Washington Co. preps for new ambulance director, still facing former’s fallout

WASHINGTON — The Washington County Board of Supervisors say they have a person in mind, labeled “Candidate D,” to lead the local ambulance service in the near future. While officials celebrated the progress toward a long-term department head, drama from previous leadership continues to unfold.

The county’s emergency medical service agency was rocked by the departure of former Ambulance Director Jeremy Peck, who was suspended in October of 2022, then put on paid leave for 16 months before resigning, a move supervisors acknowledged without comment in March.

The county has yet to confirm the reason for Peck’s suspension or leave of absence. Several anonymous ambulance employees told The Southeast Iowa Union earlier this year that Peck had instructed staff to alter official documents, leading to state and federal investigations of the department’s record-keeping practices. Additionally, some EMS staff have publicly claimed that Peck created a “highly toxic” environment where they feared workplace retaliation.

Some claim county hasn’t held up its end of agreement

At Tuesday morning’s meeting, however, some community members claimed Peck was supposed to be cleared of any wrongdoing in public statements, referencing a legal settlement he reached with the county before resigning.

“You, the Washington County supervisors, have not fulfilled your obligation,” said Dana Peck, who is Jeremy Peck’s mother. “You have wasted a significant amount of taxpayer money to try to expose him for wrongdoing, and found nothing.”

Board of Supervisors Chair Richard Young declined to comment on Dana Peck’s claims of county wrongdoing.

The Union acquired a copy of the settlement agreement and a letter of commendation addressed to Peck through a public record request.

In an email, County Attorney Nathan Repp said the wording of the letter was “agreed upon during settlement,” adding that “all terms of the agreement were completed” in March. The Union could not independently verify whether the letter was sent. The document provided was labeled with the words “draft only,” and a signature line reserved for Young was left blank.

“You were instrumental in developing the service to carry on the excellent standards the Washington County Ambulance, Inc. had built and maintained for the previous 30 years,” the commendation letter said. “The Washington County Board of Supervisors acknowledge and appreciate the time and dedication you provided to Washington County and the Ambulance Service during this period of development.”

Public records reveal six-digit payout, sense of frustration

As for the settlement agreement itself: the terms included a $105,584 payout to Jeremy Peck. That was the sum from $10,584 worth of paid vacation time accrued during his leave, $31,667 in reimbursements for legal fees and $63,333 for compensatory damages.

The terms also said supervisors would rescind Peck’s suspension and “issue a commendation” — though the document does not mention publicizing it — and said the county would supply job references upon request.

That money is in addition to around $135,000 of wages paid to the ambulance director during his 16-month leave.

In exchange, the former ambulance director agreed to resign on Feb. 29, 2024, and to drop any plans for litigation against the county related to his employment or suspension.

The agreement did not list any specific allegations made by Peck, but made clear that it applied to claims “arising under” the federal Family Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Civil Rights Act and Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, among other laws. State-level statutes invoked included sections of Iowa code governing whistleblower protections, employee wages, and workers’ rights to vote on election days.

The same public record request also yielded a copy of Peck’s resignation letter. Such documents are typically information-light record-keeping formalities, but Peck’s noted a sense of frustration with his departure.

“I gave everything I had to this job that I hoped would be the last stop in my career,” he wrote. “It turns out that I have another stop or two along the way but I leave holding my head high and knowing that I always gave my very best to the job and the people I worked with and for.”

Little known about potential new director

A committee has spent the last several weeks seeking and interviewing applicants to the open ambulance director position, which Katrina Altenhofen has filled as an interim since December of 2022.

Tuesday’s motion — made after a roughly 45-minute closed session to discuss the applicant in private — authorized Altenhofen, Human Resources Coordinator Amber Armbruster and Supervisor Marcus Fedler to negotiate employment terms with Candidate D, and to conduct a “complete background investigation.”

“This is a great thing for our county, it’s a great thing for our EMS system and for the employees,” Altenhofen said. “Those folks at the ambulance with us have worked continuously, tirelessly, and kept the county safe in any type of emergency that people need.”

County officials familiar with Candidate D’s resume declined to comment on their background or experience.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com