Eureka Springs Times-Echo A joint workshop with the Eureka Springs City Council and city hospital commissioners and administrators was scheduled.
A day later, it was postponed.
An email sent out on Monday, Aug. 4, said the workshop — which had been requested by the city council — was scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11, two hours before the regular city council meeting.
Another email, sent out Tuesday, Aug. 5, however, said the workshop was being postponed with no rescheduled date mentioned.
“Yep – this is the 4th go around for a date,” hospital commission chair Sandy Martin said via email when asked about the postponement. “The issue has been on the council side having conflicts, not on the commission side.”
Council member Rachael Moyer, who has spearheaded efforts to question various aspects of the hospital’s financial condition, is unable to attend the Aug. 11 workshop, leading to the postponement, Martin indicated.
“The 8/11 workshop, as I understand, was cancelled because Rachael Moyer couldn’t be there,” Martin said via email.
The workshop was requested at the July 28 council meeting after Moyer brought up new questions regarding the hospital’s June financial numbers that she said she needed answered.
Other council members agreed, requesting that Cynthia Asbury, the hospital’s chief financial officer, attend the workshop to directly answer certain questions.
“We’ve called Sandy in here before, can we motion to ask the CFO to come and answer some of these questions directly,” council member David Avanzino asked after a presentation from Moyer pointing out ongoing issues and questions she has with the hospital’s financials.
“… I like David’s idea, bring in the CFO and let’s have her answer questions and be done with it,” council member Susane Gruning added. “ … I think we try to get the CFO in, who should be aware of all of these [questions] anyway, and forthcoming, in my mind.”
Mayor Butch Berry, along with city attorney Tom Kieklak, said the city couldn’t require Asbury to be present.
“I think that probably goes beyond asking for reporting as far as a motion or a demand, but I think you could ask for it,” Kieklak said. “I think it makes sense …” The city would make the request, however, the mayor said.
“We can ask,” Berry said. “We can ask if they’ll show up, but as far as requiring a hospital employee to show up is beyond the scope of this council.”
At its monthly workshop held Monday, Aug. 4, Martin announced the originally scheduled Aug. 11 meet-up with council, saying much of the commission would be in attendance along with some staff.
Commissioners David Carlisle, Willie Daniels, Kate Dryer, Brian Beyler and Sharon Deramus indicated they had planned to attend the originally scheduled workshop, Martin said.
New hospital CEO Tiffany Means was also set to attend, Martin said, adding that Jodi Edmondson, human resources director and former acting CEO, would not be present.
Martin said she was unsure at the time about Asbury’s attendance, the main request of the council.
“I don’t know about Cynthia,” Martin said at the Aug. 4 workshop.
Whenever the joint workshop gets rescheduled, Martin told commissioners she hopes the group gets a heads up on things the council expects to ask.
“I’ve asked the mayor to provide us with questions so that we can be prepared, and hopefully make the meeting a little bit more productive,” Martin said.
“No side rails,” Beyler replied. “We’re going to try to stay off the side rails?” Martin responded: “I hope so. It’s a workshop, and they called it, so they can do whatever they want to do, but you know, hopefully it will be a little bit more focused and productive. And congenial.”
The most recent question about hospital finances brought up by Moyer that will likely be discussed in the workshop involves $16,000 that had been in a commission checking account that was recently closed. Moyer has asked where that money was moved to in the hospital budget.
“They had questioned the existence of the commission’s checking account,” Martin told commissioners. “Jodi and I went through the files. We’ve got that information. It’s existed since 2004 for a variety of reasons, and that’s the account that we just closed and shifted over, because this commission sees no reason to maintain that. But, there were really good, solid reasons why it existed in the past. So, I have no problem explaining that at all.
“And then they had some other questions about aging and other miscellaneous questions. So, I’m not quite sure. Hopefully, we’ll get that list and we’ll be able to answer every one of their questions and hopefully be able move forward with some trust and some confidence and get them introduced to Tiffany and her magic, and in her leadership style.”
