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Council tables ratification of $55,000 AirMedCare municipal membership after questions about county coverage
Summary
City staff asked council to ratify an unbudgeted AirMedCare contract not to exceed $55,000; public commenters and council members said Reeves County/ESD coverage may already protect employees and residents, prompting a motion to table for a side-by-side comparison.
The Pecos City Council on Nov. 13 postponed a final decision to ratify a city purchase of full AirMedCare flight memberships after residents and council members said existing county and emergency services district (ESD) coverage may already protect staff and many residents.
Mike Ottomaw, speaking for the ESD and as a Pecos resident, told the council the district has already purchased AirMedCare memberships that cover Reeves County residents and workers and said the district pays about $89,000 a year for those memberships. “With our agreement with AirMedCare, citizens can upgrade their local membership... for only $55 per household,” Ottomaw said, urging council to “dig into where that $55,000 comes from.”
Xavier (Jerry) Rivera, an AirMedCare representative, told council the company services more than 14 counties and that the business plan includes a municipal-employee discount. “We service the community 100% with automatic flights,” Rivera said, describing coverage areas and membership mechanics.
Sarah Nichols, director of human resources, told council the earlier contract approval needs ratification to align with the city budget; she confirmed the item was not budgeted and asked council to ratify the purchase not to exceed $55,000. Multiple council members requested a side-by-side comparison of the city proposal and the existing ESD/county coverage before approving the ratification.
Councilman Grama moved and Councilman Arona seconded a motion to table the ratification to the next meeting so staff can provide an itemized comparison. The motion carried.
