Emergency Management Director terminated by county

The Marion County Board of Commissioners meeting took an interesting turn on Monday when Emergency Management Director Randy Frank was terminated after an executive session for a department head review.

The board returned to the meeting following the Emergency Management Department review without Frank and announced that Frank had been terminated. No reason was given.

It was announced that Marcie Hostetler, preparedness coordinator, would be appointed to serve as interim emergency director.

“Should we talk to her? Someone needs to let her know,” said County Clerk Tina Spencer.

The board called a five-minute recess to speak with Hostetler and let her know of the developments.

Earlier in the meeting, the board had conducted regular administrative business and then met with Health Department Director Krista Schneider about vehicle bids. They decided to go with the Ford Explorer at Hillsboro Ford for $37,103. The vehicle will be used for pulling the trailer for giving shots and for taking staff to conferences and other needs. The purchase was approved 5-0.

Marion County Park and Lake Superintendent Isaac Hett met with the board regarding bids for painting and lighting.

He explained that with the lighting, the main problem is the fixtures. The best option is to switch over the lighting from fluorescent to LED.

“That is about half the cost, but it will save the most in the long run,” said Hett.

After comparing three bids, it was clear that Elcon was the most cost effective.

Commissioner Randy Dallke made a motion for Elcon. Commissioner Jonah Gehring abstained. It passed 4-0.

Next, the board discussed painting the office and lake bathroom and bids received for the job.

“Exterior for the lake hall is gonna take quite a bit of prep work. A lot said a year, year and a half out and didn’t want to travel. Significant difference between the two bids. About $50 more per gallon. One doesn’t require a primer,” said Hett.

Hett explained that he didn’t realize just how much there was a need for the paint jobs.

“I think the office and bathroom still have original paint on them, because there is metal underneath when you run your finger on them. But it says something that it has lasted this long,” said Hett.

An estimate from Gonzalez was $26,035 and for Koehn Painting Co., it was $11,675. The board voted to go with Koehn, 5-0.

In other business, the board:

•heard Road and Bridge project updates.

•heard from Planning and Zoning Board Director Sharon Omstead, who asked for approval for a job description for an administrative side assistant specialist. The board approved 5-0.

•met with EMS Director Travis Parmley about hospital transfers. Parmley explained that 911 calls are the priority over transfers calls.

“There are other options for transfers. It doesn’t mean they don’t need to be transferred, but it’s different from someone laying on the floor or a car accident,” added Mueller. “I appreciate you giving us more information as there seemed to be a lot being said that didn’t seem to all be true then.”

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