More than two years after the arrest of the Gilbertsville Area Community Ambulance Service's operations chief, the Douglass Township Board of Supervisors continues to express unease with the organization. Last week, the board voted unanimously to seek prices for ambulance service from entities outside the municipality.

            During a Sept. 4 special meeting, Chairman Joshua Stouch and Vice Chair Sara Carpenter approved a motion to prepare a request for a proposal to provide ambulance services in the municipality. Stouch told the audience – consisting of members of the service's board of directors, its leadership, two uniformed crew members and its most recent former operations chief – that he gets "pissed off" when the township hears accusations that the agency has acted improperly.

            "I feel like I'm being stepped on," he said.

            Member Don Bergstresser abstained from the vote, citing his role as a member of the service's board of directors. After the vote, Stouch announced that the approval did not signify a decision by the board to stop utilizing the ambulance agency.

            The chair described the action as information gathering. Stouch also expressed concern that the service could soon cease operations.

            "Maybe someone else has a better business model that GACAS can learn from," Stouch said following the vote, near the end of the 80-minute meeting.

            Still, Stouch told the audience that he was the last person in the room who wanted the organization to fail. He said the township needs to make sure the ambulance agency is operating at peak form and make sure municipal involvement is worthwhile.

            Carpenter agreed to approve the motion "so long as this is Plan B, not Plan A" after the chairman said he had no plans to replace the private service, headquartered at 91 Jackson Road in the municipality.

            In 2022, the township and the entity partnered to supply a needed basic public service. Municipal officials support that mission by providing critical financial support in the form of a dedicated tax and professional support by member directorship on the board of directors.

            "The township has certain expectations regarding the services provided and the operations and management of the entity and use of taxpayer money," Stouch wrote in a text message.

            The supervisor described the vote as the creation of a backup plan. Stouch explained that he met with representatives from other ambulance squads two years ago following the arrest of former Chief Garry R. Schmoltze, Sr. and the temporary closure of the service.

            "This is no different than that," said Stouch, who described the discussion as the continuation of a May 14 informational session with service representatives. "I have no idea what's going to happen."

            On Tuesday, the service's board of directors received a letter requesting the resignation of its interim operations director, Angela Erb. Ambulance board members did not respond to a Sept. 5 email message requesting a copy of that letter.

            A direct message request seeking comment from Jessica Gisinger Doran, the service's vice president, sent Sept. 5 on her social media page, was not returned.

            During the meeting, Township Manager Andrew Duncan disclosed the receipt of an anonymous letter identifying multiple alleged improprieties related to the service.

            Solicitor Wendy McKenna advised the members not to disclose those details.

            The meeting agenda outlined five areas of concern. Stouch argued that the service lacked adequate financial controls and is not properly following its by-laws. He expressed concerns that having employees serving on the board of directors creates the appearance of a conflict of interest.

            The supervisor also claimed too many people had access to personnel files and expressed his opinion that the service needs to hire a full-time chief and/or a full-time office manager.

            In terms of financial controls, Carpenter said she is looking for the organization to develop strong oversight so the municipality doesn't need to micromanage it. For the last two years, the township has contributed approximately $304,000 to the service after implementing an emergency services tax.

              In March, Schmoltze – the service's former chief – settled his criminal case and avoided jail time by pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of access device fraud in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. The county District Attorney's Office chose not to prosecute Schmoltze on 65 other criminal counts, including four felonies. Schmoltze received a sentence of two years probation following a June 9, 2023, arrest in Douglass Township.

            In advance of his guilty plea, the defendant repaid the full restitution amount to the victims, according to Kate Delano, the director of communications for the DA's office. She wrote in an email message that a similar arrangement is offered to all white-collar criminals.

            Law enforcement officials claimed Schmoltze made illegal purchases with two credit cards. All counts date back to April 30, 2021, according to information posted on a state judicial website. They accused him of using his position for his personal benefit by using a company-issued Elan Visa Business Card for personal use.

            According to the police criminal complaint filed in the court of District Judge Maurice Saylor, Schmoltze used the card to purchase medication through Express Scripts, home heating oil, firearms, testosterone supplements, security cameras, gun cases, military backpacks and "go bags," Roku streaming devices, and music through Amazon throughout 2021 and 2022.

            Overall, he was accused of making 36 unauthorized purchases with the card at a total cost of $5,967.79 and not making an effort to pay GACAS for these unauthorized purchases.