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Created: 28 March 2021

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Council approves  Sundve as  ambulance department director

By ELI LUTGENS
Editor

The New Richland City Council approved Sarah Sundve, after very little discussion, as part-time Ambulance Director and Josh Knutson as a new full-time police officer at its regular meeting March 22. 

Mayor Gail Schmidt posed the question, “Who do you want as this part time [ambulance] director?”

“I would have to say Sarah,” answered Councilperson Jody Wynnemer. “I think it would have to be. I kind of hoped it was obvious. Wasn’t it?”

Ambulance Department

New expectations and policies, including a new job description for the Ambulance Department Director position were approved. The director is expected to work 15 hours per week at a salaried pay of $1,000 per month. Despite the recommendation by Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board to make the Ambulance Director a full-time position, council declined to do so on the basis of cost. 

Mayor Schmidt said a full-time ambulance director could cost the city $50,000 a year. The city has $13,000 budgeted for the position. “Right now, [the plan is] to finish out the year and then review it again.” 

A lengthy discussion took place regarding the hours an ambulance director should be required to work. Director Sundve said that a contract is in the works with North Ambulance in Waseca to help cover New Richland ambulance services until “we get our staff established.” It appears the availability of the new director played a role in the decision to keep the position part-time. 

“We have to keep in mind she has a full time job,” said Mayor Schmidt. “I don’t want to see her burn out, or hit a wall.”

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Created: 28 March 2021

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New Richland City Council

By ELI LUTGENS
Editor

The New Richland City Council met for its regular meeting March 8, prior to moving to a closed meeting to discuss performance reviews of ambulance personnel.

Ambulance Report

Acting Director Sara Sundve was present to deliver the ambulance report and stated the department has responded to 31 calls this year. 

“We have not missed any calls since I’ve taken over as acting director,” said Director Sundve. “I just wanted to clarify that.”

A special request by Director Sundve was approved by council to not only forgive the remaining balance owed for training courses, but to pay an unnamed crew member $300. The cost of the EMT training course is $1600 and is paid by the city. The cost is then paid back by the crewmember through their first year of work. This particular crewmember, which council declined to name because of privacy concerns, had $300 of work left to do to pay off the remaining balance of their debt to the city. 

Director Sundve said she would like to see the crewmember paid half of the $600 reimbursement from the state for this past month of work.

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Created: 28 March 2021

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Candidate Press Release

At the conclusion of interviews with five candidates for the NRHEG Superintendent position on, Thursday, March 4, 2021, the NRHEG School Board will take action to name two finalists for the NRHEG Superintendent position.

Michael Meihak

Mark Raymond

The school board conducted a final interview with each candidate from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the secondary Media Center on Tuesday, March 9 and Wednesday, March 10. The interviews were open to the public.

Parents, staff, students, and community members were also invited to attend each day from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on March 9 and March 10 in the Secondary School Lower Cafeteria, where they could meet each finalist candidate and ask questions of the candidate.

The School Board discussed the finalist candidates at a Special Board meeting at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the Secondary School Media Center on Wednesday, March 10. Following the meeting, the Board may take action to enter into contract negotiations with one of the candidates to become the District’s next Superintendent beginning July 1, 2021.

Questions regarding the search process should be directed to:

Harold Remme, South Central Service Cooperative Search Consultant, at 507-276-3990 or mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Created: 14 March 2021

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New Richland City Council

By ELI LUTGENS
Editor

An apparent power struggle among city leaders and administrators seems to be leading to controversy and inefficiency in the New Richland ambulance service, which, over the past several months, has led to a failed state inspection, an audit, an internal investigation and the termination and demotion of the two most senior members of the ambulance department. 

The upheaval appears to be damaging the service’s ability to respond to emergency calls. Over the course of the past two months, five out of roughly 40 requests for assistance have reportedly not been responded to. When the New Richland ambulance fails to respond to a call, the Waseca ambulance department is forced to respond. 

“The community needs to have confidence that when they call 911 they’re going to get a response,” says Holly Jacobs of the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board (EMSRB). Jacobs appeared before the New Richland City Council at its Feb. 22 meeting to summarize the results of an extensive State Audit carried out in November.

Jacobs suggested that many changes are needed to help the department leadership going forward. “There is a tremendous amount of distrust between things that happen in this building [City Hall] and the crew members,” she said. “There is a lot of work to be done going forward.”

Despite repeated requests, the only response the City of New Richland has provided is that it is, “Working closely with EMSRB to improve the Ambulance Department.”