GARFIELD — Three seats are open on the board of directors of VAS Ambulance Service Corporation (VAS). Elections will be held at the annual meeting at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 16, in the community room at Avoca next door to the Avoca Fire Department office.

During the meeting, nominations will be taken from the floor to fill the open three positions. All directors must be members of the corporation, residents of the State of Arkansas and reside in BentonCounty. Anyone with property in the Emergency Management District is a member of the corporation.

According to the newly-adopted bylaws, VAS membership includes: “the households and commercial establishments that are within the area designated at the Northeast Benton County Emergency Medical Service District (EMSD).”

VAS is funded by annual dues charged on the real property tax bill to the 4,000 households in the northeast Benton County area. The meetings are open to the public.

Anyone holding membership can cast a vote in this election, with one vote per household or establishment.

Directors of VAS do not receive a salary for their service, but are not restricted by the bylaws from serving VAS in another capacity for compensation.

The current board consists of nine members with staggering three-year terms and includesDorothy Williams, Tony Miltich, Jim Geddie, Sharon Barnett, Gary Echols, Cris Henry, Stephanie Barnett, A.J. See and Lee Ann Yates.

Seats occupied by Miltich, Echols and Geddie are up for election. Nine people were elected to the board of directors was elected at a meeting in December 2008. Of those nine, three have resigned and been replaced by appointment.

Miltich and Geddie were appointed by the board to replace Tom Scantlin and Ruth Obert, both of whom resigned early lastyear. Yates was appointed to replace Wes Baker who resigned later in the year.

VAS was chartered in 1981. The bylaws were amended in 1990.

In March 2009, the president and director of the previous Volunteer Ambulance Service (VAS) - Jeff and Missy Mason - both resigned. The new board soon hired employees, appointed new board members to fill the vacancies and changed the name of the organization.

In November, Richard Wynne was hired and appointed director.

Geddie, board member and president of the corporation, announced his intention to turn the reins of the dayto-day operations over to Wynne.

At the September meeting, Geddie said: “We’ve got to get volunteerism out of our minds.”

He presented a proposal for the organization to be an advanced life support ambulance service by next year.

The VAS board meets the second Tuesday of each month in the VAS offices in Garfield. The meetings are open to the public.

News, Pages 1 on 01/13/2010