Newell mayor announces ambulance director's resignation after audit of missing reports; council OKs garage repairs

Mayor Justin Lyman announced during the March 2 Newell City Council meeting that Ambulance Director Degner has resigned effective immediately after the city found widespread missing ambulance reports from the prior year. "Only about 32% of last year’s ambulance calls had reports completed," Lyman said, adding that completed reports are tied to revenue and that incomplete reports represented an estimated minimum of $66,000 in missed revenue.

Lyman said reports must be filed within 24 hours and that the city is reviewing options for interim and long-term leadership of the ambulance service. He added that Degner indicated she may be willing to return after 60 days if the leadership change is reversed. Fire Chief Erie told the council he will support training for ambulance staff on the electronic reporting system. Erie said, "I will be committed to training on the electronic reporting system so reports are consistently completed." The council did not take a formal vote on staffing changes at the meeting.

Council members also agreed by consensus to allow the Fire Department to rent a scissor lift and to purchase materials needed to access roof rafters and repair a long-standing leak in the ambulance/fire garage after Erie described the issue. Mayor Lyman announced a HIPAA refresher meeting next Tuesday for volunteer firefighters and ambulance staff, and said a written HIPAA policy will be reviewed and signed by members to acknowledge zero-tolerance expectations for improper disclosure.

Next steps identified by the council include the mayor's review of interim-director options, coordination of training for electronic reporting, and follow-up on the garage repair procurement and scheduling. The council's next scheduled meetings are March 24, 2026 (Community Foundation meeting) and April 6, 2026 (public hearing on the proposed property tax levy).