WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS RENEW MEMBERSHIP FOR AIR MEDICAL TRANSPORT

Josh Blaschke February 8, 2022

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(from left) Justin Knuppel with Washington County EMS, County Auditor Sharon Stolz and Peggy Diggs with the District Clerk's Office are presented service recognitions at Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting. Knuppel has worked with the county for 20 years, Diggs for 25, and Stolz for 45. Also recognized, but not pictured, are Shannon May (10 years at the Washington County Jail), Renee Hamilton (15 years with Environmental Health), Julie Neville (20 years with E911), Bryan Ruemke (20 years with Emergency Management), and Debbie Winslow (25 years with Engineering and Development Services)

Washington County Commissioners voted to renew the county’s AirMedCare Network municipal site membership for air medical services at their meeting today (Tuesday).

The membership takes care of the copay for air medical services for Washington County residents who are in Washington, Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Fayette, Grimes and Waller counties.

The county pays $131,078 annually for the membership plan. The cost is reimbursed by REACH Air Medical Services.

County residents have the option of obtaining a full household membership through a supplemental coverage plan, which pays for air transport costs outside of contiguous counties and ranges from statewide to international coverage. The plan has a standard annual cost of $45 and a reduced annual cost of $35 for seniors.

The court also approved exempting the negotiation and purchase of professional services related to the air medical program from competitive bidding, pursuant to section 262.024 of Texas Local Government Code. The county is currently conducting an assessment of the program in order to make any necessary adjustments to it for the future needs of the county.

Commissioner Candice Bullock explained that the county is sometimes required to take the lowest bid when it goes through the request for qualification (RFQ) process. She and Commissioner Kirk Hanath said since the matter relates to public safety, the court feels it is more important to make sure the most qualified provider is chosen, not the cheapest.

Also at today’s meeting, the court:

Presented services awards to county employees with 10, 15, 20, 25 and 45 years of service.
Approved an order for a partial subdivision cancellation of lots 5 and 6 in the Chappell Hill West subdivision, re-establishing them as acreage.
Changed the commissioners court meeting on Tuesday, February 22^nd to Monday, February 21^st due to the court attending a conference.
Approved a letter agreement from Rutledge Crain & Company, PC to provide auditing services to the county for the year ending December 31, 2021.
Approved purchasing three years of subscription service for Microsoft Office 365 licenses with American Rescue Plan funds.

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