Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems Contract topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbus council tables LifeStar EMS contract, seeks more reporting and legal review
Summary
After staff outlined an interjurisdictional LifeStar EMS agreement that would raise the city's annual share from about $97,000 to $130,000, council members expressed concerns about removed performance incentives, reporting access and regional decision authority and voted to table the item pending attorney and CAEMS board follow-up.
City staff presented a proposed emergency-ambulance contract with LifeStar that is part of a nine-jurisdiction Columbus Area Emergency Medical Services (CAEMS) arrangement. Staff said the city's share of the coalition is 44.55%; the city's 2025 contribution was about $97,000 and the proposed 2026 amount is about $130,000, with scheduled increases in subsequent years and a renegotiation in 2028.
Staff noted the agreement would eliminate a $50,000 surety the city currently holds, with LifeStar proposing to use that capital for fleet investment. Council members raised multiple concerns: removal of service-level-agreement incentives and penalties, the council's ability to request specific reports (including patient transfers and mutual-aid impacts), whether CAEMS had solicited legal advice before approving the terms, and the potential that regional decisions could leave Columbus with fewer local ambulances.
A council member pointed out that some required reports had not been received locally because they were sent to an incorrect email address; staff confirmed the reports were later provided. Several members asked staff to ask the CAEMS board to restore reporting detail and to reconsider the removal of contract incentives.
A motion to reject the proposed packet agreement was made then withdrawn. The council instead voted to table the contract and requested follow-up from attorney Johnson and the CAEMS board for additional answers; the motion to table (moved by Alder Myers, seconded by Alder Reid) carried on a voice vote. The council noted there was no immediate urgency to pass the item because the current contract runs through Dec. 31 of the year.
The tabling preserves the city's participation while seeking additional legal and reporting clarifications before any final approval.
