South Beloit approves three-year EMS staffing partnership with Metro Paramedic Services

The South Beloit City Council on Jan. 20 approved a three-year public-private partnership with Metro Paramedic Services to provide emergency medical and firefighting staffing at the city's station. The resolution, modified on the floor to make final authorization "pending legal review," passed by voice vote.

Kenny, presenting the agreement to the council, said the contract will place nine full-time personnel in the station ' three staff per shift ' covering paramedic, EMT and firefighter roles, and will include an interim chief from Metro while the city continues its search for a permanent chief. "If and when we find a chief we can give them a 60-day notice and put our chief in," Kenny said, describing the agreement as a way to ensure immediate coverage while the city pursues a longer-term leadership hire.

Council members and staff framed the partnership as a response to recruitment challenges and limited qualified candidates in the city's recent hiring process. The council approved the motion after the mayor called for the vote; commissioners recorded their assent on the record.

Under the terms described during the meeting, the arrangement is intended to be time-limited and replaceable: the city may terminate or transition staffing if it hires its own chief, and the council asked that final contract language be cleared with the city attorney before full execution.

The council did not disclose detailed dollar amounts or staffing cost-per-position in the public discussion; the motion was recorded as a policy and contractual direction rather than a finalized expenditure schedule. The measure was recorded in the meeting minutes as Resolution 6670 and approved by voice vote. The resolution's adoption follows earlier remarks about hiring challenges and the cost of candidate vetting the city has experienced.