Column: Ambulance service contract still unsettled

So far Parks and Recs incompetent director has cost taxpayers (on top of salary and benefits) an additional 7 million for an outside consulting firm and now 98,200.00 for yet another strategic study. As you point out this is on the heels of a study in
2016, at a cost of $225,230 for a recreation master plan. That study called for a $75 million in capital spending for additional parks and walking trails in Augusta, none of which has come to fruition. If taxpayers had the money wasted on studies that are never ever acted upon, perhaps some infrastructure issues could have been repaired
(grass cut, lights operational, litter picked-up) . When is anyone within city government going to be held accountable for their failures?
As to the ambulance service, by the time the taxpayers pay for new software, additional employees etc., they are probably going to be fleeced for minimum 3 million +.
A forensic audit is needed and should be demanded by the taxpayers.
As for the civic center, until the city gets a handle on spending and basic services, it needs to be shelved. Currently Riverwalk, Olmstead Stadium and The Boathouse have been allowed to deteriorate, yet taxpayers are going to be asked to foot an additional sales tax to fund another project?

The city has much, much bigger problems, than needing a new 200-300 million dollar civic center. I recently attended an event at the Bell, and what a cluster $&#@!! You couldn’t hardly get in the front door due to all the people waiting in concession and merchandise lines. Once thru that fiasco, the seats were practically unmarked, and even the event workers had no idea where the seats were. The event company is about as disfunctional as the rest of the city government.

On another note, STOP paying for all these “consults” whose recommendations are never followed, but just taken as information. Hire “QUALIFIED” directors who are capable of managing their department, and hold them “RESPONSIBLE”. It’s not rocket science people, it’s common sense.

Sylvia, you’re a jewel. Please keep any thoughts of retirement out of your head, the world needs you.

I agree with Mr. Turnage completely. When you hire qualified Department Directors give them the authority to manage their Departments and keep the Commissioners from micro-managing and making ‘phone calls’ to Department Directors to “help out” friends with problems.

Great read! Funny story at the end. As for the Curculum (I can’t even spell it correctly!) class you took, it reminds me of our Vice President who should have learned some lessons from college about public speaking, but obviously didn’t. You don’t just say the same words over and over again to fill up the time. I’m still hoping to win that free subscription to TAP with my bid! So, as soon as you know what EMS is axing, let us know! I also was wondering about that half-penny. Maybe take the other half and put it toward something else. Like another Consultation?

Commissioner Guilfoyle is exactly right. When they are billing the county on a cost plus basis, wages are part of the operating costs, and the higher the wages, the more we pay. Furthermore, if the end result is to net them a 10% profit, the higher they make the operating costs, the more they make. 10% of 10 million is a higher net than 10% of 5 million.

Sylvia, you wrote a clear explanation of major things presented at the commission meeting which are often unclear when presented during the live commission meetings. We have a lot going on and much confusion and throwing around and spending (as usual) of our tax payer’s money. Where are the reasonable people with common sense? I can’t believe how the come up with so much spending. Where do these people come from? They must think we have a printing press for money. Don’t retire!

These giant buildings, and the county government in general, will continue to be full of workers who “know someone” who can protect their job no matter what they do, if they show up or not, etc. We need this new civic center like we need another nose on our face. It is just a boondoggle. The commission is broken, other than a few commissioners and our great new mayor. Our confidence in them is at an all time low. All they seem to care about is having power over something or somebody. To their credit, they are quite congenial in their behavior. Then the back room deals get cranked up. I have seen it for my entire life here. Nothing seems to get better. We Richmond County taxpayers deserve much better from our elected officials.

Common practice in federally procured contracts that provide routine services. You think these employees are government workers because they remain in position but are actually employees of the “service provider” not on the government payroll (though paid through taxpayer dollars). The newly awarded contractor keeps the employees in place and are paid through the contract.

HANG TOUGH Silvia!! This community NEEDS YOU as our only source for TRUTH!! The council “fog machine” has no validity anymore, very similar to their big brothers in Washington, DC!!!!
WHERE ARE THE AUDITORS????? Is there any doubt as to why our community government denies any need for an audit???

Color me shocked 😱

It’s all going down exactly as was to be expected.

Hopefully at the end of this Gold Cross will have their name cleared and it will be clearly shown that they didn’t end up in the position they did through any fault of their own.

On a different note: how does one get a spot on the teet of Augusta? Seems like they just love handing out cash. Do you have to get friendly with one of the folks on the Commission? Buy and pay for them? I rub yours then you rub mine.

Silvia, you bring up a very important but not discussed matter = beyond the EMS contract what other (hidden) personnel etc expenses will city need to occur as a result of a new EMS providor.

We took our grandson to the History Park in North Augusta yesterday. Had a wonderful time and learned a lot. Thanks to the volunteers, exhibitors, and the USMC Auxiliary for their time and effort. As we were driving home, the sudden urge to sell our house in Richmond County and move to North Augusta stuck me. More common sense, integrity, and transparency in their government.

Cats kill millions of birds per year per the Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy. Cat lovers will challenge this number, but when more cats showed up on our subdivision, the birds left our front yard and only nest in the back yard where our dog patrols. Turning a cat out to roam free is illegal – ARTICLE 2. – ANIMALS Sec. 4.1 https://library.municode.com/ga/augusta-richmond_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT4PUHE_CH1ANFO_ART2AN

Slight correction on the article above dealing with the 911 Director Mr. Dunlap. He doesn’t deserve a raise no matter how many 911 employees are hired in the 911 center dealing with EMS calls. Former Chief James got a $25,000.00 raise not because he was over 3 ambulances. Chief James got that $25,000.00 raise because he was over 2 departments at the same time. Chief James was over the Fire Dept. And the EMA Dept. (Emergency Management). And when it came to the vote it actually failed the first time brought up in Commission chambers . The politicians that was pushing for Chief James to get the $25,000.00 raise ended up cutting a backroom deal with others to gain support for this raise . Part of this deal was to keep the old jail from being tore down for an additional year for a movie company to use for a few weeks to use for jail scenes in a movie. And to gain support to turn over the lake Olmstead Stadium to 4CLive. And the ironic thing during this time the responsibility for running the EMS office , The previous Fire Chief received $12,000.00 built into the Fire Chief salary which Chief James already assumed with his salary .

Sylvia,
You do not need to go anywhere.
You are valuable and needed.
Every week I keep praying there will be an active audit function of this Augusta accounting mess.
Catherine McKnight is valiantly beating the drum.
If the seas part and an ongoing audit function takes place, brace yourself.
Keep writing because it seems you are Augusta government’s only transparency.

So far Parks and Recs incompetent director has cost taxpayers (on top of salary and benefits) an additional 7 million for an outside consulting firm and now 98,200.00 for yet another strategic study. As you point out this is on the heels of a study in
2016, at a cost of $225,230 for a recreation master plan. That study called for a $75 million in capital spending for additional parks and walking trails in Augusta, none of which has come to fruition. If taxpayers had the money wasted on studies that are never ever acted upon, perhaps some infrastructure issues could have been repaired
(grass cut, lights operational, litter picked-up) . When is anyone within city government going to be held accountable for their failures?
As to the ambulance service, by the time the taxpayers pay for new software, additional employees etc., they are probably going to be fleeced for minimum 3 million +.
A forensic audit is needed and should be demanded by the taxpayers.
As for the civic center, until the city gets a handle on spending and basic services, it needs to be shelved. Currently Riverwalk, Olmstead Stadium and The Boathouse have been allowed to deteriorate, yet taxpayers are going to be asked to foot an additional sales tax to fund another project?

I can hardly believe that the state voted to tax us more for something surely to cost more that it’s construction budget and then fail. I hope good sense prevails and the tax is voted down. I’d vote for a five percent sales tax increase if the funds were used for investigating the effectiveness and compliance of city departments.

Sylvia, maybe YOU can find out my question about a forensic audit. What will happen when one is done? So there are ( I’m sure there will be found that crimes have been committed) crimes found to have been committed. Is the High Sheriff Tree supposed to investigate it? Or is it the responsibility of the “let them go free I can’t do anything because I once worked for a law group” DA supposed to investigate it? There seems to enough prima facie evidence for some legal action now.