EMS District 2 elects Sue Marshall chair; board agrees to pursue expanding membership

Sue Marshall was elected chair of the EMS District 2 Board by acclamation during the board’s recent meeting in Clark County, members said, and the board opened a separate discussion about amending its bylaws to expand membership from three to five.

Board members said the change is intended to reduce quorum-related constraints that limit informal conversations among members between public meetings. An unnamed board member moved to nominate Sue Marshall "to continue as the commissioner for EMS 2," and another board member seconded the nomination; the motion passed by acclamation.

The proposal to expand the board grew out of discussion at the end of last year about difficulty conducting productive discussions outside public meetings when the board consists of three members. One board member said adding two seats would "create our ability to have conversations outside of the public meeting on items, especially with some of the transitions that we'll be going through here in 25, looking forward to 26." That board member added a preference for adding representatives from the existing member cities in a pattern intended to preserve continuity during transitions.

Deb Wexelblatt, attorney for EMS District 2 from the Clark County prosecuting attorney's office, told the board that the bylaws could be amended but that the board must follow the notice requirement for bylaws changes. "So, in terms of the bylaws, I believe we will I will need to circulate, revive or amended version of the bylaws 7 days prior to the next meeting. And then at that meeting, we could move forward with amending the bylaws, but not today. But I understand the board's request," Wexelblatt said.

Board members discussed whether the additional seat(s) should be filled by city representatives or by fire-district representatives (either a fire chief or a fire commissioner). One board member said a fire commissioner had been discussed previously and noted a legal opinion had favored adding a commissioner rather than a chief; Wexelblatt said she would review prior advice and confirm what would be permissible before circulating proposed amendment language.

Members emphasized that any potential conflicts of interest could be handled by standard recusal: "And then if the well, with any of us, if a conflict arises, that could also always be declared and, recuse oneself," a board member said.

Before the election, the board moved to approve the minutes from a prior meeting; the motion to approve carried after members voted "aye." The board did not take a formal vote on bylaws changes at this meeting and agreed to consider a circulated draft at the next meeting after the required notice period.

The board also briefly discussed meeting frequency, with members saying a regularly meeting cadence might be modified while a separate, more active work group meets to handle the day-to-day tasks related to the ambulance contract and consultant work. One board member suggested holding the February meeting and then deciding whether more meetings were needed based on updates from the work group.

Actions and next steps recorded during the meeting include circulating a proposed bylaws amendment at least seven days before the next board meeting, Wexelblatt’s review of prior legal guidance on a fire-district representative, and the scheduled February meeting where the board expects to revisit the bylaws amendment and any decision points arising from the work group.