AMS representative asks Haralson County to fund staffing for fourth 24‑hour ambulance and to raise contract rates

Bill Hetal, who introduced himself as "Bill Hetal with AMS," told the Haralson County Board of Commissioners at a work session that his EMS contract has not seen a rate increase in 23½ years and that he needs both a higher per‑call rate and county help to staff a fourth 24‑hour ambulance.

Hetal said the service is losing local availability because roughly "97.4% of Ambicare's transports are out of this county," which he attributed to patient choice and destination patterns. He also described lengthy emergency‑department "wall time," saying crews have been held an average of "48 minutes," a delay that removes ambulances from local coverage.

Hetal asked the county to "meet us halfway," proposing a modest rate increase and a county contribution toward staffing so his company can operate a fourth around‑the‑clock unit. He described recruitment and training timelines for paramedics and EMTs and cited current pay pressures from neighboring metro systems as a retention challenge. Hetal said his collection rate is low ("collection is 32%") and that the county has historically covered indigent care; he told commissioners that about $655,000 of indigent‑care support has been exhausted by April in recent years.

Board members pressed for specifics. Commissioners and staff reviewed prior grant funding that supplied one ambulance and specialized equipment (referred to in discussion as ARP/ARC grant purchases), and they asked whether the delivered vehicle had been intended as a replacement or an addition under the previous lease. Several commissioners requested written documentation of the lease terms, any buy‑sell agreement tied to a change in ownership, and written authorization showing who may negotiate or assign contract interests.

No formal vote was taken. Commissioners agreed to obtain the requested documents, directed staff to prepare numbers for comparison, and asked staff to put the matter on a future meeting agenda for formal consideration before the contract renewal timeline discussed in the session (participants cited "June 3" as the relevant deadline in the discussion).

The session included figures and estimates that varied in discussion: speakers cited new‑vehicle prices near $170,000–$180,000, up‑fit estimates that approached $340,000, a suggested increase range between 10% and 20%, and an illustrative county staffing contribution cited by one participant as roughly $210,000 (described in the meeting as "32% of $6.55 comes up to $210,000"). Commissioners told Hetal they would review options including pursuing intercounty agreements with neighboring Carroll County and check prior grant records.

The board did not adopt any motion or change the contract during the work session; members asked staff to gather the requested documentation and schedule the item for formal action at a later meeting.