The Augusta Commission finally will discuss ending the contract negotiation saga with Gold Cross EMS at its regular meeting on June 21.
Up to this point, the two parties have operated on a memorandum of understanding, not a signed contract. Now, both sides say they want to put the matter behind them and work out a contract that is fair to both parties.
The Augusta Commission met on June 10 in what was intended to be final contract negotiations, but Steven Vincent, vice president of Gold Cross EMS says that the fact that a quorum of commissioners was present put his company in an impossible position.
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Vincent said he was forced to send an email to all ten commissioners advising them that the negotiations could not be held in public.
Policy discussions, such as contract negotiations, cannot be held in executive session and because the workshop included all of the commission, Gold Cross EMS would have to disclose sensitive company information in a public forum.
“That puts us at a terrible disadvantage. We can’t discuss proprietary information in front of television cameras,” Vincent said.
Vincent says the commission has already approved, by an 8 to 2 vote to accept the recommendations of the commission’s subcommittee in August of 2021.
The subcommittee recommendation came with seven main points: Gold Cross would guarantee a minimum number of ambulances on the streets at all times; set a minimum certification level for EMTs; allow for a contract administrator; allow the city to provide customer service personnel to handle complaints; add an ambulance tracking system; and provide computer “middleware” that allows city dispatch and Gold Cross EMS dispatch to communicate better and to conduct periodic reviews.
According to Vincent, he met with (then) City Administrator Odie Donald in October 2021 and was reassured by Donald that a contract would be forthcoming. However, Donald resigned at the end of the year, tossing the matter back up into the air.
Vincent says that his company has sent the Augusta Commission a draft contract based on the contract Gold Cross EMS has in place with Columbia County and that has worked for both parties. That contract assures the public an ambulance will always be available when they need one.
“Did we have problems and complaints in Columbia County? Yes, we did. So, we worked out a 10-year contract with Columbia County that included upfront-funding to purchase equipment and an increase in our subsidy, and we have had no more complaints,” Vincent said.
The subsidy has long been a bone of contention with some commissioners, specifically District 4 Commissioner Sammie Sias who lobbied the entire subsidy be taken away from Gold Cross EMS and be used to purchase city owned and operated ambulances, an idea that has been tried, and failed, in the past.
However, Sias was indicted on federal charges and lost his seat at the negotiating table after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp suspended him from the Augusta Commission.
MORE: Augusta Commission asks committee to look at Gold Cross contract
According to Vincent, any discussion of lowering the subsidy is a non-starter. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the “no pay” rate in Richmond County has doubled to 42%. Also, a full 30% of patients are covered by Medicare, which only pays roughly $200 to $300 of the full transportation bill.
“Roughly 30% of our patients in Richmond County are covered by insurance. Meanwhile, we use 25,000 gallons of fuel each month, and gas prices have doubled,” Vincent said.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke says he has long supported simply having Gold Cross EMS personnel sit down with the city administrator and city attorney to hammer out a final deal and present it to the commission, but has been thwarted each time by some of his colleagues who want to take part in the discussions.
“Too many cooks in the kitchen will ruin the broth every time. We need to get the relevant parties together to agree on a contract we can put in place that will guarantee coverage for the citizens of Augusta,” Clarke said.
Vincent says that is all his company has asked for from the very beginning.
“What would it hurt to have us meet with the administrator and attorney and work out an agreement and then present it to the commission? They can still debate it, make changes and vote on it,” Vincent said.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
