By Susan McCord
The Augusta Chronicle
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta Mayor Pro Tem Grady Smith said he won’t block a Tuesday committee discussion about ending the city’s emergency services contract with Gold Cross, but urged restraint.
“I’ll listen to anything,” said Smith, a member of the commission’s Public Safety committee, “but I don’t want to mess with it until we examine it some more.”
Last week Commissioner Sammie Sias announced he wants to end Augusta’s EMS contract with Gold Cross, calling it a “business decision,” unrelated to care quality that will save the city from paying the ambulance company a $1.1 million annual subsidy.
The Martinez-based company last year became Augusta’s EMS provider through a state designation the city is appealing.
“We’re contracting out a service that we do not own,” Sias said. “If we owned the service, I would not have a complaint.”
Public Safety Chairman Bill Lockett said he supported ending the contract.
“When you’re paying somebody $100-something thousand a month, you’re paying the costs and you aren’t the boss. I have a problem with it,” Lockett said.
Gold Cross CEO Vince Brogdon said the company would continue to provide quality service, even without the subsidy, although it might have to cut back on training and keep ambulances in service longer before replacing them.
“This is all we do,” Brogdon said. “We’ve got some great employees, and we’ll continue to provide the service.”
Sias and Lockett said they wouldn’t allow the discussion to be kept behind closed doors at a noon executive session, although General Counsel Andrew MacKenzie said the city’s ongoing appeal made it a privileged information not subject to public discussion.
“The litigation is about the zone,” Lockett said, “not the contract itself.”
Smith said he wouldn’t vote against having the discussion Tuesday but wanted more information.
“I’m not going to make a rash decision to bust up a contract because somebody says we’re paying them too much,” Smith said.
©2015 The Augusta Chronicle