Same stuff – less time

CCMH Board approves tax levy and not much else

The Cedar County Hospital Board met at 11 a.m. in the hospital classroom on Friday, Aug 30.

All board members were present: Board President Marvin Manring, VP Michelle Leroux, Sec/Treas David Bozarth, member Melissa Gallette and member Katie Magee. CFO Carla Gilbert was present as well as  CNO BreAnn Jackson and Executive Assistant Mandi Jordan who kept the minutes. Board attorney Janae Graham was also in attendance.

The hospital had issued three different notices about the events that were scheduled to occur at the meeting.

The first was a notice from the Board of Trustees about an open session on “August 30, 2024. There was to be the call to order & Quorum verified; Public Comment (citizens may be heard on the property tax rate proposed to be set by the Board of Trustees, Cedar County Memorial Hospital for the 2024 tax year); approval of agenda; 1- old business – the property tax rate; 2. new business; 3 adjournment.

The second notice informed the public of a special business meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 30, 2024, in the hospital’s board room. The tentative agenda of the meeting included: call to order and quorum verified; public comment; approval of agenda; 1 – old business; 2- new business; 3 closed session in accordance with Section 610.021 RSMo(2023) subparagraphs (1) legal action, which will be closed to the public.; 4 adjournment. The notice was posted at 9:25 a.m. on 08/29/24. It was initialed by Executive Assistant Mandi Jordan.

The third notice was given out at the meeting and was listed as an open session: call to order and quorum verified; public comment stating the citizens may be heard on the property tax rate; approval of agenda; 1 old business – the information about the property tax rate; 2 new business; 3. adjournment. The agenda was approved.

The meeting began with several citizens trying to fit in the small board room. Manring offered to move it to another location.

When Board Member Katie McGee arrived, she wanted to know why she wasn’t told of the meeting until around 4 p.m. the previous day. Manring said he thought she had been notified and he apologized that she had not been told.

She tried to ask other board members when they were notified and was told the board would not discuss it during the meeting.

The board approved the tax levy at .1534 per $100 Valuation.

The board was asked why the public wasn’t allowed to speak at the tax hearing. The person was told that under the new system, the questions had to be submitted ahead of time. There was also a question about the tax hearing having to be advertised seven days in advance, Manring said the notice was posted on Friday, 23. Gilbert said that it was posted at the hospital, at the Medical Mall and the Stockton Clinic.

Manring tried to move to go into closed session. There was a motion and second. He was told that the agenda did not mention closed session.  He said that they were moving from one agenda to another.

There was a motion and second to adjourn the meeting despite a point of order by Bozarth since there was a motion on the floor. Manring took the opportunity to override the motion on the floor and with a motion and second the meeting adjourned.