SUMMARY MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Indian River County Hospital District Conference Room/ Zoom
February 25, 2025
10:00 AM
TRUSTEES: Chuck Mackett William Cooney Michael Kint Paul Westcott (via Zoom)
Allen Jones Kerry Bartlett
ABSENT: Karen Deigl
STAFF: Dawn Carboni Jennifer Frederick
Kate Voss Frank Isele
Jennifer Peshke, Esq. Kaytlin Dickens
ZOOM: Marie Andress
ATTENDEES: Vicki Soule Laretta Farrell
Convene Meeting
Dr. Cooney convened the special meeting of the IRCHD Board of Trustees at 10:00 AM by welcoming those participating via Zoom and in person.
Recap Performance Review Recommendations
Ms. Carboni provided an update on the performance review recommendations, highlighting both easily implementable changes and those requiring more extensive discussion and planning. She also developed a draft framework that was created to address complex recommendations over a three-year period, allowing for further strategic planning and accountability. Additionally, she stated that the Finance and Audit Committee has also been involved in reviewing these recommendations and tracking their progress. The Trustee were appreciative of this review, especially for new board members Mr. Jones and Dr. Mackett.
Discussion on District Funding of Capital Campaigns
Ms. Bartlett led the group in discussion which centered on whether the District should fund capital campaigns. She provided a PowerPoint which outlined historical action and potential concerns for this matter. There was Trustee discussion, and some concerns were raised about taxpayer dollars supporting funding for buildings versus direct healthcare services and also highlighting the need for accountability and oversight in any potential funding decisions. Further discussed were the issues surrounding the complexity of funding capital campaigns versus capital expenditures and the need for a policy which addresses both. Ms. Carboni emphasized the importance of developing a formal policy regarding capital campaign funding, suggesting that this should be a priority moving forward. She also raised her concerns about the implications of funding capital campaigns without adequate controls and policies in place. After further Trustee discussion Ms. Bartlett made a motion to establish a policy that the District not fund capital campaigns, which was seconded by Mr. Jones. After further Trustee discussion many felt that this was too restrictive, and the motion failed 4-2. Mr. Westcott addressed the board and stated that he believes the board should make a determination about the Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH) capital request which was submitted several months ago and place a moratorium on any additional requests, until a policy can be developed. Mr. Jones also believes that there should be a supermajority vote to approve any capital funding requests moving forward, and that any policy created should reflect that the District would not fund capital campaigns. Mr. Isele stated that staff are currently working to develop a policy and will include the discussion items from today’s meeting. Ms. Peshke also agreed that the District should develop a thorough policy with regard to this matter. Therefore, Mr. Westcott made a motion, aside from the request from TCCH, to have a moratorium on any further capital requests, until a policy can be developed and vetted by the Finance and Aduit Committee. Mr. Kint seconded by the motion for discussion. There was Trustee discussion and there was some confusion surrounding Mr. Westcott motion and if it included the most recent capital request received by Whole Family Health Center. Most Trustees felt that his motion was not clearly addressing the other capital requests and the motion failed. After further Trustee discussion Mr. Jones made a motion to consider the TCCH capital request which was submitted to the District several months ago and have a moratorium on all other requests until a policy is developed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kint and carried 5-1.
Next the discussion shifted to the capital request submitted to the District by TCCH. Dr. Mackett recused himself from the discussion and left the room. Ms. Farell further discussed the request and proposed a multi-year funding structure. She further stated that there is approximately $660,000 in the Districts current budget for the TCCH mobile units which most likely will not be utilized and could be allocated to this request. There was Trustee discussion surrounding the District’s financials and if this request could be supported, which Mr. Kint stated it could. It was also recommended that the request be paid out over the next three years with a sunset date of September 30, 2029. After further discussion Mr. Kint made a motion to approve the TCCH capital request with a payment structure of $250,000, to be paid out by September 30 of each fiscal year, sunsetting on September 30, 2029. Additionally, it was included that TCCH complete a funding application for the request. The motion was seconded by Mr. Jones and Dr. Cooney asked for public comment, which there was none. The motion carried 4-1, with Ms. Bartlett is opposition and Dr. Mackett being recused from the vote.
Partner Funding Transition Process
Ms. Bartlett led the discussion and stated that based on the District’s new strategic direction and the goals and objectives approved by the Trustees, hypothetically there will be funded agencies who are currently receiving District funds that may no longer qualify for funding in the fiscal year 25-26 funding cycle. She would like for District staff to develop a plan with goals to address this transition. She asked for Trustee input, and they agreed that these agencies should be given a “off ramp funding” that could potentially conclude on December 31, 2025, and that maintaining a positive relationship through the transition was important. It was also clarified that no agency would be given automatic funding, and all currently funded agencies would still need to go through the funding application process and be approved for fiscal year 25-26. There was additional Trustee discussion and some felt that a three month off ramp was not enough time to transition the agencies and suggested funding conclude at the end of fiscal year 25-26. Additionally, the Trustee agreed that funding could be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to see what off-ramp plan would work best for the agency. Mr. Isele stated that he and the staff would begin to craft a document which would addressed the items discussed today for the funding transition process.
2025 Letters of Intent
Ms. Frederick spoke to the Letter of Intent (LOI) process, which was a new initiative for the District. She explained that it was designed to provide District staff with the opportunity to vet new funding requests to assure that they aligned with the Districts goals and objectives, before allowing the agency to complete a funding application. She stated that they offered two informational meetings for these agencies so they could better understand the funding transition and letter of intent process. Since then, staff has received 11 LOI’s with the requests totaling $1.1 million. Mr. Isele then spoke to the content of the LOI’s and stated that he was disappointed in some of their responses as many did not submit information outlining how the programs aligned with the District goals, or include quantitative measures. However, he and Ms. Frederick did feel that there were a few programs that could potentially align with the Districts new funding initiatives and it was decided that they would allow those agencies to submit the quantitative data requested, for further consideration. However, all other deadlines for the FY 25-26 funding process would remain the same.
Public Comment & Adjourn
Dr. Cooney asked for public comment and there was none. The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 PM.
