New procedure will change appointment method; commissioners will no longer sit on WMH Authority
By SPARKY NEWSOME editor

From now on, the Wills Memorial Hospital Authority will have more control over the selection of its members and, beginning in 2008, members of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners will not be allowed to serve on the hospital's governing body.

The change in procedure came following a lengthy discussion at the regular June meeting of the County Commission last Thursday and was prompted by a letter from Authority Chairman Lawrence Burton which spelled out the Authority's proposal and the method for making it happen. Charles LeGette, who serves as attorney for both the County Commission and the Hospital Authority, had earlier said that approval of a joint resolution in which both parties agree on procedure would be sufficientto make a change official. A second step, he said, would be a vote of approval by the Georgia General Assembly.

Burton's letter reported that the Authority had already voted unanimously, with County Commissioner Donna Hardy abstaining, that two provisions be included in a joint resolution as follows:

"First, that the Hospital Authority be responsible for making all nominations for open or expiring seats to the Authority and that the Commissioners make appointments only from the list of nominations.

"Second, that the Commissioners would resolve to refrain from making any further appointments of a member of the Board of Commissioners to the Authority board. Further, the commissioners would join with the Authority during the next legislative term to seek a modificationof the local act deleting the authority of the commissioners to appoint a commissioner to the Authority board."

Burton said that at the last meeting, the commissioners had made it clear they wanted a "hands-off" position with regard to the hospital and that "too many boards were trying to run the same thing." that the proposal was nothing new and that it would amount to going back to the way appointments were made prior to the early 1990s.

LeGette pointed out that since the Wills Memorial Hospital Authority was formed earlier than many others in the state, the law which created it gives it more latitude than the newer authorities. While others may have very specific requirements for making changes, in this case, the procedure is fairly simple.

"Fundamentally, if these two boards can agree on a way to do it, you can modify it with a joint agreement that would be effective immediately," LeGette said. The second step would complete the process at the next legislative session with a local act providing that commissioners not be allowed to sit on the Authority.

There seemed to be some slight reluctance on the part of the commissioners to give up a seat on the Authority but there were several citizens in the audience who obviously felt strongly about the issue.

"I don't see any good thing about it," said Dave Derrick, who added that not having a commissioner on the Authority "would be a great step in improving relations between the two bodies. Politics need to be out of it," he said, "and you have the opportunity to do it - so do it!"

Commissioner John Howard said he had "no problem" with a commissioner not being on the Authority. Commissioner Jerry Stover, who has himself sat on the Authority, questioned if such a removal would make for a better board. Commissioner Divenski Lee said that the advantage he could see from having a commissioner on the board would be that the county would have an "ear to know what's going on." However, he said, "We should be trying to work together for a common interest."

Hardy defended her position on the Authority saying she is "just as committed to the renovation of Wills Memorial Hospital as any member of the Authority. I probably use the hospital more than most people in this room," she said. "It's hard for people to understand that we can be a committee member at one meeting and then come up here and be a commissioner at another meeting." She said she didn't have a problem with a commissioner's position coming off the Authority but she wanted to be sure it was done "the legal way."

Amid the move to take a commission seat from the Authority, Burton said, "I want to hasten to say that nobody on the Authority is questioning your [the commissioners] loyalty to the hospital. That has never been the issue although we may disagree on the best way to get there."

"The hospital is doing good," Wiley Crittenden said, "but it needs to have the opportunity to rise above where it is today. Turn it over to them," he advised, "I think that would be the quickest way for this hospital to accelerate its improvement instead of being involved with politics."

Stover asked what the hospital's current financial status is and Burton responded that final figures were not yet available but "it's going to be another good year." He said that there is about $400,000 in profit right now but "that's probably going to increase when the final settlement comes in. It looks pretty good."

Howard made the motion and the vote was unanimous to take the necessary legal steps to change the appointment process as outlined in Burton's letter. According to that plan, an appointment will be made to fillthe vacancy left by the recent death of Joe Griffin. Hardy will serve the remainder of her current term on the Authority but will not be reappointed at its expiration in December. Then, once the Georgia General Assembly acts on the new procedure during its 2008 session, a new appointment will be made to fillthe seat formerly held by Hardy.

All of the commissioners; Lee, Hardy, Howard, Stover, and Chairman Sam Moore; were in attendance at the meeting held at 2 p.m. on June 14 as were LeGette, County Administrator David Tyler, and a fairly large number of visitors.

In other business, the commissioners:

l Conducted a hearing to answer questions on the proposed county budget for the coming fiscal year. The total proposed budget amount for the county's general fund is $6,808,675.00. A second hearing is set for Wednesday, June 27, at 5 p.m., at which the final budget will be adopted.

l Adopted the county's Solid Waste Management Plan.

l Adopted an Employment Incentive Program (EIP) resolution which is required to allow for grant applications.

l Heard Tyler's report that Local Option Sales Tax received for the month of March was $63,747.89 and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for the same month was $97,668.06.

l Approved an intergovernmental contract to guarantee a loan of $1+ million by the Payroll Development Authority for the Avigenics facility.

l Granted tax relief to Sandra Stewart for a duplicate tax bill in the amount of "about $40.00."

The next regular meeting of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners will be on Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m.

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