Pleas for the Unicoi County Commission to redo its advertisement for bids on a four-year ambulance service contract awarded to MedicOne Medical Response in December fell short Monday on a split commission vote that hinged on the possibility of $900,000 lawsuit.
With commissioners Matthew Rice, Jamie Harris, Glenn White, Stephen Hendrix and John Mosley opposed, commissioners Todd Wilcox, Marie Rice and Jason Harris in favor and Commission Chairman Loren Thomas abstaining, a motion to put the contract back out for bids failed by a vote of 5 to 3.
While dodging the bullet of what one commissioner said could have been a $900,000 breach-of-contract lawsuit by MedicOne, the commission did not escape the threat of potential litigation.
Johnny Day, the leader of the group of concerned citizens that first brought flaws in the bidding process to the county’s attention in early January and has since repeatedly requested the issuance of new request for contract proposals, repeated his intent to seek legal remedy in an email sent to the commissioners and local media on Tuesday.
Marie Rice cited other problems in the contract, including a demand the county provide a radio frequency for the MedicOne, the Unicoi County Firefighters Association’s refusal to allow the company to use its frequency and a need for more 911 dispatchers to handle a second frequency.