The Newton Board of Aldermen have approved a new trailer to house the new home of the LifeCare EMS Newton office.
The old trailer that housed the ambulance service had numerous leaks and became unliveable in the last few months. The city is purchasing a new trailer similar to the one that houses Decatur’s ambulance office.
Newton city official Ron Davis said they have made preparations for the new trailer by preparing the old trailer for removal. The board of aldermen granted authority to deed the old trailer to the mobile home company and then sign paperwork to begin the process of bringing the new trailer to the site, which is located next to the Newton Fire Department.
In related business, the city formally asked Newton County 911 to submit a proposal to take on the police department’s dispatching. Currently, the city already dispatches the fire department, but any 911 calls must be transferred to the Newton city dispatch.
However, Newton Police Chief Harvey Curry maintains that most of their calls come directly by people walking in the door or people calling the police department directly and not 911.
During November, Mayor Murray Weems reported that 44 calls from Newton came into the 911 dispatch.
The board also changed the pay of dispatcher Danielle Shoemake to $7.50 per hour because she is not certified. A higher pay rate was initially passed because Curry thought she had valid certification.
The city is investigating whether it will have to mark one of the department’s unmarked vehicles. The state auditor said one vehicle with “shadow” markings needed to have normal markings because the city was listed to only have one unmarked vehicle. The shadow marks counted as a second marked vehicle.
However, Curry cited state code that said the department didn’t fall under such regulations. City attorney Brian Mayo said he would investigate the matter.
In the fire department, Dustin Evans who owns Smash Fitness was hired as a part-time firefighter at the pay rate of $10 per hour. Fire Chief J.C. “Jay” Collins said Evans put himself through the fire academy himself at no cost to the city. Collins said Evans had volunteered with the department before deciding to enroll in the state fire college, from which he just graduated.
