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COLUMBUS, Ga. — The new City Hall complex located downtown has been open for business for several weeks, though it has not had adequate emergency medical devices according to an emergency purchase made by the city manager’s office.

That emergency purchase was for 83 Automatic External Defibrillators at the cost of $183,000. Despite the lifesaving devices being present throughout the rest of CCG’s infrastructure, no one thought to order the devices for the $50 million government building project the city has been working on for years. 

As stated in the agenda of the city council meeting held on August 8, the city’s risk management division did not identify the problem until after the structure was already open and operational, having to personally notify City Manager Isaiah Hugley on July 26 of the oversight.

Given the timeline and flow of information, Hugley quite obviously did not ensure proper accountability of the building’s development and planning for its entire planning, as is evident by the lack of the devices and the need for the emergency purchase post factum.

The convenient wording of the item listed on the council meeting’s agenda, however, of course softened this reality by attempting to give the emergency purchase the appearance of somehow being heroic instead of as the massive oversight it actually was.

Here’s how CCG chose to portray the planning failure:

“On July 26, 2023, the City Manager was notified by Risk Management, of the need to purchase eighty-three (83) Automatic External Defibrillators as a matter of public health and safety.

The equipment is needed because several existing units will expire soon and need to be replaced. Additionally, AEDs need to be placed at City Hall. Risk Management obtained a quote from AED Brands (Kennesaw, GA) to provide the units, as they have purchased replacement units and replacement parts from the vendor in the past. Additionally, the vendor can expedite the order. The quoted price is $182,635.00.

The City Manager approved the emergency purchase on July 26, 2023.

Funding is budgeted in the FY24 Budget: Risk Management Internal Service Fund – Human Resources – Unfunded Claims – Medical Supplies; 0860 – 220 – 3830 – RISK – 6795.”

The afterthought resulting in the emergency purchase comes as Councilor Toyia Tucker (District 4) has continued to hound Hugley about the lack of having a designated project manager for the city’s new $225 million judicial center, which is currently only being supervised by Inspections & Codes Director Ryan Pruett.

Tucker has now twice asked Hugley to rectify the issue by assigning a professional project manager, though Hugley has now twice refused.

Pruett, as a result, is still left doing his own job — which is a rather large one by itself — while also bearing responsibility for the oversight of an entire $225 million construction project that doesn't have a proper project manager.

It does not take much thought to understand how oversights like the lack of AED purchases can result without having dedicated professional oversight of a $225 million project paid for by taxpayers' specially-raised funds.

We wonder what else might also be left out of the new judicial center if the city couldn’t even manage to remember to order AEDs on a project one-fifth the size.

Perhaps city officials ought to consider that, along with the city manager’s lengthy track record of excusing it all away through spin.

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

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