Tavares, FL - Wed., Sept 12, 2012 - Update Sept. 14 - As expected the NLCHD Board approved continuation of the 1 mill tax. Most other taxpayer advocates left the meeting before public input, and only three people, including myself, gave public input. The second required public hearing for final approval of their budget and millage rates is next Thursday, Sept 20th, at 5:15 pm at the County Admin building in Tavares. They also implemented several adminstrative steps to implement HB-1299. Watch for an upcoming article, plus we will post videos of the entire meeting to our YouTube account. The Board agreed to implement many of the website deficiencies we describe below. Attendance of taxpayers probably isn't needed, since 4 of the 6 Board members favor the hospitals and will approve a full 1 mill rate regardless of public input.
Here is our original Sept. 12 article:
Readers who are concerned about the spending of taxpayer funds by the North Lake Hospital District are encouraged to attend tomorrow's Board meeting:
When: Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, 5:15 pm (allow time to park due to traffic circle construction) Update: 8:25 pm Wed - A recipient of our email pointed out the TRIM notice says the meeting doesn't start until 5:30 pm, not 5:15pm, so I will notify the Chair - but I would be there before 5:15pm vj
Where: Lake County Administration Building, 315 W. Main St., Tavares, Board Chamber room
The meeting agenda is included at the BOTTOM of this document.
Be sure to forward this to any friends concerned about oversight of taxpayer funds in Lake County, FL
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HERE is an email I just sent (Sept 12, 2012) to the Board of the North Lake County Hospital District about their website and actions:
To: Board of Directors for the North Lake County Hospital District
- Ken Carpenter
- Jerry Brown
- Marilyn Bainter
- Fran Grossi
- Robert Bone
- Roger Beyers
Tomorrow night, Thursday, Sept. 13th at 5:15pm, you will have another Board meeting.
I looked at the District website and found:
The agenda is listed in a tiny section of “Recent Documents”, but there is no announcement in the main section where it still shows the August 23rd meeting.
Since this is one of two State required public hearings for millage and budget approvals, I find this lack of transparency to be disturbing. Yes, I am sure you
Today, an elected official was telling me how lackadaisical and non-transparent your website was, and how I need to update my old one to provide the details the public should know.
For instance, on your website http://www.northlakecountyhospitaldistrict.org/home/ :
- There are no clear descriptions of what some of the document are – such as the “KPMG Obligated Group FS 2010”… I had to download and open it to see it was the LRMC audit.
- Entries are not in a consistent format – some start with dates and others with text.
- Entries for Minutes & Documents seem to be sorted in date of posting, not chronologically based upon publishing date.
- There is no clear announcement of the two required meetings and dates for approval of the budget and millage rates.
- There are no draft copies of the minutes of the last meeting as discussed in prior meetings.
- The documents and minutes are not configured to open into a pdf or other document for quick reading. Instead they must be downloaded, then opened.
- There are still no contact details, phone or email, for the Board members.
- There are no copies of the prior and current legislation authorizing the District.
- There is no overview or mission statement for the District.
- There are no copies of the advertisement notices for the meetings.
- There are no administrative contacts for the attorney or accountant, or mailing address, email or phone.
- There is no policy section, or past documents discussed at meetings – both the County & the School District post Powerpoints, attachments, etc for separate agenda items. ALL discussed handouts,
documents and attachments for each agenda items should be uploaded under each agenda, with clear descriptions.
- There is no policy on public input. Other boards have them, and ALL allow public input, either at each agenda item, or at the beginning or end of the meeting. My recommendation is to allow public input at each agenda item before the Board votes on an action. The recent practice of prohibiting public input from taxpayers while allowing unlimited information from Hospital staff is not acceptable.
- I have asked to be on the mailing list for agendas and meeting attachments, but received nothing about tomorrow’s meeting. You should be maintaining an objective list of all interested parties and email them all the same information. It is NOT helpful for transparency credibility when only the Board gets handouts or documents and none of the public can get them.
The Board members must ensure there is adequate transparency over the District and fund uses. I would suggest you improve the website as above to improve your credibility and image as being transparent.
Meeting Videos are needed: Additionally, the Board needs to authorize the County audio visual operator (who is always there – David) to take videos of EVERY meeting. All the equipment is there and he does that for other meetings. He can produce a video on a DVD for $2. You should also create a YouTube account and upload the videos there.
Meeting issues – several meetings have been held to discuss implementation of the new, governing legislation, HB-1299
- The Board has prohibited any public input at the last two meetings while allowing Hospital staff unlimited time to talk. On Tomorrow’s agenda, you even list their presentations. The new legislature governing your district specifically removed the names of all hospitals to provide the opportunity for competitive providers who are local clinics. So why do you continue to give them free reign?
- You have attempted to reword the intent of the law to still allocate all funds to the two hospitals and THEIR clinics
- You have not attempted to get a competent, objective Health care consultant to develop policies and procedures, but instead are using input from the Hospitals, which conveniently have provided information to support that only THEY and their clinics get 90% or more of the District funding.
- You have not advertised or solicited RFP’s from other local clinics or used an outside, objective attorney to describe how you can also provide funds to for-profit or other non-profit clinics, including the Lake County Health Dept. clinics.
- The Board has consistently belittled the new regulations and intent, and stated plans to request changes in the law to reduce oversight or other requirements.
- You have only taken funding analysis from the hospitals to support their contention that they should get all the indigent care funds.
- You have focused on dilution of the legislature’s oversight specifications by accepting the Hospital pleas to use average costing rather than case based costing.
- Neither hospital provides hospital specific financials. Instead, they provide “group” financials so no analysis can be conducted on their specific internal profits or costs. That is unacceptable. You should request individual hospital financials, including those for the clinics, and they should be posted on the website.
- You are supposed to represent the taxpayer interests in ensuring transparent and competitive sourcing of providers of indigent care, and it does not appear to ME that you are doing that.
- The Board has consistently proposed and collected a full 1 mill tax for many years. The new legislation now allows you to set the millage rate BETWEEN 0TO 1 mill. The South Lake County Hospital District sets theirs at .8 mill, and I recommend you do the same until you see solid evidence of spending levels and efficiencies from competitive providers. (Note: This was added on the blog, but was not in the email - vj)
As a taxpayer advocate, I am amazed at the lack of balance of proceedings and your visible efforts to maintain the prior status quo. Since the three new Board members are all ones solicited by friends of LRMC, and no other candidates could afford to match their potential funding, you have the power to continue as is, but we will all remember your actions when the required voting takes place in 2016.
Vance Jochim
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Sept. 13, 2012 North Lake County Hospital District Board meeting Agenda:
AGENDA
NORTH LAKE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2012
LAKE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ROOM
5:15 p.m.
I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Roll Call
IV. Approval of Minutes –Special Meeting- August 23, 2012
V. Old Business
a. Engagement letter for audit – W. Chet Ross, CPA
b. Requiring audit of providers receiving <10% of the tax proceeds. If so, documentation required from free clinics?
c. Audit/accounting firms’ proposals for required audit procedures
VI. New Business:
- Presentation from Florida Hospital/Waterman
- Presentation from Leesburg Regional Medical Center
- Request from free clinics
d. Board action of proposed Budget Amendment for 2012/2013
e. Recitation for the record (a) the name of the taxing authority,
(b) the rolled-back rate, (c) the percentage of decrease over
the rolled-back rate, and the millage rate to be levied.
f. Waiver of the reading of entire proposed Resolutions.
Reading of Resolution titles.
g. Letters of Agreement with the State of Florida, through the Agency for Health Care Administration.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
h. Hearing of public comments on Resolution 2012-01– setting millage
RESOLUTION OF THE NORTH LAKE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE FOR THE 2012-2013 FISCAL YEAR
i. Hearing of public comments on Resolution No. 2012-02- adoption of budget
RESOLUTION OF THE NORTH LAKE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSED
BUDGET FOR THE 2012-2013 FISCAL YEAR
PUBLIC HEARINGS CLOSED
BOARD ACTION:
- Board action on Resolution No. 2012-01
Motion and adoption of tentative millage rate by separate vote
- Board Action on Resolution No. 2012-02
Motion and adoption of budget by separate vote.
- Any other matter necessary to achieve the aforementioned goals.
- Other New Business:
VII. Adjournment
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT PATRICIA SYKES-AMOS at 352- 383-6300 AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE THE DATE OF THE SCHEDULED HEARING.
F.S. 286.0105 “If a person decides to appeal any decision or recommendation made by council with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, he/she will need record of the proceedings, and that for such purposes he may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.”
This agenda is provided to the North Lake County Hospital District only as a guide, and in no way limits their consideration to the items contained hereon. The North Lake County Hospital District has the sole right to determine those items they will discuss, consider, act upon. Changes or amendments to this Agenda may occur at any time prior to, or during the scheduled meeting. It is recommended that if you have an interest in the meeting, you make every attempt to attend the meeting. This Agenda is provided only as a courtesy, and such provision in no way infers or conveys that the Agenda appearing here is or will be the Agenda considered at the meeting.
