Politics & Government
Napa Supes Agree on New Ambulance Company
After hours of public comment and discussion, the board of supervisors was unanimous in confirming the recommendation of county staff to award the franchise to AMR. The supes take their final vote Sept. 20.
More than six hours after the Napa County Board of Supervisors opened its public hearing on the county ambulance franchise Friday, the supes agreed unanimously to support the recommendation of county staff to award the 10-year, exclusive ambulance franchise to Denver-based American Medical Response (AMR).
The decision was a blow to supporters of Piner's Napa Ambulance, which has been the county's business partner for years but received the lowest scores in two successive bidding processes.
In a last-ditch effort to sway the board, Piner's and the other losing bidder, Medic Ambulance, announced during the morning part of the hearing that they had reached an agreement to work together in serving Napa County.
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But supervisors took little notice of the move, continuing to take public comments and then hearing a report from Health and Human Services director Randy Snowden on the process used to review the bids.
Snowden was heckled several times during his presentation, leading board chair Bill Dodd to ask the audience to refrain from "catcalls."
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After Snowden concluded his report, supervisors spoke in turn, each confirming that, in Dodd's words, "the process worked."
Friday’s vote was the first of two the board will take to confirm AMR as the new franchisee.
The final vote is scheduled for the Sept. 20 supervisors meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. in the hearing room on the third floor of the County Administration Building at 1195 Third St.
