BOC to consider new lights for Rock Creek Park
News September 9, 2016
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. –The Dawson County Board of Commissioners listened to a presentation by Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Henson Thursday requesting new lights for the soccer fields at Rock Creek Park.
Henson said the only lights at the park now are on the track and parking lot. The work would include installation of 10 galvanized steel poles, lighting, service panel and warranty. The cost would be $396 770 for LED outdoor lighting option plus a 10% contingency of $36,070. The work could be completed by the end of the year and would be paid from the voter-approved SPLOST VI.
Emergency Services Director Lanier Swafford asked commissioners to consider an amended fee schedule for ambulance services, something that hasn’t been done in 10 years. The amended rate would set the fees for basic life-saving non-emergency transportation at $350, basic life-saving emergency transportation at $400, advanced non-life saving emergency at $350, advanced level 1 emergency at $500, advanced level 2 emergency at $675 and mileage at $13 per mile.
Swafford also requested a renewal of the county’s contract with Chestatee Regional HospitaI for the purpose of clinical learning opportunities for students and employees of Dawson County Emergency Services.
Cameron Burt presented a contract with North Georgia Network (NGN) to provide backup internet services at the Dawson County Government Center and asked commissioners to consider approval at a cost of $6,000 per year.
The contract, Burt said, would allow for a true backup internet system and the NGN circuit would be used for future offsite data backup transmission. The size of the circuit is larger than current infrastructure and will allow transmission of data to the cloud for offsite storage and replication. This will give the County the redundancy that it has needed for disaster recovery. Furthermore, this will allow IT to provision certain data traffic at the Government Center and Sheriff’s Office for the use of large amounts of data that needs to be transferred to other facilities and agencies. NGN will be installing a 1GB circuit for a one-time charge of $100. This fee is at a greatly reduced rate compared to original terms.
These items are expected to be voted on at the regular meeting Sept. 22.
Bill Tanner Named Interim County Manager
News July 28, 2016
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Less than a week after County Manager Randall Dowling resigned unexpectedly and the Board of Commissioners appointed Chief Finnancial Officer Vickie Neikirk as interim county manager, Commissioners have decided that Bill Tanner would be a better fit for the job.
In a called meeting Wednesday, the Board voted unanimously to approve Tanner.
Commission Chairman Mike Berg explained the sudden change by saying Tanner was one of the finalists for the job last February when Dowling was hired and the Board felt he has the experience to hit the ground running.
Neikirk is new to the county, having been hired as Chief Financial Officer in April. She is certified as a Financial Officer by the Carl Vincent Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. Commissioners felt her experience is more urgently needed in helping to manage the budget process that is about to begin.
Tanner holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from the University of Georgia and currently works as Supply and Logistics Officer for Dawson County Emergency Services. He has held numerous management positions during his career, including Superintendent for Georgia State Park and Amicalola State Park and Lodge.
Berg said the county has begun advertising for a permanent county manager.
While Dowling gave no reason for his resignation, Berg said it was voluntary.
Dawson County Ends Ambulance Service Contract
News June 23, 2016
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Dawson County is terminating its contract with AMB, the county’s ambulance service provider, due to poor performance.
Dawson County Emergency Services Director Lanier Swafford cited multiple problems with AMB during his presentation at Thursday’s County Commission work session.
The county contracted with NRG in 2014 and the company merged with AMB in 2015. Since then the collection rate has plummeted to 39 per cent, services and fees have declined, the company failed to turn in documentation that resulted in Medicaid being suspended, statements have not been sent out on time, reports have been incorrect and customer service is lacking.
“After 24 months, enough is enough,” Swafford told commissioners. He expects to have the new provider in place by Sept. 1.
When the previous ambulance service, EMS Consultants, had the contract in 2013, collections totaled $528,374.45. In 2014. the first year with NRG, collections fell to $440,300.84. In 2015 there was a slight rebound to $498,464.33. Although ambulance service revenue has been projected at $990,000 in the budget, the company has collected just $152,465.76 in the first quarter of this year.
After receiving bids from six vendors, a 5-person committee reviewed the bid and recommended the county contract with the the most responsive and responsible bidder, previous vendor EMS Consultants.