Weeks after the Allen County Regional Hospital began operating under a lease with Saint Luke’s Health System, a newly reorganized Board of Trustees gathered for the first time Monday.
The members were the same, but the name, the chairman and the purpose have all changed.
The board is now known as the Facilities board, and they’ll be responsible for the upkeep of the physical aspects of the hospital — the buildings and grounds — at an expected annual cost of at least $450,000. The board operates on behalf of the county.
Chairman Loren Korte, who saw the board through the transition with Saint Luke’s for more than a year, stepped down to serve as vice chairman under Terry Sparks.
The new group “hit the ground running,” as Sparks said, by approving $165,000 for two projects.
The first is a remodel of the hospital’s pharmacy, which is required by federal regulations but delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second project will replace a shield in the radiology department, after a test by Saint Luke’s found areas where radiation leaked through. That’s a safety issue and needs to be repaired immediately, trustees said.
THE FACILITIES board will oversee an annual hospital maintenance fund of at least $450,000, which is the minimum required under the lease agreement with Saint Luke’s. That’s an estimate for the annual cost of maintenance for the building. In exchange, Saint Luke’s will take over about $2 million in annual bond payments, saving taxpayers.
The maintenance money is collected from a quarter sales tax that expires at the end of the year and generally collects more $500,000 each year. On Aug. 4, voters will decide whether to approve a “new” quarter sales tax, replacing the existing one. If that election fails, the county will need to set aside about 3 mills in property tax money to fulfill the financial obligation.
Look to the Register for more information about the sales tax election later this week.
THE NEXT meeting of the Facilities board will be in September, but a date and time have not yet been determined. The board plans to meet every other month.
