Photo: David Hiser / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
A long agenda at the Clarion City Council in April 2019 ended with several items set aside for more work.
The biggest discussion was over four new ordinances dealing with city employees and departments. The first would have amended the city code so the ambulance service answered to the city administrator instead of the mayor.
Council member Dan Hennigar asked why the change was needed. Mayor Duane Asbe said it was a sounder business structure and a more sensible chain of command. Council member Andy Young pointed out that the city administrator already prepared the budgets for departments like the ambulance, so oversight would fit there. Council member Teresa Lancaster said it would bring more consistency and clearer expectations across departments.
Residents in the audience pushed back. Cindy Dorn, who works on the ambulance service, said she was speaking as a citizen and wanted the service to stay under the mayor.
Rather than vote that night, the council tabled the ordinances and referred them to committees for further review.
Jill Ostrander writes for Clarion News Online.