The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night agreed to put on its agenda for next week discussion of a proposal that the county launch its own Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operation.
The Board also will consider purchasing five 2026 F-350 Ford trucks for a total cost of $1,124,000 and purchasing $768,279 in ambulance equipment for those trucks as the first step in establishing the county program.
Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell, who brought the proposal for initiation of a county EMS program to the meeting on Tuesday, said he anticipates the county will transition from the current private provider National EMS to its own program by the end of the calendar year.
The action on Tuesday night followed a called Town Hall Meeting by the Board on March 26 attended by about 70 people where Daniell first laid out his plans to create the county EMS operation.
Daniell said at that meeting and again on Tuesday night that his proposal is in response to slow response times with National EMS, billing problems, staffing issues, anticipated increased costs, and the lack of county control.
Daniell said at the Town Hall meeting that he anticipates that the county will have to invest an additional $1.9 million per year to operate its own EMS program.
Reaction to Daniell’s proposal at the Town Hall Meeting was mixed, with some voicing concerns about the expense, some defending the services provided National EMS, and others criticizing the current private provider.
The Board, at its agenda-setting session on Tuesday, put initiation of a county EMS operation as well as purchase of the truck and ambulance equipment on the open April 7 agenda, allowing for additional citizen input before the Board votes.
Overview Of Proposal
Daniell provided much the same overview of his proposal that the county take over EMS at the meeting on Tuesday as he had at the March 26 Town Hall Meeting.
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| Daniell 3/31/2026 |
Each county is considered an EMS zone, Daniell said, and the designated 911 zone provider for Oconee County is Trinity St. Mary's Hospital and Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital.
“Both hospitals provided EMS service to Oconee County for no charge via hospital-based ambulance services for many years,” Daniell said.
“Together, both hospitals decided to end the hospital-based model for EMS for Clarke and Oconee counties and in 2008 the hospitals contracted with National EMS to provide services to both counties,” Daniell said.
The contract provided National EMS a $400,000 annual supplement paid by the hospitals. Oconee County agreed to pay $100,000 to the hospitals to cover part of the supplement.
The contract with National EMS also created an oversight committee with representatives from each hospital, each county, and National EMS, Daniell said, but that Committee has not met since 2019 following a court decision on access to National EMS records.
Priority Ambulance purchased National EMS in 2018.
Problems And Solution
“We're seeing negative trends in priority one response times,” Daniell said. “While response times is not the only factor to consider, the trends do indicate some change in operational performance.”
“We also started hearing concerns on billing and collection process in September of 2024,” he said. “Crazy numbers that are well outside usual and customary charges for our region started popping up.”
“Since the Oversight Committee stopped meeting, no outside review of quality assurance occurs on behalf of Oconee County,” he said.
National EMS management has been unresponsive to questions about those complaints, Daniell said.
“Our citizens deserve to have some accountability outside the corporate structure,” he added.
“National is also pushing to double the subsidy paid by the county and the hospital without any change in the level of service,” Daniell said.
As we've attempted to work through these challenges, two clear goals have come to the forefront,” he said.
“First is that we must become the designated 911 zone provider for Oconee County,” he said, “And second, we must have local control and oversight over EMS operations in Oconee County.”
“The most favorable, economic, efficient, and with the greatest benefit to public welfare to achieve these goals is to have a county-run EMS,” he said. “So it's my recommendation to the Board of Commissioners and the citizens of Oconee County to create a county-run EMS and seek to become the designated 911 zone provider.”
Proposed County System
“Our startup focus will be 100 percent on 911 readiness,” Daniell said. “No non-emergency transports.”
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| Daniell And Commissioner Amrey Harden 3/31/2026 |
The county will use a medical billing company “to maximize revenue,” he said.
“Oversight and accountability will be right here with the Board of Commissioners,” he said.
“We'll have one EMS director. We'll have one EMS supervisor per shift,” he said.
The county will have three medical units staffed with a paramedic and an Emergency Medical Technician/Advanced, Daniell said, “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”
“At startup, we would have five type-one ambulances, three 24/7 on call daily,” he said.
The base medical units “will likely have to be at fire stations” at startup, Daniell said.
The county has properties on Malcom Bridge Road (at the roundabout in front of the schools) and at Fire Station #1 across from the County administrative building “that are available for EMS stations, and we're currently working on a prototype for EMS stations.”
“Net cost to the taxpayers for a full year will be $1.9 million,” Daniell said. “An additional subsidy cost for similar set up provided by National is $2.4 million,” he added.
Impact On County Finances
At the Town Hall meeting on March 26, Daniell said “We will be able to cover this cost with no millage increase. However, a millage rate reduction may be difficult for this year.
“We're currently working on the budget and don't have our final numbers in yet,” he said.
Daniell said if the Board votes to move forward with the proposal the next step will be to hire an EMS Director.
The county has advertised for that position and has interviewed three applicants, Daniell said.
“Most importantly,” he said, “we’d have to work with our local and regional partners to achieve the goals of Oconee County."
Daniell said he has met with government leaders in Athens-Clarke County, at St. Mary’s, and at Piedmont, and “all parties are supportive of Oconee County’s goals for EMS.”
Transition
In an email exchange before the meeting on Tuesday, Daniell explained the transition from the current system to one operated by the county.
The current Designated 911 Zone Provider for Oconee County is Piedmont and St. Mary's, he noted, and both hospital's currently are contracted with National EMS for service.
That contract includes the $400,000 annually subsidy. Oconee County agrees through a Memorandum of Understanding to contribute $100,000 of that subsidy.
Oconee County has a valid and active ground ambulance license, but the license will need to be updated if it operates its own system, as he said again at the meeting on Tuesday.
“The best path forward would be for Oconee County to contract with the hospitals to provide EMS in Oconee County,” he said. “After a designated time period, the hospitals would notify the state of their desire to surrender” their status as Designated 911 Zone Provider for Oconee County.
“That notice will initiate an RFP (request for proposals) process as defined in the (state) administrative code,” he said. “Oconee would have to compete with any other licensed ambulance service interest in Oconee County.”
Regulatory oversight for EMS rests with the Georgia Department of Health, Daniell said at the Commission meeting on Tuesday.
“We need to be the Designated 911 Zone Provider for Oconee County,” he said.
Town Hall Response
When Daniell had finished his comments at the Town Hall Meeting on March 26 and opened the microphone for citizen comment, Heather Pickelsimer stepped forward and said she was against the proposed change. She was the first of 10 citizens to speak.
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| Hale 3/26/2026 |
“I would much rather pay the $3,000 bill (for emergency services) than pay the taxes every year for a whole county EMS service,” she said.
Former Commissioner Margaret Hale followed Pickelsimer, saying “I first found out about this when the EMS director job description was posted on our website. So let me start by saying I'm really disappointed in the lack of transparency of this.”
“This is putting the cart before the horse,” she continued. “I mean, there's been no discussions. No public input until tonight, really. And it's such an important thing for the safety of every resident in Oconee County.”
“This is a bottomless pit,” she said, “to have your own ambulance service.”
Mike Sebring said “your proposal tonight, I support 100 percent. If your emergency squad via the county is anywhere near the Fire Department--you've got a best in class fire department volunteer wise–and I think your emergency squad will be a mirror of that. So I support you.”
Ian Taylor said “I'm kind of in support of all of this. I think it's a it's a pretty good idea, but there are some caveats. This is going to be expensive. I think the $1.9 million is a nice start, but you're going to be going deeper than that.”
Chuck Williams wanted information on the EMS designation by the state, and Daniell said the county will have to develop its program and then compete for the designation.
Mark Capobianco said he had experienced problems with the quality of staff at National EMS “So I appreciate what you all are doing. And good luck with it.”
Heather Bailey said “I am concerned with the cost that is being incurred for the emergency calls that are provided by National.”
J.W. Thaxton said “I'm coming to you tonight supporting this decision and appreciate the hard work that's been put to it so far.”
The ninth speaker did not give her name. She spoke in support of Daniell’s proposal.
Robbie Atkins, a former owner of National EMS who is still involved with the current owners, Priority Ambulance, said “I would put National's response times up against anybody else's response times.”
“They've been in business since 1976,” he said. “You're going to take a 50-year-old company who's been here (in Oconee County) for 16 years and just kind of wash that aside.”
“You're going to start a service that you've never run before,” he continued. “You know, it's not garbage collection. I mean, EMS is a difficult industry. And so you're going to start it up from fresh.”
“That's that's a big peel,” he said. “Obviously I'm a biased proponent of it because of my history in EMS. I know what it takes to run ambulance service and for a county to get started in one.”
“I hope you’ve got your eyes real wide open, because there's a lot going on with it,” he said.
Other Board Action
At the meeting on Tuesday (March 31), the Board also approved amending the design services contract for the Bear Creek Water Treatment Plant upgrade in Jackson County at a cost $72,366.
The Board approved amendments to the work order for submersible pumps at the Rocky Branch Road, Oconee Veterans Park, and Daniells Bridge Road pump stations at a cost of $201,635.
Director of the Water Resources Department Adam Layfield said the cost increase was the result of price increases for the pumps themselves.
Total cost of the project is $2.7 million.
Board Chair Daniell told the Board that the pumps are "directly related to the site development for the Dawson Park,” planned for the Land Application System site on Rocky Branch Road once that operation is decommissioned.
In response to a question from Commissioner Mark Thomas, Layfield said “We're actually emptying the ponds currently. The next step will be to remove the sludge. We’re looking to have a bell press possibly out there to de-water it, take it to the landfill.” The next step will be removal of the liners in the ponds, he said.
Layfield said he could give a better timeline for the decommissioning in about a month.
The Board agree to spend $266,738 for a new hydraulic boom mower for the county Road Department.
These items were put on the consent agenda for final approval at the April 7 meeting.
Video
The first video below, which I recorded, is of the March 31 meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
Discussion of the EMS proposal begins at 8:30 in the video.
The second video below is of the March 26 called Town Hall meeting and is on the county YouTube Channel.
The meeting begins at 10:59 in the video.
Daniell opened the meeting with a discussion of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax on the May 19 ballot.
Discussion of the EMS options begins at 16:03 in the video.
Citizen comment begins at 36:48.
I did not attend the meeting because of a family obligation, and the still image from that meeting isa frame capture from the county video.
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