Progress on ambulance contract disappoints city leaders

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – There have been hopes for progress Tuesday on drawing up a brand new ambulance contract between town of Augusta and Gold Cross Emergency Medical Service, however these hopes fell flat.

Augusta Fee members final week requested town administrator to formalize a brand new contract and are available again this week with the contract for approval.

However fee members discovered Tuesday that the administrator had written up a contract and Gold Cross had written up a separate contract — however the two events had no dialogue collectively.

“Nicely, it’s only a canine, and a pony present is what it truly is,” mentioned Alvin Mason, commissioner for District 4.

Each had contracts have been prepared Tuesday, however some commissioners have been very sad with the contract drawn by the administrator.

John Clarke, commissioner for District 10 mentioned: “That was an issue in itself. How are you going to come to an settlement on a contract, once you by no means met the events concerned within the contract?”

Mason says he needed town admin to work with Gold Cross on a contract. As an alternative, the contract she created was the identical as one created by Sammie Sias in 2018.

“I feel is that she was most likely pressured. That’s usually the way it goes up right here in a single route or one other,” mentioned Mason.

They voted to carry a workshop to speak in regards to the contract particulars.

Some commissioners referred to as the event embarrassing and disappointing.

Catherine Smith McKnight, commissioner for District 3 mentioned: “I used to be embarrassed for our native authorities.”

Fee members desire a new ambulance contract with Gold Cross as a result of they suppose it might enhance service and mend the connection town’s had with the corporate for years.

So far as the subsidy quantity? That’s up within the air, too.

Clarke mentioned: “Not one of the numbers appear so as to add or match what we will do. It’s about serving each citizen within the metropolis, and that’s what appears to get misplaced.”

Among the many modifications they need:

• Eight ambulances for Augusta, and probably extra throughout peak instances, all with GPS trackers.
• Every day reporting of all calls and response instances over half-hour.
• Almost a $1 million enhance within the subsidy fee, which not everyone seems to be on board with.

Not each commissioner agrees on how issues went down. Commissioner Ben Hasan says he understood the plan to be totally different. he says town administrator was suppose to draft a contract with town’s calls for, get it permitted Tuesday by fee, then take that contract to Gold Cross and negotiate phrases.

Hasan says town administrator did do this, however the contract was not prepared till late Monday night so not everybody had an opportunity to overview it. He additionally contradicts Mason’s claims by saying the administrator’s contract was not the identical at Sias’ in 2018.

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