EMS service contract termination presented during regular Snyder City Council meeting

Effective May 31, the Survival Flight EMS, LLC contract with Snyder, Mt. Park and Roosevelt will be terminated according to a notice delivered to City Hall on Dec. 12. 
The following notice was addressed to the Kiowa County Dist. 3 Ambulance Board and the three towns, and the unsigned signature block indicates it was from the contractor’s Regional Director Tre McPherson. It was dated Nov. 18 but was not provided to the city prior to Dec. 12:
“We are writing regarding the contract executed March 18th, 2022 between the parties addressed in this letter and Survival Flight, EMS, LLC. We have been honored to serve the citizens in this region with high quality EMS services. Unfortunately, with the increasing costs of providing EMS services, combined with low run volume and low reimbursement from insurance carriers, we must make a difficult decision regarding continuing our services.
“The cancellation clause in this agreement requires 90 days written notice by either party to cancel the agreement. The renewal cycle on this agreement is May 31 each year. Please consider this notification of our cancellation of the agreement (attached for reference), effective May 31, 2025.”
Council Member Alan Ford reported that he has contacted them, but they have not provided any numbers. Ford said the contractor was at the County Commissioners meeting asking for funding. Ford has contacted several other service providers to see if they can put together a packet to give the council an idea of what an increased budget could look like.
Ford also said a Feb. 5 public meeting has been scheduled at 6 p.m. at the vo-tech in Hobart to discuss the possibility of establishing a countywide 522 district, but no one had any numbers. Ford said that would take about two years to implement, so the council will need to find another solution regardless. He said he believes he is the only person who has made any contacts. He added that until the council has numbers to work with, they can’t make a plan of action.
City Clerk Penny Ray explained that the current contract is not with the city but with the ambulance board. It does not appear that the contractor communicated this intent to terminate to the board. Ray said the secretary and the head of the board did not receive the notice and had not been aware of it.
Ray said the city had notified the board secretary of the agenda item and had thought that Trey was attending this meeting, but he was not present. Questions were raised about the legality of a notice if it was not presented to the actual party contracted. The cities provide funds to the board, but they don’t control the board.