The Ames City Council was recently informed that food service inspections in Ames will no longer be under city control, but rather will be conducted by the state.

On Feb. 22, Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) Director Rodney Roberts appeared before the council to announce that the state contract that allows local inspections will be terminated on June 30.

That date is in conjunction with the announced retirement of the current city sanitarian, Kevin Anderson. Beginning July 1, the state intends to take over all food inspections in Ames.

Ames has been contracted to conduct its own food service inspections for 31 years. Under Anderson, the city currently inspects food service establishments every six months.

However, the DIA informed the council that under state control, inspections could be changed to once every two years based on a risk-based system.

The city recently conducted an online survey for local food service license holders and hosted a forum to gather input on the subject.

Results from the survey and forum were presented to the council Tuesday night.

Of the nine people who attended the forum, seven attendees voted that they wanted to keep food service inspections under city control. The other two had no preference.

In the survey, roughly 73 percent (69 out of 95) of participants also answered that they would like the city to retain its local inspection program.

In addition, 80 respondents said the current program of inspections every six months is sufficient. Only 13 people said an inspection once every two years — as proposed by the state — is sufficient.

Survey results also showed that most participants want food vendor inspections for special events. Under state control, an inspector would need to be present only if there are at least four vendors at the event.

Concerns raised by participants included the need for a local inspector who could respond quickly to local floods and fires, the difficulty to establish good working relationships with state inspectors and a desire for a more frequent inspection cycle.

Mayor Ann Campbell said she has contacted representatives at Iowa’s legislature and executive levels asking for assistance in the issue.

Tom Wacha, city councilman, asked if — based on what the council thinks — there is a real chance the city would be able to retain control.

“For me, I deal with the current reality,” Wacha said.

Matthew Goodman, city councilman, said, “I don’t get the sense that it’s a long shot.”

Goodman said this type of issue could receive a lot of support.

“I think it would be a serious mistake not to pursue it,” said Riad Mahayni, city councilman. “We are dealing with a very serious issue, which is a health issue.”

The council decided to continue seeking assistance in the matter.