You missed it: Appointments to Hospital Authority and Parks and Rec + well pump @ LCC 2017-07-10

They moved the meeting half an hour earlier, to 8AM. Gretchen, who is signed up to the county’s alert system yet never got any alert about this time change, got there at the usual time and it was over already. It’s listed in their calendar as “8:00 AM – 8:35 AM” but she got there with the LAKE camera before 8:30 and it was already over.

Look closely: 8:00 AM, not 8:30 AM

And on the agenda: two county appointments for the same Hospital Authority that hired a CEO for five years, fired him without cause after two years, and now: John Stephen, VDT, 6 July 2017, Former hospital CEO getting $2 million in severance: Severance pays salary for 3 years.

Two appointments are expiring, and the Hospital Authority Chair has supplied “in no particular order” three candidates for each with the same two names listed first for each, according to the document linked into that agenda item:

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: The appointment of Mr. Cameron Hickman to the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, will expire on August 1, 2017. Sam Allen, Chairman, has submitted three candidates to fill the vacancy. Their names are listed, in no particular order, for the Commission to consider appointing.

  1. Mr. Jason Wisenbaker
  2. Dr. Carly Thomas
  3. Dr. Brian Griner

The appointment of Dr. John Roan to the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, will expire on August 1, 2017. Dr. Roan has expressed interest in being reappointed. Sam Allen, Chairman, has submitted three candidates, including Dr. Roan, to fill the vacancy. Their names are listed, in no particular order, for the Commission to consider appointing.

  1. Mr. Jason Wisenbaker
  2. Dr. Carly Thomas
  3. Dr. John Roan

When they vote tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, will the Lowndes County Commission take the pretty obvious hint from the Hospital Authority and appoint Mr. Jason Wisenbaker and Dr. Carly Thomas? Or will they reappoint Dr. John Roan who was on the same Authority when it made that disastrous CEO hire? Not very good options.

Correction: Dr. John D. Roan was appointed by the Lowndes County Commission January 26, 2016 to fill out the unexpired term of Dr. Lynne Feldman, who resigned. However, the county’s website has Dr. Roan’s term as expiring “2/1/21”, so either that web page is wrong and somebody would fix it, or it makes no sense to appoint him to fill out somebody else’s term, which would merely leave his current term unfilled. The City of Valdosta’s web page on the Hospital Authority says “Dr. John Roan – Term Expires 08/01/17”. The Hospital Authority’s own website does not say when any of the terms expire. Also, has anybody asked any of the other candidates whether they’re even willing to serve?

And this morning they discussed them with nobody watching.

The Hospital Authority itself meets at 8AM on “The third Wednesday of each calendar month”, which will be July 19, 2017, at “The Executive Boardroom of South Georgia Medical Center, located at 2501 North Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31602”. The VDT sicced the Georgia Attorney General on that same Authority about those same meetings: Stuart Taylor, VDT, 3 March 2016, Hospital admits violation: Attorney General gives 10 days for response. Apparently their response was not satisfactory: Jennifer Dandron, VDT, 30 March 2016 , Attorney General fines Hospital Authority: Open Government training ordered. Then this happened: Jason Smith, VDT, 23 September 2016, No Confidence: City calls for hospital authority resignations. The Valdosta City Council did that, but I don’t recall the Lowndes County Commission ever saying a word about the misdeeds of the Hospital Authority.

Did we just see another Lowndes County body emulate the Hospital Authority and violate the Georgia Open Meetings Law? Even if the Lowndes County Commission was technically legal in its time change, it sure looks like they didn’t want the public to see them considering Hospital Authority apppointments.

Here’s the Lowndes County Commission agenda, which currently says they vote at 5:30 PM Tuesday evening. Better check their calendar before you go to be sure they haven’t changed that time, too. It also says for Parks and Rec the terms are expiring for Mrs. Suzan Prince and for Ashley Paulk: he was reappointed after he was no longer County Chairman and before he became Sheriff again. The document says Ms. Prince wishes to be reappointed, but deponent saith not in re Sheriff Paulk. If I recall correctly, last time his term expired, they also didn’t have a name proposed, so they laughed nervously and reappointed him. Maybe you’ll get to see what they do tomorrow evening, if they don’t change that time, too.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 10, 2017, 8:00 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session- June 26, 2017
    2. Regular Session- June 27, 2017
  5. Appointments
    1. Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County

      Documents:Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County.pdf

    2. Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority

      Documents:Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority.pdf

  6. For Consideration
    1. Spring Creek Pump and Motor
      The Spring Creek well is running 24 hours per day and just keeping up with demand due to reduced output. Staff has deemed this to be an emergency and recommends approval.

      Documents:Spring Creek Well Pump.pdf

    2. Service Contract for the Logisys CAD System
      Approval of contract

      Documents:Service Contract for the Logisys CAD System.pdf

    3. Motorola Subscriber Maintenance Agreement-911
      Approval of Motorola Subscriber Maintenance Agreement for 911 Center.

      Documents:Motorola Subscriber Maintenance Agreement.pdf

    4. Service Contract with Motorola for PSRS (Public Safety Radio System)-911
      Motorola service contract on PSRS (Public Safety Radio System).

      Documents:Service Contract with Motorola for PSRS.pdf

    5. Service Contract for the MDT's (Mobile Data Terminals)-911
      Annual renewal of Motorola Service Contract for the MDT’s (Mobile Data Terminals).

      Documents:Service Contract for the Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs).pdf

    6. Vertiv Service Contract for the Liebert UPS @ 911 Center & 4 Tower Sites
      Vertiv Service Contract annual renewal for the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) which is critical to operation of 911 Center and 4 Tower Sites.  Agreement guarantees 4-hour response 24/7.

      Documents:Vertiv Service Contract for the Liebert UPS at the 911 Center and the 4 Tower Sites.pdf

    7. Beer and Wine License- James Lee Vann Sr. of Big Dummy Pub- 4991 US Hwy 41 S., Lake Park, GA

      Documents:Beer and Wine License- James Lee Vann Sr. of Big Dummy Pub.pdf

    8. Right of Entry Agreement with Georgia Power
      Approval of agreement

      Documents:Right of Entry Agreement with Georgia Power Company.pdf

  7. Bid
    1. Bid for Custom Cab Fire Pumper
      Board’s Pleasure

      Documents:Bid for Custom Cab Fire Pumper.pdf

  8. Reports – County Manager
  9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address
  10. Adjournment

-jsq

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