Ambulance Biller to Collect $2 Million Less for City!

You will remember that I threw a fit over the firing of a local company that was responsible for billing people who took rides in ambulances in the City of El Paso.  The whole thing stunk to high heaven and I exposed it for what it was - pure bullshit.  El Pasoans lost their jobs while cronies of the new Fire Chief put wads of El Paso tax dollars in their pockets... their pockets that reside far away from El Paso. 

I told you then that the company city staff picked and then tricked council into voting for would be collecting LESS OF THE MONEY OWED TO THE CITY.  Nobody believed me and city council members told me that the owner of the company who had been doing the work for years was an asshole and that's why they voted to rip off El Paso taxpayers.  So, what's the price for a little personal vengence?  Try $2 million dollars in revenue!

Don't believe me?  Go to the bottom of page 13 in the following document (page 52 inside the document) and look at the numbers for the line item "AMBULANCE SERVICE REVENUE."

Download 2012_Budget_Detail_-_02_Financial_Summaries[1]

It was $12.2 million and it is now $10.3 million.  The new vendor is leaving $2 million on the table due to the fact they promised in writing to COLLECT LESS OF THE MONEY OWED TO THE CITY than was being collected by the previous vendor.  This means they are literally not collecting money from people taking rides in ambulances and they're doing that with the permission of city staff and council. 

I looked back and the percentage of people the current ambulance biller PROMISED NOT TO COLLECT PAYMENT FROM WAS..... 73 Percent of people who take ambulance rides.  They put in their contract that would not collect money from nearly three quarters of the people use the ambulance service and the city council voted to approve this contract after stripping a local vendor of it because the owner talks too loudly about the merits of the constitution. 

I told you that you were being ripped off on top of the fact that the city council put a whole division of a local company out of business out of spite.  Do you believe me now?

Where's that crack local media now?   Need background for the story YOU SHOULD BE DOING on this matter? 

Read my posts HERE and HERE and the second one contains the email where Fire Chief Otto Drozd is approached via email by a vendor about all the golf they are going to play and how they want to get work from El Paso - before he even started!  http://refusethejuice.typepad.com/files/doc122110.pdf

Folks - you got ripped off.  Your city staff and council need to answer you as to why they are leaving $2 million on the table when they raised your taxes this year!!!!!!  Did they do their best to keep from raising taxes?  Nope. 

Dr. Noe and Rep. Niland are new and should stake reputation on fixing this.

Comments

[Gossip Girl]

When you concentrate in trying to push progressive agendas I guess you miss a few little things.....like balancing a budget without raising taxes.

But at least our Council has made a stand on legalizing drugs, giving benefits to unmarried partners, trying to twart $80 million in construction highway funds, making a run down school a historic landmark so the school district will have to spend more tax dollars to keep it up, making the streets more narrow, and oh yes; overturning an election of the people.

[Mike]

It is appalling that City Representatives would be so naive or insensitive to the Cities revenue needs and that of the 30 employees who lost their billing jobs at Currey Adkins. Or it appears that the El Paso City Council can do whatever they feel like, despite the most critical part of their job, GOOD JUDGEMENT. From the beginning it appears that this was an under the table done deal for the outsider. How can we suspend and investigate the ELPSD Superintendent of schools for playing favorites to award a contract, and yet local authorities think it is Ok to openly deceive local citizens. How can our current council members live with this? Some one locally needs to force a rebidding of the contract and allow the choice of a vendor to be benefical to the tax paying citizens of our community. hopefully our local media will pick up this story and make a big deal out of the outrage.

[Texaswoman]

Show up at council and ask these questions during the call to the public portion. Ask. If you don't nothing happens. Get off your duff and speak out.

[Richard Pryor]

Episd, now this, and Maria Teran crap at the psb. How long will this Bullshit go on ?

[Texaswoman]

As long as you allow it.

[Feet to the Fire]

So now we're in 2012. How has the new biller done? I hear that Currey Adkins is being sued by the City for breach. I also understand that the City is expecting nearly 5% decrease in ambulance revenues despite raising their trip charges. Any new information?

[Comic Book Guy]

So has anyone looked into Nepotism regarding the new company, just asking?