An effort to “set the record straight” at a Monday, Feb. 13 press conference included much talk about Augusta’s effort to secure an EMS provider.
Augusta commissioners Jordan Johnson, Stacy Pulliam and Bobby Williams, along with several area pastors, held the news conference Monday. Johnson, Pulliam and Williams, along with their colleagues Francine Scott and Tony Lewis, were those who missed the meeting Friday.
“A few of us wanted to get together and kind of set the record straight as to where we are and how we got to this point,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the last few months, several on the body “have been subjected to threats, subjected to bully tactics” over their unwillingness to agree to contract terms most recently presented by Commissioner Brandon Garrett on behalf of current provider Gold Cross.
“We will not stand by and allow ourselves to be bullied and told that we’ll be one-term commissioners; told that if we get in the way of this vote there will be political consequences,” he said.
Augusta is currently on a month-to-month contract with Gold Cross. Last week Mayor Garnett Johnson broke a 5-5 tie against hiring a different firm, Ameripro, selected by the city’s procurement office. The firm was supposed to be part of Augusta’s application to become zone provider, which was due Friday.
“Why didn’t Augusta apply for the zone? Because we didn’t have a permanent provider,” Jordan Johnson said. Plus, “some of us have other obligations.”
Asked after the news conference if staff not applying for the EMS zone was insubordination, Johnson referenced going to prison.
“Our staff was not being insubordinate. Our staff was being smart because jail is not a fun place, from what I hear,” he said
Johnson said at a recent neighborhood association meeting that he, the mayor, Pulliam, Williams, Lewis and Alvin Mason committed to approving the procurement selection.
Williams said Gold Cross’ arrival times were frequently too slow. The company has cited limited resources and emergency-room waits for those calls.
“It does not seem like it’s service we’re looking at for the people of Augusta. We’re looking at service to Gold Cross or something,” he said.
Williams said he did not think Augusta could use the month-to-month contract the city is in with Gold Cross to apply for the zone. Asked if the city is required to pay the zone provider a fee, he said no.
“We’re not obligated to give them one cent whatsoever,” he said.
An additional $2 million “inducement” for Gold Cross that appeared on a proposed EMS contract last month gave Pulliam pause after she looked up its definition.
“It does in fact mean bribery,” she said.
Pulliam said last month Augusta had a chance to negotiate after Gold Cross presented an alternative contract.
She obtained a copy of Gold Cross’ contract with Columbia County, Pulliam said. In it were a five-minute response time requirement, a performance bond and penalties.
“We did not have that. I wanted to know why. Could that be negotiated in that contract?” she said.
In addition, Pulliam said she’d like more information from the provider to go with its monetary demands.
“It wasn’t a dollar amount for me and it still isn’t. I understand that services cost money. Can you give us a line by line item request stating what we’re being charged for? We request that of pretty much every entity that comes before us,” she said.
Pulliam said she also did not think Augusta would bid for the zone without a procured provider in place.
“In order to go after said zone, we would have to contract with a provider; that was said several times,” she said.
She learned of the Friday called meeting, at which commissioners could have voted to apply for the zone, by the city’s public notice and already had scheduled continuing education training.
When she attempted to arrange leaving the training for a few minutes to attend the meeting, “I didn’t hear anything back.”
