By Shelley Nelson
The Daily Telegram
SUPERIOR, Wis. — Superior’s City Council on Tuesday decided to create a special task force to gather information and determine if running an ambulance service through the Superior Fire Department is a viable option.
The council voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of its Public Safety and Finance committees to establish the task force after both panels met to discuss the proposal last week. The council last month referred the proposal for the two committees to consider.
Councilor Greg Mertzig introduced the idea after the Superior Fire Department union disputed a budget proposal that called for a smaller-than-average budget increase next year.
The recommendation included appointing specific individuals to the fact-finding committee, including councilors Ed Anderson, Greg Mertzig, Dan Olson, the fire chief, finance director and a firefighter as well an undetermined member of the county board, city and county representatives and potentially a Duluth city councilor. The move would have usurped the mayor’s authority to appoint members of the task force.
In the end, the council elected to create an eight-member committee to be appointed by the mayor with final approval determined by the council. It’s membership is undecided.
Anderson said the specificity of the recommendation reflected the council’s desire to have specific groups represented on the panel, and he hoped the mayor would respect that wish.
Mayor Dave Ross said he would take that into consideration when making appointments to the committee.
Any citizens interested in serving on the committee can write the mayor to express interest at Mayor Dave Ross, City of Superior, 1316 N. 14th St., Suite 300, Superior, WI 54880.
Copyright 2009 The Daily Telegram