THOMAS COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES AGENCY
Board of Directors Meeting
8/22/02
4:00PM
Board Members Present: Bobby Brown, Ann McCrickard, Earl Williams,
Roy Campbell
Board Member Absent: J. Elaine Mays
Staff: Commander Derrick Ogletrtee, Chief Ann Powell, VF Liaison Chris Jones,
Deputy Chief Ronald Roberts, Julie Stripling, Secretary, Keith Allen, Board Attorney
Guests: John Polhill, Senior VP Commercial Bank
Josh Herring, Chairman, Thomas County BOC
Louis Rehberg, Citizen of Thomas County
Kevin Vick, Honorary City Council member
Chairman Earl Williams called the meeting to order and opened with prayer.
Roy Campbell made the motion to approve the minutes from the 7/23/02 Board meeting. Bobby Brown seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion carried.
Executive Director Jack Smith wanted to alert the Board to the fact that
there are some issues concerning property taxes that are going to directly
affect our funding. The State has
mandated a House Bill that increases Homestead Exemption. Also, the Thomas County Board of
Commissioners are proposing to roll back the mileage rate because of an
increase in property values on the tax digest.
This will all result in a decrease of cash flow from property taxes.
EMS has encountered some problems with out-of-town transports. ESA’s ambulance service is bearing the
burden for many surrounding counties.
This is not cost effective. Roy
Campbell made a motion to provide out of town transports – excluding STAT
transports- only to residents of Thomas County. Bobby Brown seconded the motion.
After discussion, the motion carried unanimously.
The current EMS Accounts Receivable policy that was adopted in July 2000
allowed for any account over 18 months old to be written off. During this years’ audit process the auditor
recommended amending the policy to allow for all accounts nine months old to be
written off to the allowance for doubtful accounts. Collections efforts will still continue; this is for accounting
purposes. Ann McCrickard made a motion
to adopt the Accounts Receivable policy recommended by the Accounting firm of
Simmons & Simmons. Roy Campbell
seconded the motion. With no
opposition, the motion carried.
Executive Director Smith made the Board aware that County Building
Maintenance Supervisor Knight donated all labor (approx. $500.00) on the installation
of the new A/C unit at the E911 tower.
Current policy for
the Volunteer Fire Division accepts all comers who meet the requirements. James Hart, Volunteer Fire Coordinator and
Chris Jones, Volunteer Fire Liaison propose that the number of volunteers
allowed per station be limited to 12.
Roy Campbell made a motion to change policy to allow for 12 volunteers
per department. Ann McCrickard seconded
the motion. All were in favor. The motion passed.
Chris Jones
presented a sample resolution allowing Thomas County ESA to become a member of
GMAG (Georgia Mutual Aid Group). It is a resource group/organization
That provides help in times of need; ex: haz-mat teams. One of the benefits of membership is a
resource and direct link to other GMAG Departments. This is a one-time fee of $500.00. After several questions, Mr. Smith suggested the matter be tabled
until the next meeting so Chris Jones can obtain the answers the Board
needs. Mr. Smith requested a workshop
for the second week in September to review and resolve some issues.
Executive Director Smith stated that Motorola has approved our contact
with the exclusion of the Call Distribution method. John Polhill, Executive Vice President of Commercial Bank stated
that the bank would grant the unsecured note with a guarantee from the City of
Thomasville and Thomas County Board of Commissioners. Mr. Smith said that 30% payment must be sent with the contract.
Commander Derrick
Ogletree reported 3473 calls year to date.
EMS is continuing classes by taking a new medical Spanish class and in
November all employees will be attending EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operation
Class) in November. Some vehicle
repairs have been necessary but were covered under warranty.
Chief Ann Powell reported 66,616 calls to date as of 7/31/02. There have been some equipment and ESN
(Emergency Service Numbering) problems but they are being addressed. Training is on going. Chief Powell requested help with obtaining a
Mutual Aid Agreement with the City of Thomasville. Mr. Campbell said he would handle it.
Chris Jones stated that all trucks are in the process of the semi- annual
servicing. An article was sent to Tines
Enterprise answering some frequently asked questions. He commended Chief Powell and E911 for providing information and
doing a good job.
Georgia Fire Academy will be coming here to instruct some fire
classes. Work is in progress on
multi-county database sharing to aid in dispatching.
Deputy Chief Ronald Roberts said the Department is doing well. He stated that 7 additional personnel are
needed to replace one termination and to provide staffing
for the new Boston station.
Medical, Firefighting, and Officer training are in progress.