COMMISSION TALKS PARAMEDIC USAGE

    During the latest Marshall County Commission meeting last week, David Finley from Clear Lake voiced a concern about the eave of a building on his lot extending beyond the setback line. The building permit will go before the board at the next meeting.
    Dustin Hofland, the Highway Superintendent, briefed the board on recent department activities including road maintenance, gravel hauling, and completion of small structure inventory. The department is down to one truck driver and is considering contracting with local companies for trucking services. Additionally, County Road 16AE/AC received chip seal, fog seal, and paint treatments, while milling on County Road 12A is scheduled for mid to late July. Financially, Marshall County received $6,117.35 from SD DOT for pavement marking and $223,128.96 for an SD Bridge Grant Program payout.
    During the meeting, representatives from Marshall County Healthcare Center and Marshall County Ambulance discussed the potential utilization of paramedic services on ambulances. Nick Fosness and Toni Mattson from MCHC reported that Logan Roehr had successfully acted as a paramedic on ten advanced life support ambulance transfers, which were reviewed positively by a doctor. They encouraged the ambulance to consider utilizing Roehr’s paramedic capabilities in initial response situations. 
    However, Pam Bard and Lori Amerman, from MC Ambulance expressed concerns about this proposal, citing worries about additional responsibilities and liabilities. The board requested that Roehr, along with Bard and Amerman, develop plans and policies for implementing paramedic services on initial ambulance responses and present them for further discussion. Additionally, the board urged the ambulance service to advertise for additional EMTs and EMT classes. 
    Deb Skonberg, E911 Coordinator met with the board to inform them that the State Coordinator has reviewed the E911 department and Marshall County was found to be in full compliance.  The next review is not due until 2027. 
    The board canvassed the votes for the June 4 Primary Election and subsequently signed the official canvass report.  The drawing of precincts for the post-election audit was completed.  The post-election audit of Precincts 4 and 1 will take place this week. See the story in next week’s paper about that process. 
    The board approved a tax abatement for a mobile home parcel that was acquired through a tax deed some years ago and subsequently sold for $1 in December 2022. The total taxes owed amounted to $2,729.12.
    Following an executive session, the board authorized Sheriff Sam Swanson to hire an additional deputy, with the understanding that other budget cuts may need to be made in order to make this work in the current budget.