Emergency repairs for one of the ambulance rigs was the top priority at the Winnebago City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

City administrator Judi Hynes presented the council with a memo requesting authorization for repairs needed on the Rig 420 ambulance.

“The Rig 420 ambulance recently had a mechanical failure while on call, and it was discovered after preliminary inspection that that the turbo likely needs to be replaced,” Hynes explained. “Doug Jenkins got a quote from a company in the Twin Cities that does ambulance repairs, which would be roughly $3,000. This is the ambulance that will be replaced by the new ambulance that we recently purchased, and we will be getting a trade-in value of around $25,000 for it.”

Hynes also mentioned that the date to receive the new ambulance had been pushed back to early June 2026, and the ambulance crew would like to repair the rig as soon as possible because it was needed.

“Before we go ahead and approve this repair cost, I want to know if we can get a second quote, or at least explore our other options,” council member Tony O’Donnell remarked. “A new turbo should only cost around $1,500 to $1,700, and the rest of that repair cost would likely be labor. Surely there’s a local auto repair shop that would be willing to look at the ambulance rig and fix it, rather than having to go all the way to the Twin Cities.”

Winnebago Fire Department officer Bret Osborn, who was present at the meeting, offered to call Doug and find out if they could get a second quote for the ambulance repairs.

“My two questions would be, will we be getting a loaner ambulance while ours is getting repaired, and is the model of turbo that we need readily available?” Osborn shared. “If the ambulance department needs this rig fixed immediately, I don’t think taking it to the Cities for repair is a good idea.”

After Osborn had exited the meeting space to go make the phone call, Hynes admitted that she did not know whether or not the repair shop in the Cities would offer a loaner. However, she did note that failing to repair the ambulance would deduct from the trade-in value.

“We would lose around $1,100 on the trade-in value if we decide not to repair the ambulance,” Hynes explained. “I’m not sure if we can get a second quote, but I can definitely try to see what our options are.”

Following his phone call, Osborn returned to the meeting room with an update on the ambulance repair from Jenkins.

“I got a hold of Doug, and he informed me that they took another look at the ambulance and figured out the problem,” Osborn reported. “One of the MAP sensors in the exhaust pipe went out – it was completely covered in soot. It was taken out and replaced, and now the ambulance rig is running again. Repairs should only cost around $400-$500.”

“So the ambulance is fixed now?” Hynes asked. “Then I guess we don’t need to approve this after all. That’s good to hear.”

Other business discussed at the City Council meeting included:

• A closed session was held to discuss grievances brought forward by the IBEW union. After the meeting was reopened to the public, it was reported that no action was taken during the closed session, and the council will be reaching out to the IBEW union representatives to continue the discussion.

• City engineer Matt Cole presented his findings from the preliminary research on the benefits of establishing an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) to more accurately assess stormwater drainage on commercial properties. Based on his findings, Cole proposed that the city should go ahead with an ERU study for the city’s properties. No formal action was taken at this time, but an agreement was made to proceed with the study.

• City attorney David Frundt presented the council with a draft warrant for abatement for the property at 141 Fifth Avenue Southwest. Following discussion, a motion was made and seconded to finalize the draft and proceed with the abatement. The motion passed unanimously.

• Resolution 898-2026 to defer a special assessment for parcel no. 31.448.0090 was unanimously approved.

• Hynes presented the council with a request from the Utility Committee to repair the F450 truck. Two quotes were received for the repairs, with the low bid coming from Scott’s Body Shop for $3,402.88. A motion was made and seconded to approve the quote from Scott’s Body Shop. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion to approve the purchase of two complete sets of cutting edge/blades from the road grader/snow plow from Caterpillar at the price of $2,688 was unanimously approved.

• Resolution 899-2026 to close Funds 305 (1st Avenue Southwest Reconstruction Debt Service Fund) and 307 (6th Street Southwest Reconstruction Debt Service Fund) and transfer the remaining funds into Fund 309 (1st Avenue Southeast Reconstruction Project) was unanimously approved.

• A donation request for the Blue Earth Area Post Prom Party in the amount of $500 was unanimously approved.