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COLUMBUS, Ga. — City council recently gave their unanimous approval for a healthcare consultant to assist the city manager’s office with its second attempt to plan the city’s indigent care program.

The move comes after councilors became absolutely livid upon learning the program’s application process alone resulted in nearly none of the city’s healthcare providers even bothering to apply.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley had originally received specific instructions to meet city council’s intent of expanding offerings to increase the number of providers. Instead, they developed an application process so unrealistic that it created the opposite effect.

Now, as a result of striking out completely at the cost of wasting the time of nearly every healthcare provider in the region and that of every city employee who worked on the project’s initial development, Hugley will be assigned to follow the strict advice of a healthcare consultant who will hold his hand through the process of re-planning the program all over again from the ground-up.

According to the resolution approved on July 25, the procurement of the healthcare consultant will follow all legally-required procurement procedures through the city’s normal process of issuing a request for proposal.

The full text of Resolution 241-23 reads as follows:

“WHEREAS, the previous 30-year Contract with the Medical Center Hospital Authority expired on June 30, 2022; and 

WHEREAS, the Columbus Consolidated Government FY23 and FY 24 Budgets each include included a levy of 2.5 mills and 2.2 mills respectively for Indigent Health Care and Inmate Health Care purposes; and 

WHEREAS, RFP No.23-0009 was issued and four bids were received in accordance with the procurement process; and 

WHEREAS, at its meeting on June 27, 2023, Council rejected any and all bids received in response to RFP No. 23-0009; and 

WHEREAS, this Council desires to engage a healthcare consultant, in accordance with legally required procurement processes, to assist with the formulation and possible renaming of plans for an indigent/inmate care plan for the future and to provide advice concerning claims reimbursement, for services already provided during FY 23 and FY 24. 

THEREFORE, THE COLUMBUS COUNCIL NOW HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: 

We hereby authorize the City Manager to engage a healthcare consultant, using legally required procurement processes, to assist with formulation of plans for an indigent/inmate care program to serve the residents of Muscogee County, to include providing advice with regard to a more positive renaming of the program and reimbursement for services already provided in FY 23 and FY 24. Any such consultant may be paid from funds appropriated for indigent/inmate care by the Columbus Council.

Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia held on the 25th day of July 2023 and adopted at said meeting by the affirmative vote of rune members of said Council.”

All nine councilors present voted in favor of the resolution, with Councilor Bruce Huff (District 3) absent from the meeting.

Perhaps officials should take note of the continued waste of resources, offered excuses, and mulligans required to manage the city in a way that meets their representative intent.

Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.

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