Pratt County hires part-time EMS worker and transit assistant director during meeting; several executive sessions held

Pratt County commissioners approved a motion to hire a part-time EMS worker and later approved hiring an assistant director/transportation manager at $18.50 an hour, and they conducted multiple executive sessions to discuss personnel matters.

At the meeting a hiring motion was made and passed to employ Renia/ Reba Shepherd (transcript contains both spellings) as a part-time EMS advanced EMT at $15 per hour; the vote was recorded as passed. Later in the meeting, commissioners approved hiring Asia (recorded also as Aisha in the motion) Brown as assistant director/transportation manager at $18.50 an hour; that motion passed 3–0.

The commission also entered and exited multiple executive sessions for non-elected personnel during the meeting. Commissioners announced at least three executive sessions on personnel, some lasting five to 15 minutes; in each case they returned to open session and stated no action was taken immediately following some sessions, while hiring motions were recorded in open session for the positions noted above.

Why it matters: Personnel decisions affect county service delivery — particularly emergency medical services and transit operations — and the executive sessions indicate personnel matters were discussed in private consistent with statutory exceptions for personnel deliberations.

Commission action: Motions to hire the part-time EMS worker and to hire Asia/Aisha Brown as assistant director/transportation manager were approved by voice votes recorded as passed (tally 3–0 for Asia/Aisha Brown). Several executive sessions for non-elected personnel were authorized and later closed; meeting minutes recorded that at least some executive sessions concluded with no action taken.