Richland County ambulance service faces leadership gaps, billing shortfalls and MOU rewrite

Richland County officials and local municipal representatives pressed for immediate action on ambulance staffing, finances and governance after several resignations and months without current financial reports.

At a meeting that included municipal representatives and EMS staff, public commenters said emergency-management contacts were not answering phones after a severe storm and that key leadership had resigned. “While I was sitting here and I couldn't hear anybody, I called Brian McGraw and just found out that he resigned,” a public commenter said, referring to a county emergency-management staff member. The same commenter urged that county emergency-management facilities be opened for residents during extreme heat and storms.

The meeting also addressed ongoing operational issues inside the ambulance service. “Derek Godwin is currently holding down the fort,” an attendee reported, and an unnamed member said the executive and finance committee had appointed an interim service director until the county can contract the role out. Questions about the transition and timing remained: when asked if the new director position would be contracted, the interim director-designate said, “I have made a couple of phone calls and I have things in the works. Okay. So and that's all I can tell you. That's all I can tell you right at this point in time.”

Officials and township representatives described long-standing billing problems and missing financial oversight. One participant said the service had not provided financial reports for four months and that the most recent month-to-date figures were incomplete; another said the last information available in the packet ran only through April. A local EMS responder said recent billing issues had been resolved with a new vendor “so we should be able to get all of that, all those journal entries done.”

Speakers described an unclear financial position for the service. One attendee said, “the last I heard we were $300,000 dipped,” and another cited historical contributions from municipalities of roughly $150,000, while noting amounts vary by population and call volume. A participant described a per-call funding metric: “$170 per call based on your last 3 years average,” and said Richland Township paid about $9,600 while the city paid “over 80 or 90,000.”

Maintenance and equipment also drew concern. Commenters said ambulances and facilities had maintenance problems and that at times garage doors would not open to allow ambulances to leave. Several speakers urged the committee to explore contracting with other ambulance services and to consider replacing aging vehicles.

Governance and the future of the Joint Ambulance Committee (JAC) were on the agenda. Attendees were told the county’s executive and finance committee has directed a rewrite of the memorandum of understanding that governs the JAC; an attorney will draft a new MOU and municipalities will be able to sign on or decline. One participant said the current MOU would be maintained through the end of 2025 and urged municipalities that rely on the service to discuss whether to continue as a group or pursue independent arrangements.

The group set a follow-up meeting date to update on finances and operations. The committee confirmed a July meeting date of July 28 to review financial reports, ambulance maintenance and other outstanding items; the meeting date was approved by voice vote during the session. The meeting ended after a motion to adjourn passed by voice vote.

The session mixed public comment, staff reports and multiple procedural items; several speakers emphasized the urgency of transparent financial reporting and clearer lines of authority while the county revises the governing MOU.