Six companies seek ambulance contract

By Rupert Howell
Six bids to provide ambulance service for Panola County came in Monday when supervisors met in a special meeting and board members split over whether to rehire former County Administrator Kelly Magee to assist with upcoming budget planning.
“I never expected this many proposals,” Panola County Emergency Management Director Daniel Cole told supervisors after each bid had been opened and taken under advisement to be closely studied.  The bids also contain proposals of what each bidder will do to properly cover the county with service and cannot easily be compared with one another.
The county currently subsidizes the ambulance service approximately $17,000 per month to handle emergency calls.
Cole noted that bids came in from $5,000 less than the county is currently paying to about twice as much as the current subsidy.
“How many ambulances do you think we need to serve Panola County,” District Two Supervisor Vernice Avant asked Cole.
“I wouldn’t want to go below three,” Cole said with Avant responding that she thought the board should set a minimum of four.
“Forty-five minute response time is not good for anybody,” Cole noted. Lengthy response times was the dominant complaint with the existing service.
Board President Cole Flint reminded supervisors, “Remember, it’s not just money—it’s peoples’ lives that we’re dealing with.”
Flint had invited City of Batesville officials to attend Monday’s bid opening after he learned some were not aware the county subsidizes ambulance services.
The emergency management director explained that 50 percent of ambulance calls are within Batesville’s city limits.
In other business District Three Supervisor John Thomas made a motion to hire the former county administrator Kelly Magee and did not get a second until board president Flint made the second with the stipulation that she would be paid half her former pay and only on a part-time basis.
District Four supervisor Donald Phelps voted against the motion with both District One Supervisor James Birge and District Two Supervisor Vernice Avant voting nay while also explaining they wanted to hear from current county administrator, Kate Victor, before rehiring Magee.
“Have y’all talked with Kate about hiring Kelly,” Flint asked while stating that he earlier had.
Board members agreed to take up the matter during next Monday’s First District meeting in Sardis.