YOUNGSTOWN — City council for the sixth time failed to approve legislation to seek proposals for a feasibility study on a city-run ambulance service.

The proposal to spend up to $65,000 for the study, which also would include a review of city fire station locations and where to put a possible safety-service campus, was rejected Wednesday.

Two councilmen — Jimmy Hughes, D-3rd Ward, and Pat Kelly, D-5th Ward — voted against an amendment to seek competitive bids for the project rather than have Public Consulting Group LLC of Boston do the study.

The amendment needed the support of at least six of council’s seven members.

Instead, the proposal — with language to have the board of control hire Public Consulting — was given a second reading Wednesday.

Kelly consistently has opposed paying for such a study because the city firefighters’ international union has offered to do the work for no cost.

“The international is giving us a free study,” Kelly said Wednesday. “We could use the money toward equipment.”

Law Director Jeff Limbian and fire Chief Barry Finley have said in the past the union’s proposal wouldn’t be objective.

Hughes said a study is too late, as the city locked itself into a three-year agreement Dec. 16 to pay $3.968 million over that time to Emergency Medical Transport for ambulance service using American Rescue Fund money with a two-year renewal option.

Hughes opposed the EMT contract.

“We had an alternative,” he said Wednesday. “We already gave (EMT money) and now we want to do a study.”

City council first discussed a study in February and has referred the issue to its safety committee three times and voted down two $50,000 proposals: to pay that amount to Public Consulting on June 5 and to seek a firm for the work at Wednesday’s meeting.

The other proposal Wednesday initially asked council to authorize the board of control to spend up to $65,000 to hire Public Consulting for the ambulance study as well as where fire stations should be located if the city downsizes, as well as building a safety-service building. But those on council who want the study done want the board of control to seek competitive proposals so the amendment was proposed.

During its finance committee meeting Wednesday before the full council meeting, the legislators did not discuss amending the legislation to a consultant selected by the board of control after proposals were submitted.

It wasn’t until after a reporter from The Vindicator pointed out to council members before the full meeting that they failed to make the change that the amendment was offered.

But with the support of only five members, council didn’t have enough support to pass the amendment Wednesday and will reconsider it again at its next meeting, Nov. 1.

With Kelly and Hughes not interested in the proposal, council will be left to either accept or defeat the existing legislation with Public Consulting in the contract. If it’s defeated, a new proposal would have to be introduced pushing the study’s approval likely into December or January.

Limbian said the requests for proposals have a Nov. 15 submission deadline, regardless of council’s decision. He said Sept. 28 that “council action is not needed for an RFP. The administration acceded to the safety committee request for an RFP.”

The administration proposed council approve at its July 31 meeting an ordinance to have the board of control enter into a $65,000 contract with Public Consulting to do that work.

Limbian said at that meeting that he believed including Public Consulting was what the safety committee wanted. “If I misperceived that, we can certainly put it out for competitive bidding,” he said.

Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward and chairwoman of the safety committee, said at that meeting she wanted competitive proposals.

Finley said at a June 22 safety committee meeting that it is not financially feasible for the city to operate its own ambulance service, but he would abide by the study’s results.

Council on June 5 rejected paying $50,000 to Public Consulting for the ambulance study after postponing a vote on the proposal first introduced in February.

Some council members were critical of the plan, the failure to get competitive proposals and that Finley found Public Consulting after doing a Google search.