Eufaula City Council approves up to $275,000 to recruit family physician Joshua Bush

The Eufaula City Council voted March 17 to authorize up to $275,000 in public funding to recruit family physician Joshua Bush to the city.

City Attorney Joel Smith outlined the Physician Recruitment Agreement before the council took a voice vote approving Resolution 22-2026. Mr. Jerry Gulledge spoke in support of Bush, urging the council to back the recruitment and calling Bush “an asset” to the community. President Pro Tem Otis Hill moved to approve the resolution; Councilman Ben Garrison seconded, and President Wes Register announced the measure was adopted by voice vote.

The resolution and attached agreement state the city will grant up to $275,000 to Jeff W. Bush, M.D. Family Practice, LLC to recruit the physician. The package includes a $25,000 signing bonus and an income guarantee that equates to a $250,000 first-year salary, delivered as monthly grants of $20,833.33 during the Initial Practice Year. The agreement caps the city’s aggregate obligation at $275,000.

The contract text defines the Service Area by zip code (36016, 36017, 36027, 36048, 36053 and 36072) and requires Physician to establish a full‑time family medicine practice in Eufaula, maintain required licenses and board eligibility/certification, and obtain courtesy medical staff membership at Medical Center Barbour. The agreement ties grant payments to reconciliation requirements: the practice must document incremental costs and collections and return any excess funds to the city.

The document sets performance deadlines and repayment rules. It states the Practice Commencement Date must occur no later than September 1, 2026, and includes a related clause saying the physician should begin seeing patients by August 1, 2026 (the agreement provides that failure to begin seeing patients by that date will terminate the agreement). If the agreement is terminated for certain reasons before the end of the Initial Practice Year, the practice must repay amounts previously granted; different repayment calculations apply if termination occurs during the subsequent Service Period. The agreement also specifies events of default (for example, loss of licensure or exclusion from federal health-care programs), audit and set-off rights for the city, and liquidated-damage provisions.

The resolution text cites Amendment 772 to the Alabama Constitution and states city attorneys published the required notice before the public meeting. The agreement includes compliance provisions referencing federal laws such as the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act and HIPAA and requires monthly exclusion‑list screening for staff involved in the practice.

Mayor Jack B. Tibbs Jr. is authorized by the resolution to execute the Physician Recruitment Agreement on behalf of the city; Joy White, City Clerk/Treasurer, is listed as attesting officer. The council provided no recorded roll-call tallies beyond the announced voice vote approving adoption.

Next steps: the mayor is authorized to sign the agreement and the practice is required to meet the timeline and documentation conditions in the contract. The council’s action makes recruitment funds available subject to the agreement’s compliance, reconciliation and repayment provisions.