The City Council Finance and Personnel Committee and City Council approved a controversial request involving ambulance service at meetings Monday night.
The committee’s aldermen voted unanimously to let city staff develop a request for proposals from the private sector for citywide ambulance response. The Rockford Fire Department provides the service, but city leaders have been discussing the possibility of outsourcing the function for the past year.
City Legal Director Patrick Hayes told aldermen that just the development of the request for proposals for ambulance service would take up a considerable amount of staff time. Hayes said he didn’t want that time wasted, which is why he wanted aldermen to discuss their wishes and take a vote on whether they want to proceed with an RFP.
The committee also voted to seek bids for street sweeping operations. Both street sweeping and ambulance service were potential outsourcing recommendations from the city’s consultant, Baker Tilly, and the city’s Budget and Finance Advisory Committee.
There was no discussion on street sweeping, but Ald. Bill Robertson, I-14, questioned the city’s rationale for seeking bids for emergency medical services when it has a labor contract with the Rockford Fire Department.
Hayes said the city wishes to know if there’s an economic case for outsourcing ambulance service. The bids could be used to help come to that conclusion.
The City Council approved the resolutions to seek bids with a voice vote.
ccurry@rrstar.com
815-987-1371
Why is the city dealing with ambulance service anyway?
The city doesn’t have a hospital, and people visit the hospital every day! There is no need for a city paid for ambulance service!
Ambulance service should be like pizza restaurants. You need a pizza there now, and you know the number! You pay for it on the phone or when they deliver! Why not have the ambulance service the same way?
We have taxi companies for those who need to be taken places too!
So cut the taxes we pay on ambulance service, and let’s move on to other services we do not need!
The current aldermen need to be removed! The mayor needs to be removed! Every public oficial that can’t find a way to save his weight in money should be replaced!
As for street sweeping, we should have the neighborhoods clean the streets! Each neighborhood needs to take control of their streets. Make sure the streets are clean and the snow is removed. When the streets need repair, the neighborhoods need to make that happen!
If we could start arresting the litterbugs, we could let them out of jail with street cleaning services!
You know, smokers can sweep the curbs for cigarette butts, and fast food junkies can take out the trash in the alleys.
What about enlisting each neighborhood into the responsibility of servicing even more of their community? We could have a city maintenance authority that would tax the owners of property for street and gutter cleanings near their property. If the city needs to maintain what you as a land owner should do on your own, the land owner should be taxed the full amount of the service.
If you had a pothole in front of your house the last 4 years and it caused the street to need to be re-paved, you should get the bill! You would be saved the bill if you made the city fully aware of the problem before it was bad enough to be an expensive repair!
Yes, it’s time to do for ourselves rather than pay for someone to do for us!
You can bet that if you were taxed this year for $800.00 to pave in front of your house this year that the next time someone spun his tires on that road you might take it personally!
We need to start taking things personally!