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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

The Clanton City Council approved an agreement with Regional Paramedical Services for one designated ambulance for the city during a voting session on Sept. 13.

The vote was unanimous. Council member Billy Singleton was absent.

Clanton Fire Chief David Driver said the agreement is a partnership for 24/7 service with the city providing the personnel.

“The city will spend approximately $200,000 in salaries, that will be the city’s portion of it,” Driver said. “RPS is going to provide an ambulance, someone to drive the ambulance at the minimum EMT basic level and some … basic life support equipment.”

In addition to paying three paramedics, who will be city employees, the city will provide advanced life support equipment and a place to park the ambulance.

“It will be housed here at Station One,” Driver said. “… It will be one paramedic per shift. There will be three 24-hour shifts.”

Some part-time paramedics to cover for the full-time paramedics when they need time off will also be hired.

The agreement does not have an expiration date.

“Each entity must give six months’ notice prior to terminating the MOU (memorandum of understanding),” Driver said.

An exact date when the service will be available is unknown. The paramedic positions have been approved in the city’s budget, but the personnel need to be hired. Driver said there are also other logistics to be worked out with RPS. The hope is that everything would be in place before the end of the year.

If another ambulance was needed in the future, Driver said a separate agreement would need to be approved by the council and RPS.

Also during the meeting, the Council:

• Approved the next fiscal year budget for the city. In a Sept. 9 work session, City Clerk Jonathan Seale said the nearly $13.7 million budget is balanced and includes $212,000 in surplus in the case of emergencies.
• Approved entering a consulting services agreement with Cobbs, Allen & Hall related to the city’s employee benefits program.
• Approved bids for paving and resurfacing and annual bids.
• Heard the first reading of proposed ordinances for regulation changes for metal structures (to require a facade on new metal buildings in the city), destemming the zone for self-storage mini warehouses and personnel rules
• Heard the first reading for and a rezoning request for 1401 Fourth Avenue North from R-2 Single/ Two family Residential District to B-3 Neighborhood Business District.