The city of Albert Lea’s plan to help bring back health care services lost with Mayo Clinic Health System’s transition of most inpatient care from Albert Lea to Austin is coming into focus.

Albert Lea City Manager Chad Adams said Monday during a study session the city plans to finalize reviews of proposals from consultants regarding the community’s plan to return health care services to the community in the next one to two weeks. Outreach would then be conducted to businesses and other groups to measure their support for moving forward in the process.

The names of the firms and details of the proposals have not been released.

“There’s a few consultants out there who can do this type of work and help the community determine what the next steps are, and what those actions might be, what those costs might be,” Adams said. “And putting together kind of a new model, ultimately, for the community moving forward.”

City action came after health care consultant Quorum Health Resources LLC in December found  the city could sustain a full-service, acute-care hospital if certain conditions were met. Adams said the city’s review period was the next step to that finding.

“The Save Our Hospital people and the city have had a goal, essentially, to bring back all the health care services that are being transitioned, so we’re looking at opportunities and options to do that,” Adams said.

“Now we’re taking that to the next level for review, to see who might be able to do that, specifically what type of services, what time frame and what would the cost ultimately be to do so.”

Adams said the role the public sector will play in the process has not been determined.

“It’s going to take a lot of work,” he said. “That’s kind of the next phase of our discussion and review.”

Adams said it will likely take time to regain health care services being transferred to Austin.

“It may provide an opportunity for Mayo to reconsider in some method or another down the road of being part of the solution, as well, too,” he said. “We’re just keeping all options open.”

The intensive care unit at the Albert Lea hospital moved to Austin last fall. Inpatient surgeries are expected to shift in Austin the middle part of this year, when the inpatient behavioral health unit will transition to Albert Lea. Medical and surgical hospitalizations will move to Austin in early 2019, with the shifting of childbirth services taking place in 2019-20.

In other action, the council:

• Appointed Kelly Dawn Martinez city attorney. She has served as interim city attorney since Lee Bjorndal left the position.

• Abated taxes at 2322 Eunice Drive, a property on Milrose Lane, 205 Elizabeth Ave. and 2191 Palmer Circle after the council adopted a tax abatement policy meant to provide incentives to encourage construction.

• Heard a first reading regarding proposed changes to city code pertaining to accessory buildings and structures. Maximum square footage of carports, garages and sheds per lot were added. Larger lots are now allowed more square footage.

“Provisions were added for temporary structures and language on cargo and shipping containers,” Adams said in a report. “This helps staff address issues with various types of temporary structures, including tents, cargo containers and non-code structures.

“Definitions were added for sheds, temporary accessory structures, carports, gazebos and pergolas. Definitions are invaluable to staff when dealing with location and construction concerns.”

• Accepted a feasibility report and called a 7 p.m. April 23 public hearing for the 2018 Bay Oaks Drive and Sundance Lane project, which involves the removal and replacement of bituminous surface and aggregate base on Bay Oaks Drive from Minnesota Highway 13 to the cul-de-sac and Sundance Lane from Highway 13 to Bay Oaks Drive.

“The pavement and curb and gutter on Sundance Lane and Bay Oaks Drive south of Sundance were constructed in 1982,” Adams said. “North of Sundance, Bay Oaks Drive was constructed in 1990. The pavement on both streets is in poor condition and warrants reconstruction.”

• Was presented with a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting. The city has received the award since 1983.

Look for more information from Monday’s meeting in Wednesday’s Tribune.