The state public health department has been forced to step in and assign the EMS zone to Augusta. Now, the Augusta Commission is going to have to negotiate a contract with Central EMS and, let’s make it clear, Central is in the catbird seat in these negotiations.
Central EMS can ask for any subsidy amount, and the city may have to pay the fee proposed to avoid a crisis where Augusta has no reliable ambulance service.
None of this had to happen.
Gold Cross EMS, under political pressure, gave up the zone to allow for the city to apply and take over the zone. However, the city never filed the proper paperwork.
It is our understanding that even if Augusta had submitted an incomplete application, it would have likely been approved. Georgia is a state that believes in “home rule” and likely would have approved giving the city the power to enter into a contract with the EMS provider of its choice, but the application was never filed.
Instead, the bloc on the commission that has waffled, wavered and waxed un-eloquently for two years about Gold Cross EMS, has also been maneuvering behind the scenes to direct city employees to either exceed their authority or not do their jobs at all.
While Procurement Department Director Geri Sams won’t comment publicly, we all know that someone on the commission directed her to bid out the ambulance contract when a month-to-month agreement with Gold Cross was in place.
It is also clear that either someone on the commission gave the interim City Administrator Takiyah Douse and City Attorney Wayne Brown conflicting information, causing them to not file the zone application on time, or the pair failed to do it out of sheer incompetence and should be fired.
Keep in mind that none of this would have occurred if the mayor were allowed to vote.
In fact, it is more critical now than ever before that the mayor be given a vote on city business as currently the obstructionists on the commission have the run of the show even though they are of the minority opinions on most matters.
Not only can Commissioner Bobby Williams and his cohort impede progress by abstaining, Commissioner Stacy Pulliam has wasted no time since she was sworn in proving that she believes she runs the government.
Pulliam went and pulled a 30 year old contract, parsed the language in the contract and recruited the city attorney to help her argue a case that the Augusta Rowing Club should be held responsible for nearly $3 million repairs on the Boathouse at the Marina.
Meanwhile, the award winning rowing club has no place to properly store their boats, but Pulliam could not care less, she is more interested in preaching diversity and inclusion and protecting sacred cows such as Recreation Department Director Maurice McDowell who has fallen down on the job more than once.
The time has come. There is a new mayor in town who is fiscally conservative and financially smart. It is time to give Garnett Johnson a vote and put an end to the crisis’ caused by people who think the public arena is their private playground.
