory hours for part-time EMS staff, with Johnson requesting a minimum of 36 hours a month.