Hickman County TN

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

Health, Safety & Properties · Meeting · Aug 3, 2026 · 6:00 PM

Mon, Aug 3, 2026

Advises on public health and safety initiatives, emergency preparedness, and the care and use of county-owned buildings and grounds.

Join the Substack

Listen

Play the meeting audio here. Use the speed controls if you want to move through it faster.

Speed

Outline

This outline was generated by an LLM from a transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. Prefer the original recording when available.

The committee’s substantive work centered on EMS finance: approval of two monthly financial reports, a small hardship write-off for an elderly patient, surplus of two EMS vehicles, and a much larger debate over $5.248 million in old ambulance bad debt. Members separated truly uncollectible debt from debt that might still be pursued, ultimately approving a write-off for debt incurred before June 2020—about $4.091 million—while directing that outstanding EMS debt be reviewed every July going forward so old receivables do not accumulate unnoticed again.

Other notable items included EMA’s generator grant match increasing because the state added a $6,000 contingency line, FEMA reimbursement tracking for Winter Storm Fire, a mold closure affecting a General Sessions courtroom, the sheriff’s report that the jail population had fallen to 119, approval to surplus a problematic 2014 Ford Explorer, and authorization for retiring Sgt. Johnny Davis to receive a donated Rock River rifle in place of the usual service pistol.

Call to Order / Roll Call

  • Committee convened with a quorum present.
  • No one signed up for public comment.

Approval of Agenda and Minutes

  • Agenda approved on motion and second.
  • Prior meeting minutes approved as circulated by email on motion and second.

Department / Official Reports

EMS 0:03:00

  • 0:03:20 Two monthly EMS financial reports were presented because the committee did not meet the prior month:
    • Earlier month: 285 runs, $70,000 collected, $235,266 charged out.
    • Current month: 285 runs, $88,032.39 collected, $194,227.50 charged out.
  • 0:03:35 EMS noted that the previously approved $305,461 ambulance grant had moved into procurement; the new ambulance had been ordered and was reportedly already in production with graphics being added before shipment.
  • 0:05:00 Motion to approve both EMS financial statements carried by roll-call vote, with all members present voting yes.

EMS hardship write-off 0:05:30

  • 0:05:30 EMS requested a patient-specific write-off of $181.14 for an 83-year-old woman on fixed income.
  • 0:05:45 Context given:
    • She had two outstanding bills.
    • Insurance had already paid $1,051.
    • The remaining balance was described as unaffordable for her.
  • 0:06:20 Members expressed sympathy, with one remarking that it was unfortunate to save someone’s life and then pursue them over a relatively small remaining bill.
  • 0:06:40 Motion to forgive $181.14 carried by roll-call vote, unanimously among members present.

EMS vehicle surplus 0:07:10

  • 0:07:10 EMS asked to surplus two vehicles:
    • An older ambulance whose box was too small to retrofit with a power-load cot system; EMS said it had been kept only as an emergency backup in case a manual cot had to be put back in service.
    • A 2010 Dodge Charger formerly used as a director’s vehicle and kept far longer than needed.
  • 0:07:45 EMS also asked that sale proceeds be placed into a line item intended to help replace a supervisor truck with 207,000 miles.
  • 0:08:05 Committee counsel from the chair was that surplus approval could happen now, but routing the proceeds to a particular fund line would need to come back later, likely at the next commission/budget step.
  • 0:08:20 Motion to surplus the ambulance and 2010 Dodge Charger carried by voice vote.

EMS bad debt / collections policy 0:08:40

  • 0:08:40 EMS disclosed a newly identified ambulance receivables problem totaling about $6.2 million in outstanding debt dating back to 2012.
  • 0:09:00 Explanation for the discovery:
    • The issue surfaced during year-end audit closeout work with Finance Director Crystal Fitzgerald.
    • EMS said no prior committee action could be found in past minutes to formally write off old debt.
    • EMS said outstanding ambulance debt had been discussed many times historically, but no action had ever been taken to clear old balances.
  • 0:09:35 Current collections arrangement:
    • When EMS changed billing companies in October of the prior year, AWA Collections in Dickson was expected to pursue bad debt.
    • EMS said a signed agreement from June of the prior year was eventually located, confirming that arrangement.
    • Under the current process, accounts go to collections after 120 days.
  • 0:10:15 EMS reported what it learned from the collection agency and billing company:
    • Anything older than six years is considered uncollectible under the legal framework described to them.
    • The collection agency itself will only pursue debt going back four years.
    • As a result, EMS asked initially to write off $5.248 million of bad debt.
  • 0:11:00 Breakdown discussed:
    • $4,091,408.94 was said to be older than six years and effectively impossible to collect.
    • Roughly $1.102 million remained in a range where collection might still be attempted.
  • 0:11:35 Members questioned how such a large balance had gone unaddressed and whether prior spikes in similar numbers had appeared before. EMS said it was also surprised by the size of the receivable and only learned of it during recent finance review.
  • 0:12:20 Members asked whether the four-year and six-year limits were newly imposed. EMS said that was what both the billing company and collection agency stated that day, but could not say whether it reflected a new law or current industry practice.
  • 0:13:00 Finance’s recommendation, relayed by EMS, was to revisit ambulance bad debt annually so the county would not again face a multi-million-dollar cleanup. EMS suggested August; members later amended that to July.
  • 0:13:40 Members asked about expected recovery on the collectible remainder; EMS estimated perhaps about half, but emphasized even modest recovery would be worthwhile.
  • 0:14:30 Additional discussion on why balances go unpaid:
    • Some accounts reflect uninsured patients.
    • Medicare and TennCare pay only part of the allowable amount, leaving patient balances.
    • Some debtors are deceased.
    • The account file reportedly contained about 38,000 lines/names.
    • EMS contrasted older billing problems with the current billing process, which now includes multiple reviews before claims go out.
  • 0:16:30 Motion to review EMS outstanding debt every July carried by voice vote, creating an annual check so aging accounts are addressed before they become stale.
  • 0:17:20 Members then narrowed the immediate write-off question to debt that had no realistic path to collection:
    • Debt incurred before June 2020.
    • Dollar figure stated as $4,091,408.94.
  • 0:18:20 A motion was made to write off the $4,091,408.94 amount; it was amended for clarity to write off debt incurred prior to June 2020.
  • 0:19:10 Discussion on the amended motion:
    • Members asked whether another collection company might pursue older accounts.
    • EMS answered that, based on what they were told, the issue was not simply this vendor’s preference; debt collectors would not pursue such old ambulance accounts, citing the current billing environment and the “No Surprises” framework discussed.
  • 0:20:05 Roll-call vote approved the amended motion unanimously, classifying debt incurred prior to June 2020 as uncollectible.
  • 0:20:40 EMS confirmed no further committee action was needed to pursue the remaining collectible balances; collections efforts would begin aggressively the next morning.

EMA / Emergency management 0:21:00

  • 0:21:10 EMA returned to the generator grant for EMS stations 1 and 2, plus a third generator previously discussed.
  • 0:21:20 Problem raised:
    • The state added a $6,000 contingency cost to the project.
    • Total project cost now stands at $125,790.
    • Because of the match formula, the county share increased to $8,723.75, while the city share would be $7,000.
    • EMA said this was about $1,500 more than previously agreed.
  • 0:22:05 EMA asked for committee support so the mayor could sign the final grant paperwork and the county would not lose the chance at the generators, which were described as badly needed.
  • 0:22:35 Members did not vote immediately. They advised bringing the final numbers to the next budget meeting so finance guidance could be confirmed, especially since the update had arrived late that afternoon.
  • 0:23:15 EMA also gave a FEMA update on Winter Storm Fire:
    • The county is nearing the end of the FEMA reimbursement portion.
    • Packet materials reportedly break reimbursements down by department.
    • EMA said the cited county reimbursement estimate was the FEMA portion after the 75/25 split.
    • Cat Z and TEMA reimbursement were not included yet and would come later.
    • EMA also included reimbursement figures for the Town of Centerville, which was being processed through the same system.
  • 0:24:00 No formal action was taken on the FEMA report; it was informational.

Court facilities / mold issue 0:24:20

  • 0:24:20 A facilities/court update reported a mold issue in “courtroom B.”
  • 0:24:30 Cause described:
    • A central HVAC unit had not been functioning properly.
    • A leak associated with that unit led to mold after the courtroom sat closed up.
  • 0:24:50 Status:
    • The room had been shut down the prior Thursday.
    • A remediation company had inspected it that morning.
    • A quote was expected later that day or the next day.
  • 0:25:10 The affected courtroom was identified as Judge Amy Puckett’s General Sessions room, and all activity there was being held off until remediation details were known.
  • 0:25:30 A rough remediation timeline of about one week max was suggested, though the speaker said everything still depended on the final quote and scope.

Sheriff’s report 0:25:50

  • 0:26:00 Sheriff’s office said operations were otherwise normal and that the jail population had dropped to 119, described as a significant improvement from recent higher counts.
  • 0:26:20 The sheriff requested permission to surplus a 2014 Ford Explorer, saying the vehicle had been plagued by ongoing problems and was no longer worth keeping in service.
  • 0:26:40 Motion to surplus the 2014 Explorer carried by voice vote.
  • 0:27:00 The sheriff also requested a retirement transfer for Sgt. Johnny Davis, who was said to have about 30 days left before retirement.
  • 0:27:20 Instead of the customary service pistol given to retirees with more than 20 years of service, the sheriff asked to transfer a donated Rock River rifle that Davis had reportedly carried for eight to ten years since it was donated to the office.
  • 0:27:55 Members treated the rifle request as a retirement recognition tied to long service and approved it by voice vote without objection.
  • 0:28:20 The sheriff closed by thanking the committee for its support over the past four years and credited that support with helping the office improve its operations.

Unfinished Business

  • No old business was identified.

New Business / Agenda Items

  • No additional new business was identified beyond the reports and actions already taken.

Adjournment

  • Motion to adjourn was made and seconded.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
285 Runs EMS runs in earlier monthly report 0:03:20
$70,000 Collections EMS collections in earlier monthly report 0:03:20
$235,266 Charges EMS charges in earlier monthly report 0:03:20
$305,461 Grant / capital Previously approved ambulance grant; ambulance ordered 0:03:35
285 Runs EMS runs in current monthly report 0:03:20
$88,032.39 Collections EMS collections in current monthly report 0:03:20
$194,227.50 Charges EMS charges in current monthly report 0:03:20
83 Age EMS hardship write-off patient age 0:05:30
2 Count Outstanding bills for EMS hardship write-off patient 0:05:30
$1,051 Insurance payment Amount already paid by patient’s insurance 0:05:45
$181.14 Write-off EMS hardship balance forgiven 0:05:30
2010 Vehicle year Dodge Charger approved for EMS surplus 0:07:10
207,000 Mileage EMS supervisor truck mileage cited as replacement reason 0:07:45
$6.2 million Receivable total Total outstanding EMS bad debt discovered 0:08:40
2012 Year Start of oldest EMS debt discussed 0:08:40
October Date reference EMS billing company change took effect 0:09:35
June Date reference Prior-year collections agreement located, signed by mayor 0:09:35
120 days Aging policy Accounts now sent to collections after this period 0:10:15
6 years Legal / aging limit Debt older than this described as uncollectible 0:10:15
4 years Collection limit Collection agency said it would only pursue debt this far back 0:10:15
$5.248 million Proposed write-off Initial EMS bad-debt write-off request 0:10:15
$4,091,408.94 Uncollectible debt EMS debt older than six years / prior to June 2020 0:11:00
$1.102 million Potentially collectible Remaining EMS debt still worth pursuing 0:11:00
38,000 Accounts / lines Number of EMS debt lines/names referenced 0:14:30
July Annual review timing Month adopted for annual outstanding-debt review 0:16:30
June 2020 Cutoff date Debt incurred prior to this date written off 0:17:20
$6,000 Contingency cost State-added generator project contingency 0:21:20
$125,790 Project cost Total generator project cost after contingency 0:21:20
$7,000 Local match City share for generator project 0:21:20
$8,723.75 Local match County share needed for generator project 0:21:20
$1,500 Increase Approximate extra county cost over prior understanding 0:21:20
75/25 Match ratio FEMA reimbursement split referenced 0:23:15
1 week max Time estimate Suggested mold remediation timeframe 0:25:30
119 Headcount Jail population 0:26:00
2014 Vehicle year Ford Explorer approved for sheriff’s office surplus 0:26:20
30 Days Approximate time until Sgt. Johnny Davis retirement 0:27:00
20 years Service threshold Usual retirement-weapon eligibility standard 0:27:20
8–10 years Time period How long Johnny Davis had carried the donated Rock River rifle 0:27:20