YOUNGSTOWN — City council yet again refused to approve a contract with a Boston company to do a feasibility study on a Youngstown-run ambulance service.

Council decided Monday to refer the proposed study for the third time to its safety committee. It was first proposed in February.

The proposal, sponsored by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, was to have council authorize the board of control to enter into a $65,000 contract with Public Consulting Group LLC of Boston to do the ambulance feasibility study as well as review city fire station locations and where to put a possible safety-service campus.

City council supports the proposal but wants there to be competitive bids.

City council on June 5 rejected paying $50,000 to Public Consulting for an ambulance feasibility study after postponing a vote on the proposal first introduced in February. Some members were critical of the plan and of fire Chief Barry Finley finding the group after doing a Google search.

At its June 22 meeting, council’s safety committee voted to authorize the board of control to seek proposals from companies for the $50,000 ambulance study after the full council refused to support it April 19. Council members said they also wanted the fire station locations and safety-services campus included.

The legislation in front of council Monday was to hire Public Consulting for $65,000 for the work.

Law Director Jeff Limbian said last week that including Public Consulting in the contract “was definitely approved by council without further objection.”

But Councilwomen Anita Davis, D-6th Ward and safety committee head, and Basia Adamczak, D-7th Ward and a safety committee member, said Monday that while they wanted the fire station locations and the safety-service as part of a contract, they never agreed to hire Public Consulting.

“We took it back because it” listed Public Consulting, Adamczak said.

Limbian said Monday that including Public Consulting “was my appreciation of what the safety committee wanted. If I misperceived that, we can certainly put it out for competitive bidding.”

Davis said that is what she wanted.

There was discussion about amending the legislation to eliminate Public Consulting and changing it to the most qualified firm, but council decided to again refer it to the safety committee.

The proposal recommended June 22 by the safety committee didn’t include a specific company, but Finley made several references to retaining Public Consulting at the meeting.

Finley said at the June 22 meeting that it is not financially feasible for the city to operate its own ambulance service, but he would abide by the study’s results.

City council voted Dec. 16 to pay $3.968 million over three-years to Emergency Medical Transport for ambulance service using ARP money with a two-year renewal option. It was the first time the city ever provided a subsidy for ambulance service.

That deal occurred after contract negotiations with American Medical Response, the city’s former longtime ambulance provider, fell apart.

AMR wanted $1.8 million to $2.6 million annually to continue to provide services to Youngstown or it would have ended it contract when it expired Dec. 31.

AMR and EMT said the money is needed to pay for wages and to cover the money lost on runs paid by Medicaid.

Finley said June 22 that about 59 percent of the city residents are on Medicaid and the federal government would reimburse the city about $110 for an ambulance bill that could be $2,000.

CONTRACT

REJECTED

Also at Monday’s meeting, council voted 6-1 to reject a contract retroactive to Jan. 1 for William “Guy” Burney to continue to run the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence program that he’s run for several years.

The contract was for $89,004 annually. It’s an increase from his previous contract. The increase from last year wasn’t available Monday, but Burney was paid at that prorated amount for the last six months of 2022.

Burney has worked without a contract since Jan. 1, and it wasn’t until May 17 that the administration put that proposal in front of council for consideration.

Davis said council would reconsider Burney’s contract if the cost was reduced.

“It went up substantially,” she said. “He’s getting paid at the level of the fire chief, the police chief and the law director.”

Limbian said he hoped the matter would be looked at again by council at a later date.