Today’s county commissioners court agenda contemplates approving the hospital district projects that the court approved $152 million in bonds for earlier this year, of course without asking the public. Local physicians are furious over this.
Once again our local officials choose to tell us only part of the story. Our two cents covered this in more detail.
Please remember that the CEO of the hospital has told us that the hospital is operating at a profit. Then why is $29 million being allocated to remodel four floors of the old hospital? The answer is simple — if the hospital had to pay for upkeep of the facility out of normal operating funds they would not be profitable. All facilities, commercial and governmental, have to budget for periodic refreshing. If operating revenues cannot pay for this, the facility is not profitable over the long term.
The CEO also has told us that building the outpatient facilities will save us $17 million a year in operating costs at the hospital emergency room. Will these savings be used to pay for the bonds?
If not, then we are paying for both the bonds and the $17 million annually that they will doubtless spend on something else.
We recently had a city election where the voters signaled what they feel about city government. Was the county listening?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Could it be that the CEO’s compensation is tied to profitability or certain other numbers that are enhanced through this financial engineering? Otherwise, he might not be paid as much? It’s a reasonable question. We deserve to know the answer.
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Do we get to vote on this bond issue? Or is this another “keep ’em in the dark and don’t let ’em vote on it” like the AAA stadium?
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