Deadline passes for city to take over EMS zone in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re studying extra concerning the Metropolis of Augusta’s Procurement Division and its determination on the ambulance plan.

Commissioners Catherine Smith McKnight, Sean Frantom, and Brandon Garrett said the particular known as assembly to debate the EMS Zone began late and was canceled about 10 minutes on account of not having sufficient commissioners current.

You want no less than seven to have a quorum, and the mayor can rely as an individual if attendance is missing. With that, solely 5 commissioners and the mayor have been current for the Zoom assembly.

Everybody current within the assembly voted no to Thursday’s movement from procurement to go together with AmeriPro together with Commissioners Garrett, Frantom, Guilfoyle, Mason, McKnight, and the Mayor.

Everybody absent voted no to a one-year cope with Gold Cross EMS together with Commissioners Scott, Williams, Lewis, Johnson, and Pulliam.

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Based on authorities, Gold Cross EMS is certainly making use of for the EMS Zone for Richmond County.

An announcement from the workplace of Mayor Garnett Johnson, says, “Securing a contract with an EMS supplier is an ongoing problem that Mayor Johnson’s Administration inherited, and the administration hoped a choice can be made previous to the Mayor taking workplace. This morning, there was a particular known as assembly to debate the way to proceed with the ERZ utility. Sadly, the assembly didn’t occur as there weren’t sufficient commissioners current to represent a quorum.”

The assertion continues, “Regrettably, Augusta-Richmond County didn’t submit an utility. Making use of for the zone would have given the Metropolis of Augusta a chance to contract with a supplier of its selecting and to carry that supplier accountable. The Metropolis of Augusta’s emergency response zone supplier is now on the discretion of the Georgia Division of Public Well being.”

The mayor stays targeted on guaranteeing the contracted supplier is accountable and accountable to Augusta-Richmond County residents ought to they discover themselves in want of emergent care.

“Sadly we didn’t get that performed, due to this fact, our destiny lies within the fingers within the fingers of the Division of Public Well being. As soon as a zone supplier is chosen by DPH, this course of begins throughout. The fee then has to find out if there might be or not be a subsidy quantity, so we must then come to phrases with whoever that zone supplier is and contract to supply ambulance service to our consituants,” mentioned Johnson.

Thursday’s ultimate movement is 5 to 5, ending with a tie-breaker of a no vote for the AmeriPro contract.

Augusta hearth chief, Antonio Burden, voiced his assist for the Atlanta-based firm, AmeriPro, as the seller to go inside an e mail.

However others had issues, for instance, the corporate hasn’t even been in enterprise for 5 full years. And so they have been asking for extra money than Gold Cross did within the first place.

On the finish of the day, it got here right down to a cut up 5 to five vote, the place Mayor Johnson acted because the tiebreaker and voted down the cope with AmeriPro.

A one-year cope with Gold Cross then additionally failed. In order of now, it’s nonetheless on a month-to-month foundation.

We caught up with the mayor and requested why he voted no.

“I’ve all the time been a supporter of native enterprise, in that, the amount of cash that’s being submitted and provided by AmeriPro, far exceeds something that we’ve given our native vendor the chance to service our zone. For the previous a few years, Gold Cross has expressed to the group that the subsidy quantity will not be sufficient,” Johnson says.

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