Leamington council backs county-led EMS RFP, requests municipal role in selection

Leamington Mayor Michael Lovell and the Town Council agreed July 8 to proceed with a county-led procurement for emergency medical services after a Millard County officer described new state requirements that push municipalities to provide or contract EMS services. Officer Patrick Bennett briefed the council on the county’s proposal to run a single Request for Proposals on behalf of participating towns and outlined a draft deferral letter for municipalities to sign.

Council members emphasized that municipal representation should be written into the RFP process. The council voted to proceed with using the county as the RFP and contracting agency but conditioned approval on revising the deferral letter to explicitly reflect municipal involvement; Officer Bennett will provide an editable copy of the letter for the mayor and clerk. The item included discussion of practical coordination needs, such as who would review proposals and how local response-time priorities — especially for elderly residents — would be protected. Councilor Russ Finlinson commented on the importance of timely EMS response for elderly local residents.

The council did not adopt an interlocal agreement at the meeting; members directed staff to review the revised letter when provided and return with any recommended edits. The discussion noted only that the change responds to state legislation requiring municipalities to provide or contract for EMS services; the council did not cite a specific statute at the meeting.