RICK AVERY PRESIDENT

J. BRAD CUMMINGS VICE PRESIDENT

D,STR,CT 1

HENRY D. "HANK" MEACHUM 430 SI:iADYWOOD LANE HAUGHTON. LA 71 037

RES. 9.49-01.10

DIS),"AICT2

GLENN BENTON 31.4 MURRAY LANE HAUGHTON. LA 71037 RES. 949-0851

DISTRICT 3

WANDA BENNETT 309 JACOBS POINT BENTON. LA 71.006 RES. 965-2940

DISTRICT 4

WINFRED R. JOHNSTON 258 HIGI:iWAY 537

PLAIN DEALING. LA 71064 RES. 326-4279

DISTRICT'5

BARRY BUTLER

1988 SWAN. LAKE RD. BOSSIER CITY. LA 71111 CELL 617-4651

DISTR.ICT 6 RICK AVERY

524' WEDGEWOOD BOSSIEI'! CITY. LA 71111 RES. 747-.4185

D,STRICT?

JIMMY COCHRAN 2420 DOUGLAS DRIVE BQSSIER CITY. LA.71111 RES. 7.42-8174

DISTRICT 8

J. BRAD CUMMINGS P.O. BOX 6446

BOSSIER CITY. LA.71171 RES. 746-7316

DISTRICT 9

WILLIAM R. ALTIMUS 3002 JUNE LANE BOSSIER CITY. LA 71112 RES. 742-7216'

DISTRICT 10

JEROME L DARBY 1212 GIBSON CIRCLE BOSS.lEI'! CITY. LA 71112 RES. 747-3489

DISTRICT 11

WAyNE HAMMACK 4008 WAYNE AVENUE B.OSSIER C'ITY: LA 71112 RES. 746-6297

DISTRICT 12

PAUL "MAC" PLUMMER 123 OAKLAWN DRIVE BOSSIER CITY. LA 71112 RES. 742-7489

BILL ALTIMUS l_ AOMINSTRATOR

BOSSIER PARISH POLICE JURY

P.O. BOX 70

PH. 318-965-2329 FAX 318-965-3703

BENTON, LOUISIANA 71006 www.bossierparishla.gov

April 15, 2011

Ms. Doris Grappe

P. O. Box 302 Haughton, LA 71037

Dear Ms. Grappe:

The Bossier Parish Police Jury would like to thank you for your years of service and dedication as a board member for Bossier Parish EMS.

The police jury has decided to make changes at EMS and accordingly, will constitute a new board of directors.

Therefore, we are asking members of the current board of directors to submit their letter of resignation to the office of the Bossier Parish Police Jury by the end of business I Tuesday, April 19th, 2011.

Thanking you in advance,

~I~=--=="'"

Bossier Parish Administrator

BA:cd

SHERYL A .• THOMAS I TREASURER

--~-----'------'--------------'----------

JOE E. "BUTCH" FORD, JR., P_E_ PARISH ENGINEER

PATRICK R. JACKSON PARISH ATTORNEY

CINDY A. DODS.ON SECRETARY

RICK AVERY PRESIDENT

J. BRAD CUMMINGS VICE PRESIDENT

DISTRICT 1

HENRY D. "HANK" MEACHUM 430. SHADVWOOD LANE HAUGHTON, LA71o.37

RES. 949-0110

DISTRICT 2

GLENN BENTON 314 MURRAY LANE HAUGHTON, LA 71 0.37 RES. 949-0851

DISTRICT 3

WANDA BENNETT 30.9 JACOBS POINT BENTON,'LA 710.0.6 RES. 965-2940.

DISTRICT 4

WINFRED R. JOHNSTON 258 HIGHWAY 537

PLAIN DEALING, LA 71 0.64 RES. 326-4279

D,STR,CT 5

BARRY BUTLER

1988 SWAN LAKE, RD. BOSSIER CITY, LA71111 CELL 61.7-4651

DISTRICT 6

RICK AVERY 524WEDGEWQOD BOSSIER CITY. LA 71111 RES. 747-4185

DISTRICT 7

JIMMY COCHRAN 2420. DOUGLAS. DRIVE BOSSIER CITY, LA 71101-1 RES. 742-8174

DISTRICT 8

J. BRAD CUMMINGS P.O.- BOX 6446

BOSSIER CITY. LA 71171 RES. 746-7316

DISTRICT 9

WI.LUAM R. ALTIMUS 30.0.2 JUNE LANE BOSSIER CITY. LA 71112 RES. 742-72·16

DISTRICT 10

JEROME L DARBY 1212 GIBSON CIRCLE BOSSIER CITY. LA 71112 RES'. 747-3489

DISTRICT 11

WAYNE HAMMACK 4008 WAYNE AVENUE BOSSIER CITY, LA 71.112 RES. 746-6297

DISTRICT 12

PAUL "MAC" PLUMMER 123 OAKLAWN DRIVE BOSSIER CITY, LA 71112 RES. 742-7489,

BILL ALTIMUS AOMINSTR"ATOR

BOSSIER PARISH POLICE JURY

P.O. BOX 70

PH. 318-965-2329 FAX 318-965-3703

BENTON, LOUISIANA 71006 WWW.bossierparishla.gov

April 15, 2011

Ms. Charlotte Hamiter P. O. Box 90

Plain Dealing, LA 71064

Dear Ms .. Hamiter:

The Bossier Parish Police Jury would like to thank you for your years of service and dedication as a board member for Bossier Parish EMS.

The police jury has decided to make changes at EMS and accordingly, will constitute a new board of directors.

Therefore, we are asking members of the current board of directors to submit their letter of resignation to the office of the Bossier Parish Police Jury by the end of business, Tuesday, April 19th, 2011.

Thanking you in advance,

~~

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mus

Bossier Parish Administrator

BAed

JOE E. "BUTCH" FORD, JR., P;E.

PARISH' ENGINEER

PATRICK R. JACKSON PARISH ATTORNEY

SHERYL A. THOMAS TREASURER

CINDY A. DODSON SeCRETARY

April 5, 2011

Mr. Bill Altimus Parish Administrator P.O. Box 70

204 Burt BLVD. Benton, LA 71 006

RE: Resignation from BPEMS Board of Directors

Dear Mr. Altimus:

I am writing to inform you that I am resigning from the Bossier Parish Board of Directors today, April 6,2011. Although it was an honor to be appointed to the board, I cannot remain associated with a governing body that is ineffective in its mission. The mission of the board is to serve the greater good of the people of our parish by overseeing both the administration and operations of EMS.

The sole purpose of having EMS is saving lives. It is our duty to protect the funds, assure they are used in the most efficient way, while following said laws that govern such a public service in order to be ethically and morally sound. I no longer believe that the citizen's best interests are being considered by the present administration nor do they feel they should follow the guidance or orders given by the board. The board has effectively endorsed the actions/inactions of the administration that are in direct conflict with good order and efficient operations related to accepted practices of public service.

I have been a member of the board since November 4, 2009. In that time I have spent endless hours trying to convince others to embrace positive change for our citizens. I have been met with a renegade spirit from EMS administration as well as other board members. I do not believe either have the ability to oversee the dedicated men and women who serve on the streets where the rubber meets the road. The boots on the ground EMS employees have watched administration grow in numbers and salaries all while they risk their lives for lesser wage and less opportunity than other area EMS entities. The administration lacks the ability/credibilitylhonesty to lead such an important quality of life issues for our citizens.

I am strongly advising the Jury who appointed me to take this situation very seriously and to protect our citizen's investment in EMS (including mine) because EMS would not exist if not for our tax dollars. I pride myself as being someone who does not quit anything, but I cannot continue to be associated with the present board or administration without sacrificing my own integrity. Our board president, Dr. Brian, has tried for many years to fight these issues only to face the same problems and frustration. If left to continue on its path I feel embarrassment to our great parish will ensue and the service we place our hands will be compromised.

sm~~ I " - ,( 2-------

Robert Berry

Vice President BPEMS Board of Directors

4/1/2011 David R. Brian, D.V.M 3387 Hwy80 Haughton, LA 71037

Rick Avery, President Glenn Benton, Juror

·SiII Altimus, Juror/Administrator

Bossier Parish Police Jury 204 Burt Blvd.

Benton, l.A 71006

Duxie Scott, Director

Bossier Parish Emergency Medical Service PO Sox 1002.

Benton, LA 71006

Sirs:

It has been an honor and privilege serving on the Bossier Parish Emergency Medical Service BO<Jrd of Commissioners.

Challenges have been met with more to engage.

--- -, v,

Infrastructure is in place to serve our parish for years to come with growth in population and service demand.

Due to personal circumstance, I hereby tender my resignation effective immediately.

Sincerely,

/\)1----- ....

David R. Brian, D.V.M.

David K. Anderson 419 W Palmetto

Plain Dealing La. 71 064 April 11, 2011

The Bossier Parish Police Jury Courthouse Blvd.

Benton La. 71111

Dear Jurors,

It is with regret that I tender my resignation from the Bossier Parish Emergency Medical Service board of directors, effective immediately.

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to serve on the board of this fine organization for the past 16 Years and I offer my best wishes for its continued success.

Sincerely,

David K. Anderson

/-/--/7-11

RECEIVE[)

APR 2 0 2011

BOSSIER PARISH POLICE JURY

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BOSSIER PARISH EMS SUMMARY OF EVENTS

For Police Jury Review

A. Director Duxie Scott refuses to follow direction/orders from Board of Directors concerning unauthorized raises.

1. Mr. Scott was ordered by vote in regular meeting of the Board of Directors on xxxxxxx to reverse unauthorized wage increase that was not approved by the Board or included in 2011 budget for 2

a. received a $3,566.62 increase/year with $2,400 coming from the

unauthorized portion.

b. received $3,598/year with $2,400 of his coming from the unauthorized

portion.

c. Both of these individuals account for an unauthorized increase in budget totaling $4,800/year difference in the 2011 budget. They both had already received an approved wage increase of 2% in the 2011 budget with all employees.

2. Mr. Scott was ordered by vote in regular meeting of the Board of Directors on xxxxxxx to resend unauthorized wage increase of $5,400/year that was not approved by the Board or included in 2011 budget for the Mechanic.

a. pay was increased to $64,893.83.

b. He had already received the 2% raise in the 2011 budget.

3. Mr. Scott was ordered by vote in regular meeting of the Board of Directors on xxxxxxx to resend unauthorized wage increase/promotion from part time to full time.

a. full time position was not approved by the Board or included in 2011

budget.

b. The increase was $40,305.00/year bringing his wage to $63,798.10.

c. He had already received an additional 2% in the 2011 budget on his part time wage before going full time.

4. At a Special Meeting called by the Board on last Thursday, March 10, it was discovered that none of the Boards orders were followed concerning the raises/promotion.

a. When Mr. Scott was asked if had followed the orders of the Board in res ending the raises he said he was not told to do so. Minutes were retrieved and read from the previous meeting where he was clearly ordered to do so.

b. None the less he had prepare the last 2 weeks payroll with the raises and

promotion left intact. This was an act of insubordination and defiance that has now caused these individuals to have an expectation of the raise on this week's check.

c. was told to keep working full time directly going against what was

ordered by the Board. This creates another problem due to the fact he is expecting to get his full time wage instead of part time for the last 2 weeks.

d. Same with the others in that they will expect their check to have the raise on it as well due to Mr. Scott not following the Boards' orders.

5. The Board members discussed all of this over the last 4 weeks with Mr. Scott on many occasions.

1

1. : _ _"-," ":" _" •

n duty back

a. Although Mr. Scott had stated her condition as a fact, he could not present any documentation to support her disablement when asked to do so.

b. He said that he actually never received any supporting medical opinion.

c. has been allowed to periodically act as a paramedic on a back up truck since

Mr. Scott has told us she was disabled. So it seems Mr. Scott knew she was not really disabled or he was willing to take an enormous risk if she really was disabled.

d. While she was on light duty they were utilizing her in the office. Although this is a normal practice for workman's comp issues, the others were expected to be on the road to recovery and bring documentation when released. That way they could be placed back on the ambulance in their hired position. When these individuals are not on the ambulance it increases overtime costs.

2. Mr. Scott started the process to hire a

the

a.

position stated that she became by administration that the wage was only

disinterested when she and others were

going to be pay.

b. The made a wage of $26,250.00 while continues to make

her wage of $48,188 as a This has created problems in that

employees feel they were mislead concerning the wage so that they would not pursue the position.

3. Director did not make follow policy (November 27, 2007) "Notes of procedures

for Work Related Injury and/or claims" .....

a.

b.

c. never followed up and no release or paperwork required by Mr. Scott as it had for

others.

C. Mr. Scott knowingly hired someone in the recent past with a felony charge and conviction.

1. who is the son of was hired by Mr. Scott

admittedly he knew had a felony conviction for greater than $20,000 on stolen

just made a

goods. When asked he stated he thought it would be ok and that bad decision at his last job.

2. No other employee has been allowed to continue working with a felony conviction or hired with one. However Mr. Scott is aware of 5 fulltime and 4 relief employees having arrest and/or convictions since the the inception of Bossier Parish EMS.

3. With hiring, other employees have voiced their concerns because he has keys to

stations, vehicles, and thus their personal items. They state it makes it hard to understand

2

· .

why BPEMS would even do a background check if they were going to hire someone with a felony conviction.

4. Public Service that is provided by BPEMS is dependent upon gaining the trust of the citizens that those who are hired into the agency are law abiding citizens. It could be of embarrassment to the organization and parish if something was to happen and the criminal history was known.

5. Mr. Scott admitted to irregular hiring practices with that he did not advertise for

the position nor was anyone else interviewed.

D.

is allowed by Mr. Scott to work an abnormal

administrative work schedule.

1. She is allowed to take off during the week to work as a in Shreveport.

a. No other employee is granted this right.

b. She is second in command of BPEMS and it would stand to reason that in that capacity she would need to be present and available during normal hours of business and after hours in most cases.

2. This has meant that at times she has not been available to handle issues because she is not present during the work week when most administrative business takes place.

a. She is allowed to make up this time on weekends.

b. This is problematic because of accountability.

c. When asked about the weekend time by the Board and if she used her parish vehicle to go time job Mr. Scott said "as stated before, I do not believe I have to supervise working office hours".

E. During the last Board meeting Board member 1. Meaning that ••••

told

he did not follow the chain of command.

of the Board is supposed to go

through administration including him before going to the Police Jury with concerns, questions, or advice. This proves that does not understand his own chain of command.

2. Attached you will find a chain of command that comes from their BPEMS policy booklet.

The Board members answer only to the Police Jury (the body who appointed the Board members). This not only shows that he is unaware of whom he answers, but also shows a deep seated lack of respect for the Board members by the very top of BPEMS administration.

3. Mr Scott did not attempt to correct this was disturbing, but does not come as a

surprise because he never takes control of employees during outburst so it was not expected.

4. The parish attorney witnessed how he conducts himself at the last meeting and actually had to step in several times so that business could be conducted while trying to calm rebellious, obnoxious, and non professional behavior from Mechanic all while Mr. Scott sat idle.

F. Ethical Issues.

1. Hiring practices are less than professional as previously mentioned from not advertising for positions to hiring someone with a felony conviction.

3

a. Public jobs are hard to come by and have great benefits in very difficult times.

b. Eventually, and probably sooner than later, someone is going to come along that will have a legitimate claim if not corrected.

c. This definitely could cause public trust to be broken and a large sum of money to be spent unnecessarily.

2. Mr. Scott paid a fine for nepotism in the past for hiring relatives (hired his son).

a. Also he had hired a relative to perform mechanical work for EMS.

b. This is one of the most obvious things a manager for public entities should know and understand is illegal and ethically wrong on day one.

c. This again could cause public trust to be broken and a large sum of money to be spent unnecessarily.

d. A question has been raised to a Board member of whether the individual who did the roofing work at the station in Plain Dealing is related to Mr. Scott. There was no bid accomplished and cost $9,900. Do not know the answer to the question at this time.

3. BPEMS has also seen sexual harassment charges filed against a supervisor who at the time was working for the service.

a. The male supervisor was given several chances by Mr. Scott, and then the service and he were inevitably sued.

b. It was not the first time a claim was made against this particular supervisor who had been a long time friend of Mr. Scott.

c. More recently a similar situation had been circulating the employees at stations on and off duty.

i. Two Board meetings ago, before the meeting started, Board members

_ informed Mr. Scott that they had received this information from a concerned employee that an on duty female employee was seen laying under a blanket with the on duty male supervisor at the station on the couch.

ii. The concerned employee knew the female was married and it bothered him that he might get put in the middle of a bad situation.

iii. In fact, he was so uncomfortable he would stay outside until the supervisor would leave. He stated this occurred more than once.

d. Administrative Assistant said that the girl is just friendly, and that he did not

think anything was going on. obviously missed the point.

i. Whether or not it actually was occurring was only a part of the problem and s was worthy of giving it a hard look.

iv. The fact that he was not concerned shows that he does not understand his role as an administrator.

e. The two Board members had to demand something be said to the supervisor about the

situation because Mr. Scott and Assistant going to do anything.

f. Seems the awareness would have gone up after the harassment charges as a lesson learned.

were not indicating that they were

4. An individual questioned our Bid process from Custom Truck and Body works, Inc.

a. In the bid package they were the low bid. Taylor Made who was awarded the bid came in at $125,313.00 while Custom Truck's bid was $125, 185.00.

4

b. The owner of Custom Truck and Body wrote and called to state his dissatisfaction and did not understand how ifhe was the low bid why he was not awarded the ambulance.

c. He stated that he was aware that some changes had been made after the fact concerning what was included on the bid.

d.

in his letter to Custom Trucks stated that he evaluated the lowest two

and came to the conclusion that Taylor made was the best because they offered some travel and overnight stay in their package and delivery of the ambulance to Benton.

e. In the financial statements for November and December 2010 Board member during the Board meeting about an irregularity concerning the purchase of the new ambulance.

i. The Statement of Revenues and Expenditures ending November 30th had $118,066.67 Budgeted and $134,824.18 Actual showing an over budget of $]4,757.51,

ii. The Statement of Revenues and Expenditures ending the following month in December had $128,800.00 Budgeted and $132,824.18 Actual showing over budget of only $4,024.18 which was a difference of $10,733.33 from the prior month.

iii. Mechanic responded that it was due to an upgrade on the generator that comes on the ambulance. There had been an upgrade made after giving the bid to Taylor Made. stated that he had written two different checks to "avoid any irregularities with the bid payment process." This upgrade was not mentioned in the bid package and changed it from the original in a major way

iv. mentioned Taylor would deliver to BPEMS at their cost as one of

his decisions to go with Taylor Made but in fact and picked up the

ambulance at the expense ofBPEMS.

v. continues the line of questioning asking if we got a credit for the

smaller generator to offset the cost of purchasing the larger one that was not in the bid? ~tated he kept it and it was actually at the office.

vi. This meant that BPEMS paid for two generators within the purchase of the ambulance instead of one another major change to the bid.

f. stated that he did not think it was a good idea to keep extra or surplus

He asked if the wrong generator was an error on Taylor Made's part. it was not, that he had requested the change. The smaller generator cannot be found on our latest equipment list.

G. Missing material from building after tornado.

1. Several requests have been made to Mr. Scott of where the metal roofing that was left over from the tornado has gone.

2. This information was requested in writing on 1124/11 along with other questions for Mr.

Scott from the Board of Directors.

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had been told it was being stored somewhere after the storm but now it seems it is a topic being avoided for some reason. No response was given to the written request.

5

H. Mr. Scott has admittedly refused to follow several orders given to him by the Board on several different occasions and has misstated the truth on several occasions to avoid following thru with orders given.

1. He was given direction by the full Board to order a Chevy Tahoe at $24,793.00 in the place of the vehicle originally budgeted for 2011 which was a Ford Expedition at $28,000.00 saving a few thousand dollars. This particular vehicles also saves money by being prepped for lights/siren when the expedition is not.

a. He was told to call and ask the parish purchasing agent to order the vehicle due to the fact he had previously ordered a similar vehicle recently thru state contract and tell inform him that EMS was going to pay for the vehicle.

b. Instead he called the purchasing agent after having to be prodded several days by the board only to have him falsely tell the purchasing agent that he did not know who was paying for the vehicle.

c. He then told the president of the Board that the purchasing agent told him the vehicle was not on state contract any longer.

d. The purchasing agent was asked if he told Mr. Scott this and he said no. He stated in fact that he had told Mr. Scott he would order the vehicle and to just let him know when he was ready.

2. Mr. Scott told the two Board members he ordered the vehicle himself and others at the EMS office stated the same.

a. The dealership was contacted by the purchasing agent to assure that the correct color and other items were ordered on the vehicle by Mr. Scott.

b. He was informed that the vehicle was never ordered and that he did not have any new order from Bossier Parish.

c. When the Board members contacted Mr. Scott he was not forthcoming at first and then stated that the following day he was visited by the board members again. This is when he admitted he never ordered the vehicle and did not intend on doing so.

d. Once again the Board members ordered him to do so by a certain time and call personally when he knew for sure it was done. He finally ordered the vehicle but defiantly had his Assistant call to say the vehicle had been ordered instead of doing it personally as the Board ordered.

3. Mr. Scott was given direction to prepare an old ambulance for donation to the LA State Fire Marshal who had sent in a request last year to receive the ambulance if possible.

a. The Board voted to do so in the February meeting and no issues were stated by Mr. Scott.

b. The legal paperwork was drawn up a the day after the meeting and the president of the Board informed Mr. Scott to have the vehicle ready for donation almost 2 weeks before the donation was going to take place.

c. Mr. Scott now states that someone else might want the ambulance in the parish but did not mention this in the board meeting where it was voted to donate it and all arrangements had been made.

d. The board members had to check into this due to Mr. Scott's lack of interest and motivation so that we were not faced with an embarrassing situation in having to call and back out on the Governor's office staff.

6

4. Now _has states that he had other pressing issues and was not going to have the ambulance ready on the date of donation and that he would decide when he was ready and when the donation could take place.

a. The donation arrangements had already been made with the State and local media knowing plenty oftime was given.

b. The Louisiana State Fire Marshal had personally made arrangements to come except the ambulance for the State wide Urban Search and Rescue Team created by Governor Jindal 2 years ago.

c. The president and vice president had to go once again to the office to get the administrative office to follow their orders and to assure they were followed thm because Mr. Scott once again did not do as asked and was defiant along with his staff.

d. Another email went out from_ stating he had found some time to break away from his what he was doing to get the ambulance ready for the donation date.

7