Now we all have to understand the very strange manner in which the ambulance service is run since the Board of Directors have total control and if needed they can appoint a new member of the Board without any need to get approval of anyone else. That will happen when one of them retires from office. At present the Board consists of the "old guard" of Ankiewicz, Mikyska and O'Bierne and since O'Bierne will be leaving the city council in April when a new alderman will be elected from his ward, they will need to select a friend of theirs in his place. This new member does not need to bring anything to the Board other than to be an elected official, no other qualifications needed and of course to be in agreement with those already there.
OK so now the Mayor is asking for a financial report and I could almost see the hairs on Ald. Ankiewicz's head stand up or perhaps it was on his chin. How dare the Mayor ask for that information even though the city gives the ambulance service 4000 per month with no questions asked. This very strange setup was established during the tenure of former Mayor Baker and in MHO, was done to keep a strangle hold on information to the public. Instead of looking for a number of well qualified people in the financial and medical community, it became a buddy system where no information other than the monthly number of calls from Peru LaSalle Peru Twp and Dimmick was made public.
If anything needs a breath of fresh air, it is PVAS.
17 comments:
PVAS, to me, seems to be an untouchable organization that we entrust with our lives. I just can't grasp how non medical personnel comprimise the make-up of the board. Questions regarding PVAS are unwelcome and seem to result in anger. Their own website has been under construction for years. Yet, they count on and expect the city to support them with out tax dollars - NO QUESTIONS ASKED! What's the big secret ALDERMEN on the BOARD???
Why doesn't the City have a right to see where the money is going???? If the City is spending $4000. a month I feel they have every right.
Rorie Schweikert is the auditor for the ambulance, she would have the answer to that. It seems everyone is related to everyone. Since when does a business, have 3 aldermen on the board of directors??? Mayor Baker appointed them, If someone leaves, I think the Mayor now should appoint a new member. Unless Mayor is the owner of the service, and he calls all the shots. That is why he has his own 3 cronies on the board. I'm sure he will tell the other two whom he wants on the board, when the time comes.g
It is my understanding that if someone leaves our Mayor has no authority or right to appoint a successor. The 2 remaining aldermen and board members (Mikyska and Ankiewicz) have the sole authority to do as they please. It is also my understanding that even though the city helps subsidize PVAS they have no say what-so-ever on any issue.
The current Mayor appointed the current Alderman on the board at PVAS. Are those three his(Harl)cronies? He has the ability to change and has chosen not to. It is quite possible those aldermen are doing a good job. The only one that is questioning PVAS is the mayor. Harl is the one that determines the city/PVAS representatives. Why blame Baker?
Mayor Harl is correct. This is why LaSalle did what it did. Any money generated above and beyond the cost of the paramedics, belongs to the city of LaSalle. Peru Ambulance knows this. They do not what Peru to know who much they are making. Its more than what they need to operate efficiently. Why do they need to pay two full time directors who one never shows up to work. The director at 10/33 in Spring valley actually takes a shift on the ambulance. There is a lot of waste and Mayor Harl knows it. Put it with the Fire Department. Cut the management staff and the overhead that goes along with having a separate building. Is it possible we can learn something from LaSalle?
1:41PM
You are wrong, the Mayor does Not have the power to appoint any member of the Board of Directors. Once the 3 members were appointed, they are the only ones that can ask someone to join the Board when a vacancy occurs either through death or lack of holding a elected office. Get a clue, Baker set up PVAS and its bylaws.
I have read the Bylaws!
If you think those 3 alderman are "Harl cronies", you have no clue what is going on in Peru government.
Princeton which is a little smaller than Peru is running a very cost efficient EMS/Fire Department with a full time Fire Chief and 3 full time firemen per shift with 3 ambulances. If you go to their website, there is a chart of all charges the department makes in the operation of its EMS service. Very interesting.
He has the power to appoint any 3 city officials to the PVAS including himself. Get a clue, the individuals appointed are appointed by the Mayor. The mayor is Scott Harl. Baker is not on the board and is not on the city council. Harl appointed all 3. He can appoint any council members that is his choice, its in the by laws. I believe Peru began the service out of the need to have a service in the Illinois Valley. The city pays a service fee of about $4000.00 each month. Much less than it pays for 1 public service employee. I guess the thought of saving the $4000.00 per month must be worthwhile. It looks like our mayor has trouble managing a paper route. Should we want him to manage a ambulance service?
From the bylaws:
Election of Members. Members shall be elected by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors, by affirmative vote of two thirds of all of the members of the Board may, within their sole discretion, suspend or expel a member with or without cause and may by a majority vote of those present at any regularly constituted meeting terminate the member ship of any member who becomes ineligible for membership.
Any vacancy occurring in the Board of Directors ...shall be filled by the Board of Directors with the advise and consent of the City Council at the City of Peru, Illinois.
The only place the word Mayor is mentioned is that as an elected official he can be on the Board if they ask him and only in that capacity would he have any power to appoint. Mayor Harl is not on the Board of Directors and has NO control over who is on the Board.
I suggest you reread the bylaws as they are written.
Move to Princeton. Quit complaining.
This blog is only a bitch venue with nothing constructive to help the city.
6:00PM
It is only by searching for answers that you find them. If you choose to not be aware of solutions, you will be stuck where you are. It is constructive to know that other cities are providing good medical services and saving money in the process. LaSalle has already figured that out.
I would just like to add a comment to my previous post. Evidently there are people like you who complain because I present solutions other cities have found that work for them. Yet just several months ago in September we sent 6 aldermen to the IML convention at a substantial cost to the city to find solutions and to learn about how other cities function and solve their problems. Yet we have never even heard one word out of their mouths about what they learned while spending 2 days in Chicago. I just bet you did not complain about that but the blog researches information and you think we are bitching. Crawl out of your hole and see what is really taking place and costing us money to boot.
Why didn't you post my question about the $4,000 being treated as a donation or a contractual agreement?
10:59 PM
I posted all comments today and I did not purposely keep yours out. Was it located within a larger posting? or just the words you just sent in.
Why do certain people (such as the board) get so defensive when it comes to anyone asking anything about PVAS? I would think they would be proud of this organization that they represent and glad to inform its supporters with answers. After all, our tax dollars do help fund PVAS and therefore, shouldn't the Mayor have the right to ask for a financial statement?
Also, some contributors of this blog need to either start attending council meetings and witness what goes on or, do some research on their own. The Mayor has no control or authority regarding PVAS's board or director. You should read the by-laws!! They are unbelievable and archaic!!
Why is the city not doing a bi-annual or annual review of all of its vendors and contracts? Businesses do it to ensure costs are in line and to ensure the current vendor is the best solution for the current operation. They claim $4000 a month is really cheap. How do they know? When was the last time they pursued other bids? Why can't they say what the average bids are? This is as transparent as a brick wall.
City has a annual report that lists all expenditures.
Post a Comment