TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! KANSAS CITY PETITIONERS AGAINST AMBULANCE BILLING PRIVATIZATION RAGE OVER 'SLAP IN THE FACE' NO BID CITY HALL CONTRACT WITH TROUBLED COMPANY!!!
More than 10K Kansas City residents signed a petition to stop City Hall from outsourcing Ambulance Billing Services and the successful effort put pressure on Mayor Sly James and City Council to repeal an ordinance that pushed through the deal.
Tragically, less than a day after the legislation was overturned, a clandestine City Hall contract was signed which APPROVED MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A MILLION BUCKS to the very same firm that Kansas City voters opposed so vehemently.
And now in the aftermath of that tragic decision . . .
KANSAS CITY PETITIONERS QUESTION THE MOTIVES OF MAYOR SLY JAMES AND HIS ALLIANCE ON THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THE RUSH CONTRACT WHICH SEEMED INTENT ON SIGNING WITH AN EMBATTLED COMPANY!!!
Here is their statement published FIRST AND EXCLUSIVELY ON TKC and offering a great deal of insight about this process and the questionable actions of the Mayor and City Manager:
Kansas City Ambulance Billing Outsourcing Petitioners Speak Out On City Hall Contract
Kansas City, Mo., City Manager Troy Schulte has signed a $287,500 no bid contract with Intermedix, a Florida company that experienced a massive patient identity theft, for use of its billing software and for providing management oversight for the city’s ambulance billing.
Both party’s signatures on the contract are dated August 29, the day after the City Council on a 12-0 vote repealed an ordinance outsourcing the city’s ambulance billing to that company, following a successful referendum petition drive to force the Council to either repeal the ordinance or put in on the ballot for a public vote.
“This was a slap in the face to the more than 10,500 area residents who signed petitions opposing the outsourcing of Kansas City’s ambulance billing to this company,” said Teresa Perry, one of the five-member committee of petitioners that initiated the petition drive.
“We opposed outsourcing Kansas City jobs that pay a livable wage and have good benefits to a Fort Lauderdale company that pays Walmart type wages,” Perry said, “but we were particularly concerned about contracting with Intermedix due to its serious problem with patient identity theft.”
That identity theft effected approximately 32,000 patients of 27 of the company’s clients in 17 states. Some of this information was used to file fraudulent federal income tax refund claims.
The 16-month contract with Intermedix runs from September 1 through the end of 2015, but the city may renew it for up to five additional one-year terms. Since the initial contract is for less than $300,000, it does not require Council approval.
Besides bypassing the Council, the Manager also waived the requirement in the City Code to obtain competitive proposals. The city also waived the requirement to set goals for participation by minority and woman-owned firms.
Their intention of going ahead and contracting with Intermedix was announced by Mayor Sly James and Schulte the day the Council repealed the outsourcing ordinance. At the time, Schulte was quoted as saying he could sign such a contract on his own, “...once a good deal is struck with the firm”
“He must have struck a ‘good deal’ awfully fast for him to sign a 31-page contract dated the next day,” Perry said.
The contract contains the same clause as the earlier outsourcing contract that allows Intermedix to terminate the contract “for convenience” by giving the city only 90-days’ notice. That clause had been publicly criticized for putting the city in a weak negotiating position, since 90 days is not enough time to acquire and install a new billing software system and to train employees how to use it.
Both Councilman Scott Taylor and John Sharp said during the discussion about contracting with Intermedix that they favored a competitive process for contracting for billing assistance if that is even needed. The city recently upgraded the software system it currently uses and retrained employees in its use.
“What I want to know,” Perry asked, “is why the mayor and manager are so determined to contract with this particular company that they won’t even seek Council approval of the contract or allow any competition to do the work.”
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A clear sell out of the voters at city hall. absolutely.
ReplyDeleteClearly a donation to the Manager's and Mayor's retirement fund. I hope the FBI is watching.
ReplyDeleteGood for them - read the statement, minority, women owned, prevailing wages and Unions are the reason why our taxes are so high and they keep asking for more money. Outsourcing is ok by me.
ReplyDeleteBig freakin' deal - move on to more important topics
ReplyDelete$lys my guy, he can't lose.
ReplyDeleteWhy outsource without bid to this company? That smells. Pay to play.
ReplyDeleteWAAH THE CITY SPENDS TOO MUCH MONEY
ReplyDeleteWAAH THE CITY IS TRYING TO SAVE MONEY
WAAH
Start a new petition to remove the idiots from city hall.
ReplyDeleteWhen where can I sign it
ReplyDeleteAnd the great Mensan awakes to another day.
ReplyDeleteKCMO is run by gangsters. Yawn. What else is new?
ReplyDeleteMore arrogance, less accountability. Taxpayers screwed again by Sly's gang.
ReplyDeleteAs Obama would say, the "optics" of this arrangement dont look so good :( Sadly, this confirms to me that the Fat Bowtie is so arrogant that he believes he can act any way he wants and do anything he desires without any consequence from the citizens particularly the hapless few that actually vote.
ReplyDeleteIf ever there was a time in Kansas City for the average citizen to vote and otherwise make their voices heard, this is it.
Without any possibility of doubt, the Fat Bowtie and Yael have been conjuring up and will continue to conjure up many fiscally irresponsible long term changes in our quality of life all to perpetuate their misguided and overstroked egos and their pocketbooks. Yael gets to keep his job and somewhere down the line, the Fat Bowtie is going to monetize all of the political lifting and favors he has done and continues to do on behalf of his white masters in the business community. He's going to dance his fat bowtied ass all the way to the bank. And we will be paying for all this for decades long after Sly is gone and all the while he's living large off of whatever deal he struck with Burns and Mac, Black and Veatch, KCPL and whatever other heavy industry business titans like JE Dunn that have or are planning to grease his fat, slimy palms :(
All I can think is that when we are finally rid of this dancing Bowtie, we are going to be hobbled with crushing debt and an urge to call for the return of our prior Minicipal Nightmare, the fiscally prudent Mayor Smartwithnothinghouser :(
Are people starting to feel a little like Clay Chastain yet? Welcome to your fine city folks.
ReplyDeleteWe need new money to recarve the motto above the doors on KCMO's City Hall to "So, what are you going to do about it. It's an emergency!"
ReplyDeleteThose people down there are beginning to make me a little mad. They better get all they can while the gettin"s good. In a couple of months they will be done.
Just do like I do and write in your name in every blank at the polls. It doesn't cost anything. But "No matter who you vote for, the government always gets in."
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ReplyDelete11:25am: they won't be done. KCMO voters keep extending tax revenue and amendments to the City Charter so they can do no bid contracts and keep spending more money on their pet projects.
ReplyDeleteYes to extending the KC fire tax.... for what? new equipment I hear.
Water and sewer bond. $500million? Approved.
You keep signing blank checks to City Hall so they can spend it with their contractors of choice.
E-tax? what's that for? KC neighborhoods have to take care of their own landscaping, pay for security, residents are responsible for fixing sidewalks...etc.
Time to move to PV like - that makes sense.
when the E_TAX comes up for renewal only an fool won:t know which way to vote.
ReplyDeleteOnly a fool would find outsourcing a good idea when there are qualified people in our city already handling the job.
ReplyDelete1156, "qualified people" and "in our city"... pick one.
ReplyDeleteSo this saves the city 1.6 million a year and people are upset? Outsource more!
ReplyDeletethey are keeping their jobs! the Union wins, the pensions and benefits will be paid to these workers for ever. Good job to the idiots who signed the petition.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of Sly James.
ReplyDelete12:42. Yay, remember how much the city was going to save with the MAST Troy Schulte turd?
ReplyDeleteCan never show saving from outsourcing until the fraud investigation is over.
ReplyDeleteOutsourcing cost 10 times on the average of what city, state & federal agencies can operate on.
ReplyDeleteOutsourcing Charter Schools is the new fraud scheme that's run it's course for Wall Street.
ReplyDeleteWTF
ReplyDelete