SUMMARY MINUTES
CHAIRMAN’S MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
September 17, 2025
10:00 AM
TRUSTEES: Chuck Mackett William Cooney(zoom) Michael Kint Paul Westcott
Allen Jones (zoom) Kerry Bartlett Karen Deigl
STAFF: Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Frank Isele
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Kaytlin Dickens
Shanen Cox
ZOOM: Wayne Creelman Dana McNally Marybeth Cunningham Ceclia Stalnaker Kimbery Jeansonne Tracey Griffis Colette Heid Sarah Cleek Rick Rothman Michael Hammes Chuck Brooks Lisa Zahner Barb Bodnar Jeff Pickering
Pat Knipper
ATTENDEES: Bob Auwaerter Marie Andress
Kosta Velis
Convene Meeting
Ms. Bartlett convened the meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 10:00 AM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person. Due to Dr. Cooney being unable to attend the meeting in person, Ms. Bartlett stated that she was asked to lead today’s meeting.
FY 25-26 Budget Discussion
In Dr. Cooney’s absence, he asked Mr. Isele to read a statement that he had prepared. The statement reflected on the Districts mission to enhance the health and wellbeing of the community. Currently the District taxes at only 15% of its maximum millage rate, in comparison to other county entities who utilize much higher percentage of their total taxing allowance. He voiced his support for maintaining the millage rate of .7650, as it is the District responsibility to safeguard and strengthen healthcare. To meet these challenges the District must continue to engage the community and support open dialogue. Maintaining the millage will allow these important efforts to continue. Mr. Isele also provided the Trustee with a handout that showed the current taxing levels for all county organizations for reference.
Mr. Jones addressed the board and provided his insights regarding the millage and the District historical data on the same. He stated that a decade ago, the District’s millage rate stood at .9900 and has since been lowered by 23% through deliberate strategic planning and targeted investments. Mr. Westcott also addressed the board and stated that he would like to see the reserves reduced to at least 8 million. He also noted changes and conversations that are currently happening in Tallahassee relative to property values, inflation and healthcare. He believes most of the changes going into effect will not affect the District until the next few years. Dr. Mackett asked for clarification on the $9.1 million cash and reserves figure. Mr. Isele stated that it is the most accurate figure after the monthly disbursements for August were processed. Mr. Isele also provided the information to the Trustee from the Government Finance Officers Association, which recommends maintaining 6-8 million in reserve funds. Mr. Kint also spoke to the matter of reserves and maintaining 25-35%. Additionally, he stated that the Financial and Audit committee is in the process of reviewing a reserves policy for the District, which will provide further guidance in this matter. Mr. Kint also suggested that lowering the millage rate to .7450 would reduce the reserves to $7.6 million and reduce the budget percentage increase to 3.9%
Next, there was discussion surrounding maternity sustainability and the potential financial support the District would set aside for Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital (CCIRH). Mr. Isele also informed the board that CCIRH has submitted a funding application for $2 million to support this initiative. Additionally, the District and CCIRH are currently working on a 12-month maternity services agreement that will outline service delivery, performance expectations, and accountability standards to ensure progress towards a sustainable future for maternity care in the county. There was Trustee discussion and while they agreed that this was a good first step, they recognized the need for further considerations for a longer-term solution. There was also discussion surrounding the potential review of a need for a NICU at CCIRH. After further discussion, Dr. Mackett made a motion for fiscal year 2025-2026, the District earmark up to $2 million for maternity care pending an agreement with CCIRH. The motion was seconded by Mr. Jones and there was Trustee discussion. Ms. Deigl stated that she would like assurance of a long-term commitment from CCIRH to continue these services and asked if Cleveland Clinic enterprise was also a party to these agreement discussions. There was additional Trustee discussion which echoed Ms. Deigl’s comments.
Ms. Bartlett then asked for public comment. Mr. Bob Auwaerter addressed the board and stated that he believes Dr. Mackett motion was incomplete and should have more detailed information. Next, Dr. Rothman addressed the board and stated that he serves on the Cleveland Clinic regional executive team and Cleveland Clinic enterprise is committed to supporting maternity services in Indian River County. Also, last year CCIRH conducted a feasibility study on the possibility of having a NICU at CCIRH and stated there is interest in exploring this matter further. Additionally, the goal for the next 12 months includes developing a working group to work with Partners, especially focusing on women’s services, which may meet more frequently than quarterly. Currently CCIRH is on track to deliver 900 babies and also set to finish the $7 million renovation of the labor and delivery unit by the end of this year. Mr. Jeff Pickering of the Community Foundation provided his public comments and thanked the Trustees for their time and attention to this community issue. He discussed the Community Foundation and philanthropic support to the community which totaled $159 million. He also recognized the important work that was done to address the infant mortality rate, which has significantly decreased over the last several years. He encouraged that board to not solely focus on salaries and overhead, but to consider this a matter of life and something the community wants to support. After further Trustee discussion the vote was taken on Dr. Mackett’s motion which carried unanimously.
Next, Dr. Mackett made a motion to adopt a millage rate of .7450 for fiscal year 25-26, which was seconded by Mr. Jones. There was Trustee discussion and Dr. Cooney stated that it was mentioned before is believes the millage should be maintained at the current level of .7650. Ms. Deigl and Ms. Barlett also agreed with Dr. Cooney’s comments and were not in favor of lowering the millage. Mr. Jones stated that he was agreeable to the motion and that the funds will be adequate for the District to carry out its mission. There was no further public comment and Ms. Bartlett asked for public comment. Ms. Carboni addressed the board stated she has conducted extensive research while drafting the District’s reserve policy which she hopes to be able to share with the Trustees soon. She highlighted the need for operating reserves and emergency reserves. She also mentioned that the board has not considered capital reserves for their buildings and pointed out the importance of having emergency reserves, especially since the District is in a hurricane zone. Additionally, she noted that the board has not engaged in risk planning or considered strategies for potential emergencies, such as pandemics or natural disasters which should be addressed in the future. Ms. Voss asked that the ad valorem tax value be stated for the record, which Mr. Isele confirmed was $23,735,274. Ms. Bartlett called the question on the motion which passed 4-3 with Dr. Cooney, Ms. Deigl and Ms. Bartlett in opposition.
Public Comment & Adjourn
There was no additional Trustee discussion or public comment. The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 AM.
