VERMILION LAKE TWP- Tower Clerk-Treasurer Victoria Ranua addressed ongoing financial questions surrounding the city’s ambulance service at the Vermilion Lake Township Board regular meeting on Oct. 8.
She said that although the former clerk-treasurer, Linda Keith, had often transferred funds without council authorization, the service has had its own separate ambulance subsidy checking account since the 1980s and this particular account hadn’t been touched.
Ranua said that past ambulance transactions went through the city’s main checking account, but as of Jan. 1, they’ve been conducted through the ambulance account She said it’s still a work in progress because each insurance vendor needs to change their direct deposit information to the new account. Ranua said the city is developing a new website which will show bank statements, an act of transparency to build trust in the city’s management, which has come into question over recent years.
Board member Phil Anderson, the township ambulance liaison, said that he had toured the new ambulance and that it was very nice, but was disappointed in the lack of discussion of the ambulance agreement during the meeting, though there was some discussions on finances.
“I get the feeling that there are people trying to control the ambulance,” he said, “but it’s not designed to do that.”
Anderson made a motion to approve the aid agreement, which failed for a lack of a second. The other two board members had not received a copy of the agreement yet and said they would like a chance to review it before going forward.
In other news, the town board approved spending of CARES Act funds of up to $6,975 on no-touch thermometers, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and PPE, as well as costs associated with the change to mail-only voting.
The next meeting will be Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.