SUMMARY MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
County Commissioner Chambers/ Zoom
September 18, 2025
TRUSTEES: Allen Jones (zoom) Paul Westcott
Chuck Mackett Michael Kint
Kerry Bartlett Karen Deigl
ABSENT: William Cooney
STAFF: Frank Isele Shanen Cox
Kate Voss Jennifer Peshke, Esq.
Kaytlin Dickens Dawn Carboni
Jennifer Frederick
ZOOM: Anne Posey Kimberly Jeansonne
Althea Mullarkey Dana McNally
Lisa Zahner Tracey Griffis
ATTENDEES: Dan Culbert Marie Andress Bob Auwaerter George Lynch George Pellington Hester Bloom
Miriam Soto Lauretta Farrell Vicki Soule Ann Marie McCrystal
Convene Meeting, Pledge, Consent Agenda
Ms. Bartlett convened the regular monthly meeting of the Indian River County Hospital District at 5:31 PM. Although it was not on the agenda, Mr. Westcott asked that the group participate in and led the pledge of allegiance. Next, Ms. Bartlett asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda and an August disbursement of $1,702,297.29. Mr. Kint made the motion which was seconded by Dr. Mackett. The motion carried unanimously.
District Counsel Report
Ms. Peshke provided her report and stated that the monthly meeting packets now include Form 8B, which is the Statutory Memorandum of Voting Conflict and attorney’s overview. She has also been working to review the District’s bylaws and propose amendments based on new policies adopted this year. These amendments will be brought forward for review and possible adoption later in the year. Additionally, correspondence has been sent to VCOM requesting an update on their investment requirements within the Human Services Building lease agreement and the District received a response on September 2nd, which was forwarded to the Trustees. Additionally, she also received communication from the St. Johns Water Management District with regard to the application the VNA submitted for the retention pond matter. She stated that she can discuss next steps about this under unfinished business.
There was Trustee discussion surrounding the matter with VCOM and their concerns about the lack of action they have taken to develop the property. They also recognized the challenges they are facing with the Florida Legislature. Mr. Isele stated that he and Ms. Peshke are working to schedule a call with VCOM representatives to have these concerns discussed and see where the District can support them moving forward. A few Trustees recommended having an additional backup plan for the use of the building should this partnership with VCOM be dissolved. It was also acknowledged that VCOM is continuing to reimburse the District for the operating costs of the building. Ms. Bartlett requested further documentation from VCOM outlining the steps they have taken so far with their legislative efforts and building renovations.
Financial Statement Review
Mr. Kint stated that the District’s financial position after 11 months of the fiscal year remains strong. At the end of August, the District received $21,311,921 in ad valorem taxes, with an additional $4,142 for the month. The ad valorem tax receipts are at 100.8% of the budget due to extra payments received throughout the year. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury holdings were $6,711,270 with an average interest rate of 3.964%. The preferred deposit pool had $3,521,331 at 4.27% and local operating account held $625,255, bringing total investments and cash holdings to $10,857,856. Next, he reviewed the year to date versus budget spreadsheet. He pointed out that the District made its first capital contribution campaign payment to TCCH which was recorded as an unbudgeted expenditure. Therefore, combined program and administrative expenses totaled $17,786,990, which is 87.9% of the budget or 86.67% if the $250,000 contribution was reduced.
Executive Director Report & Staff Updates
Before he began his report, Mr. Isele recognized Ms. Frederick and Ms. Voss to celebrate their 10-year work anniversary with the District this year. He also recognized Ms. Voss for recent certification she received from the Florida Association of Special Districts.
He then asked Ms. Dickens to provide a walkthrough of data she pulled tougher for an upcoming discussion on substance use disorders and access to treatment within Indian River County, the state and nationally. The data showed that in 2024, 25.5% of people aged 12 and over nationally reported illicit drug use, with 16.8% experiencing a substance use disorder, and only 3.5% received treatment. In Indian River County, the drug overdose death rate was 36.7% per 100,000 people in 2023, peaking post-COVID but showing a recent decline, though still above the Florida average since 2020. Overall, the data showed that when individuals sought substance use treatment, the data outcomes were improved.
Next, Ms. Voss provided an update regarding the stakeholder meeting that was held to roll out the letter of intent process (LOI) for operations of the 10th street property. She first provided the Trustees with an overview of the process so far and then outlined the timeline for the LOI, with responses being due to the District by October 10th. She also provided the Trustee with information on her efforts to find an engineering firm to assist with obtaining an independent analysis and determination regarding the VNA retention pond matter. The District received one proposal which was provided to the Trustees for consideration.
Mr. Isele addressed the board and acknowledged the changes the District implemented this year to its funding process and thanked the community partners for their willingness to work through this transition. He assured the board that he and the staff will continue to work with the funded agencies during the full transition to fee for service and will support them should any financial hardships be discovered in the process. Ms. Frederick further stated that she and Ms. Fox have met with almost all the community partners to discuss the funding transition and they will be sending out survey to gather valuable insight on the transition and highlight where any improvement can be made. Ms. Cox further discussed this matter and provided a walkthrough for the Trustees of the new monthly invoice template and budget tracking sheets. Lastly, Ms. Carboni provided an update on her auditing process and stated the first round of audit letters were sent out to the initial eight agencies. She and Ms. Cox have already conducted one audit, and the process is moving forward effectively. Once she has drafted several of the reports, she plans to provide copies of them to the Trustees in batches of two.
Ms. Isele informed the board that in his research into additional revenue opportunities for the District he engaged consultant Jordan Flick to do an independent analysis of grant opportunities for Special Districts. She has completed the report and will present her findings to the board at the November Chairman’s meeting.
Unfinished Business
Mr. Westcott discussed his postponed motion from last month’s meeting. Ms. Peshke restated the motion, which was for the District hire an engineer, after receiving correspondence from the St. John’s Water Management District, who would evaluate the water storage needs based on existing information from the VNA. There was Trustee discussion, and they asked Ms. Voss for clarification on her process in looking for potential engineering firms. She explained that she reached out to three firms and heard back from two. One declined to participate, and the other provided the attached proposal for consideration. The Trustees had further discussion and felt her process was adequate to move forward with a vote. Ms. Bartlett called the question and the motion carried unanimously.
Additional Funding Request- Dynamic Life
Mr. George Lynch, Director at Dynamic Life addressed the board. He stated that in a review of the funding for the remainder of the year, it was discovered that they would not have sufficient funds to support the counseling and scholarship programs for the remainder of the year. His initial request to the District was for $12,000 in gap funding but stated that in an effort to remain fiscally responsible with the funds, he is amending his request to $8,000. He explained that this would cover expenses if there were no new scholarships given in September and fully cover all counseling services. Ms. Bartlet asked if historically Dynamic has had months where no scholarships were given. Mr. Lynch stated that typically each month they have new clients who will need to utilize scholarship funds. Based on this information, Ms. Barlett recommended that they maintain their request at $12,000 given that the funds will only be expensed if used. There was also Trustee discussion surrounding the residency requirement for clients who receive scholarships. Mr. Lynch explained that the program at Dynamic is a long-term program with clients staying at a minimum of 6 months to a year or more. If a client was living out of state and comes to Dynamic to participate in the program, it is the expectation that they will gain employment in Indian River County and become involved within the community. There was no further discussion, and Mr. Kint made a motion to approve the $12,000 additional funding request, which was seconded by Mr. Bartlett. The motion carried unanimously.
Public Comment/Adjourn
There was no further discussion or public comment. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Karen Deigl, Secretary
