[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6263699,"mediaKeyId","3103060-564a85d9edec8fb80b88799c3d4c3f05","parentId",3103060,"title","Columbia County OKs one-year Gold Cross EMS contract with larger subsidy, additional ambulances and reporting requirements","audioSeconds",151,"startMs",624000,"endMs",775000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3103060-564a85d9edec8fb80b88799c3d4c3f05&start=624&end=775","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3103060-564a85d9edec8fb80b88799c3d4c3f05/thumbnail_624000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6263699/Columbia-County/Georgia/Columbia-County-OKs-one-year-Gold-Cross-EMS-contract-with-larger-subsidy-additional-ambulances-and-reporting-requirements","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263699-a315302e82038d5598058bba90b02bd6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159925&Signature=EkaVZM450B7V482WXWNkAc0~enA0eHjvqkk8WI22hGa3u~Albd0TtKJ69MGH5D69fL2YAoyfbR6epNEC2X5tYM5uVD27Wuw79RyNDitu1WdYb8MkdfsuvCfwkw7q7yzNxqTpd4qnrOdDIMjkEEQ6OFYpoiBVriwY~URc3c8ae8og-DcQO7LSK-N0JB0Acyk6GWLpQiEzACcxEdYJEPLtjOgZMrS9YnpedjPOTUXKaoGLmtdpiRTiduVc39nOd2TjRi9scz6ItWNyW6idgzT7farUQuZN6izBZBkdZCj6VqmJccJAyCdPsJF7ZZncmCbdG2cAXRbDYs6adEBt2kHNrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-24T00:24:04.383Z","article","The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved a one-year contract with Gold Cross for ambulance services that raises the county subsidy to $1,543,750 annually, increases ambulance coverage and sets monitoring requirements for staffing and reporting.

County staff presented the agreement as a replacement for the existing contract. Staff said the new subsidy increases from $850,000 to $1,543,750 per year and that the contract will be effective June 1. The contract adds an additional 24-hour Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance, which staff said will bring the county total to eight ALS ambulances, and adds a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance for 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Staff also said the county will reduce Quick Response Vehicles (QRVs) from three to one and will adjust billing limits for insured patients.

Staff and the contract text cited staffing and operational performance requirements as the key performance indicators (KPIs). The county’s stated KPI is to maintain the specified number of ambulances and staffing on duty 24/7; staff said they have removed fixed response-time requirements from the contract but continue to monitor traditional urban and rural response-time targets via the county’s EMS dashboard. Staff reported that Gold Cross has met the county’s monitored turnaround metrics more than 90% of the time and that the county requires reporting when response times exceed 30 minutes.

Commissioners asked about how KPIs and staffing would be measured and whether Gold Cross could sustain the specified staffing levels. The county presenter said the staffing question is better answered by Gold Cross. An unidentified Gold Cross representative told commissioners that the company had discussed staffing challenges but remained confident it could meet the contract’s requirements.

The contract was moved and seconded and approved in the meeting transcript; the public record provided did not include a roll-call tally in the excerpt. Staff said the first month’s subsidy will be covered by current fiscal-year EMS budget savings and that the FY26 budget includes the ongoing subsidy amount.

The county staff indicated quarterly checks of turnaround metrics and continued dashboard monitoring. The contract duration discussed in the meeting was one year; staff recommended approval.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025.04.22 Columbia County Board of Commissioners Community & Emergency Services Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The Board approved a one-year agreement with Gold Cross to increase the county subsidy to $1,543,750 annually, add a 24-hour ALS ambulance and a part-time BLS unit, reduce QRVs, and maintain staffing and reporting expectations tracked by the county’s EMS dashboard.","taxTitle","Columbia County, Georgia","taxId",12804,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6263702,"Columbia County commissioners approve consent agenda renewing multiple contracts and leases",336,282000,618000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3103060-564a85d9edec8fb80b88799c3d4c3f05&start=282&end=618","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3103060-564a85d9edec8fb80b88799c3d4c3f05/thumbnail_282000.jpg","/articles/6263702/Columbia-County/Georgia/Columbia-County-commissioners-approve-consent-agenda-renewing-multiple-contracts-and-leases","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263702-f3e92163e9aeebc743be892355aa33ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159925&Signature=EJEX-R~jFWZvJBtOrzCJ71yTva99ahInpPKmOOkO9zJ7iwr1LpJP3v5FRIy-VLyyBHO0f8mSqD296BpnPORdlDJ~q9M8j8M9mEyFfEdnbo5SCr52yFN7FbjCkpib9bBHBMdPlfvjOIXo7xBLDWXFhf7FbuRkZiaE0DWmFKKOSyiO-Q6ShXLHN2cRuFA3pCN1cdnpKlV8IkzEJlWjloIMZ6qu9iu7d0E4x32KwsnEii~PX6vAYBuASGvW2BUuz8bfdwJQKoJJlOUmkNdpIMqcZYKWAGezyby6JCt138l5JrNr2mweTf3~dM~kgBu~T4VaouJA~DLEMxhOpsYXoFJfqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved a consent agenda on multiple routine contracts and renewals, including tax-collection agreements with local municipalities and the school system, the senior meals agreement, a Convention & Visitors Bureau renewal, a lease for Columbia County Cares, park repairs, and a University of Georgia extension-service reimbursement contract.

The consent items were presented by county staff and were moved, seconded and adopted as part of the consent agenda without separate roll-call votes recorded in the public transcript.

Staff said the county asked that the existing tax-collection contracts with the Board of Education, the City of Harlem and the City of Grovetown be extended for an additional 10 years under the same terms. The stated rates were 2% for the cities of Harlem and Grovetown and 2.25% for the Board of Education; staff said these rates are based on the county’s cost calculations. Staff noted Georgia law allows counties with populations of 50,000 or more to contract the services of their tax commissioner with municipalities and school boards.

County Community Services staff presented a one-year agreement with the sheriff’s office for purchase of meals for the senior center, covering both congregate and home-delivered meals. The price presented in the meeting was $3 per meal; staff said the senior services program serves more than 50,000 meals annually.

Other consent items approved included a contract renewal with the Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote county tourism (no contract changes stated); renewal number 4 of the Columbia County Cares lease for a building in Appling (meeting text referenced an annual lease amount of $2 as stated at the meeting); a University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Service personnel reimbursement agreement budgeted at $240,988 for FY26; and a replacement contract with Bliss Products and Services for park shade-structure repairs at Patriots Park in the amount of $141,566, described as a claims-funded insurance replacement after Hurricane Helen.

Staff recommended approval on each item; motions to approve the consent agenda items were made, seconded and recorded as carried in the meeting transcript. The meeting record did not include roll-call tallies or individual “yes/no” votes for the consent agenda items in the provided transcript.

The consent approvals will proceed to the other entities where required (for example, the municipalities and the Board of Education must accept the tax-collection contracts for the county’s offer to take effect).","The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved a consent agenda that extended tax collection agreements with local governments and the school board, renewed service contracts for senior meals and tourism promotion, continued a lease for Columbia County Cares, and approved park repair and University of Georgia extension-service funding.","actionData","errors"]

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Columbia County OKs one-year Gold Cross EMS contract with larger subsidy, additional ambulances and reporting requirements

Columbia County commissioners approve consent agenda renewing multiple contracts and leases