Collingswood commissioners authorize one-year ambulance contract amid conflict concerns

The Collingswood Board of Commissioners placed authorization of a one-year ambulance contract with a vendor identified in the RFP as “Virtual” on the agenda after staff said the borough received two proposals — one at $0 and another from Event Medical Staffing Solutions for $454,577. The board debated the proposal and heard a council member raise ethics concerns about involvement by the mayor’s husband.

The council member said the husband of "Daniela" met with the fire chief and others before the borough issued the RFP and that the borough attorney, Joe Nardi, advised that Daniela should have recused herself from the matter. "His conclusion is that you should recuse yourself. You should have recused yourself back in August," the council member said, calling the involvement "an ethics violation" and warning a contract award could be legally challenged.

The borough's director of public safety, identified at the meeting by role, told commissioners the recommendation was based on data provided by Chief Joyce and others and described the option as a one-year, $0 contract intended as a short-term test to "be good stewards of taxpayer dollars." "It also was 1 year for us to take a look at this with new eyes and to try something different that is supported by members of the fire department," the director said.

The chair explained the borough ran the RFP to compare options because without a formal procurement it was impossible to evaluate costs. "We went out for RFP. We had 2 submissions come back," the chair said, and added that ambulances and equipment would remain borough-owned and operational during a one-year pilot so the borough could assess response times and resident impact.

A council member pressed for more transparency, noting the actual contract document and its terms were not included in the meeting packet and asking whether the RFP response included any extension options. "There's no contract in this packet," the council member said, requesting the terms and any option-to-extend be shared publicly before finalizing the deal.

During the consent/agenda roll-call the director read multiple items including an item "authorizing the contract with Virtual for ambulance services," and several members responded "yes" as the item was called. The transcript shows the board moved forward with the authorization line, though a full contract text and formal roll-call tally with names were not recorded in the publicly available packet.

Resident Victor Kligerman asked whether EMS phone numbers would remain 911 and whether the contract would be posted online; the chair agreed to follow up. "Would the contract be put up on the website?" Kligerman asked.

The board also voted to move into a closed session later in the meeting to discuss litigation concerning affordable housing.

What happens next: commissioners authorized placing the contract on the agenda and signaled intent to test a one-year arrangement; several members requested the actual contract language and any extension options be posted and reviewed. The transcript indicates legal and transparency questions remain unresolved and that staff and commissioners will follow up publicly on the contract terms and performance measures.