The Gilbertsville Area Community Ambulance Service recently lost more than half of its leadership. Earlier this month, five of its nine board of directors resigned within a five-day period, according to information provided by Douglass Township Manager Andrew Duncan.

            The resignations followed a special meeting held on Sept. 4 by the township's board of supervisors to discuss the service, located at 91 Jackson Road in the municipality. Chairman Joshua Stouch and Vice Chair Sara Carpenter approved a motion to prepare a request to seek prices for services from other ambulance services outside the municipality. 

            Member Don Bergstresser abstained from the vote, citing his role as a member of the service's board of directors.

            Between the following day and Sept. 9, five board members resigned, according to an email message received Monday from Duncan. It states that those members included Bergstresser, Vice President Jessica Gisinger Doran, Secretary Kimberlee Stouch – who is married to the board chair – Heather Kokonos and Joseph Vogel.

            According to the manager's message, some members offered no reason for their resignations. He wrote that others referenced an anonymous letter written to the township, referenced by Duncan during the special meeting, that included concerns about alleged issues at the service. Others cited a hostile atmosphere among board members.

            "It appears that they have some internal issues among board members and are working on correcting those issues currently," Duncan wrote. "At this time, it does not appear that the internal board issues are affecting emergency response in the township with emergency medical staff."

            A social media message sent Monday to Doran, as well as an email message sent Monday to the ambulance service, were not returned.

            Joshua Stouch described the action taken on Sept. 4 as information gathering and announced that the approval did not signify a decision by the board to stop utilizing the ambulance agency. He also expressed concern that the service could soon cease operations.

            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 Sept. 4 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."

            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.

            The Sept. 4 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.