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Local News

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Township vote derailed health merger
Diamond Mine Direct
By LINSEY MAUGHAN

STAFF WRITER

A strong negative vote by township representatives on the District Advisory Council doomed a proposed merger of the Findlay City and Hancock County health departments.

With a majority vote needed to move forward, the District Advisory Council voted 11 to 11 on the proposed merger contract Monday night. The District Advisory Council, whose members represent townships and villages, oversees the county health department.

Representatives of 11 of the county's 17 townships voted against the merger. They were: Allen, Amanda, Biglick, Delaware, Jackson, Madison, Marion, Orange, Portage, Union and Van Buren townships.

The six townships voting in favor of the merger were Blanchard, Cass, Eagle, Liberty, Pleasant and Washington. There was a 100 percent turnout by township representatives at the meeting.

All of the villages that attended Monday's meeting voted for the merger, including Benton Ridge, Jenera, McComb and Vanlue.

Representatives of six villages -- Arcadia, Arlington, Mount Blanchard, Mount Cory, Rawson and Van Buren -- were not present Monday and did not vote.

Hancock County Commissioner Ed Ingold also voted for the merger on behalf of the commissioners.

Those opposed to the merger who spoke to The Courier on Tuesday gave a variety of reasons for their decisions, and had mixed feelings on whether the merger would be reconsidered.

“Our board of trustees was unanimous from the start that we didn't feel that (the merger) was going to be beneficial for us out here,” said Mark Hartman, a Madison Township trustee. “We always have voted no and haven't wavered from that, and still feel like that was the right decision.”

Madison Township Trustee Chairman Mike Miller attended the meeting and voted against the merger.

Hartman said he was concerned about what would happen to the county health department's budget carryover if the departments merged. He was concerned the city would “expect the county was just going to throw in their surplus.”

“The county pitches in their portion to help fund the activities of the (county) health board,” Hartman said. “Maybe not enough had been done to assure that (the city's) money was going to get kicked into the pot, to make sure the whole amount was there to be used. I guess that was the driving force in my mind, the money issue. And I don't know all of the details because I wasn't in all of the meetings.”

The contract for the merger that was presented Monday night stated that the city would be responsible for 55 percent of the combined health department's budget, while the county would be responsible for 45 percent, based on population numbers.

The county's carryover balance, if any, would be matched by the city at its 55 percent rate.

Kenny Bryan, chairman of the District Advisory Council and a member of the committee that drew up the merger contract, said, “I don't know that they could ask for a better deal” than what was presented in the contract Monday night.

But Steve Miller, chairman of the Delaware Township Trustees, said, “I just didn't see where it benefited us.”

Gary Kramer, chairman of the Orange Township Trustees, was not present at the meeting Monday night, but the vice chair was in attendance and voted against the merger.

“Our theory is if it's not broke, don't fix it,” Kramer said. “I believe that the county is doing a good job for the county part of it.”

Kramer said his township could come around to reconsidering, but would need to feel more certain about the benefits of a merger before supporting it.

“I think we're starting to lean toward maybe supporting it at some point,” he said. “This last study brought out more information than the first one, which pointed out maybe a couple of advantages of doing it.”

But Hartman also wasn't convinced that combining would leave the health departments better off financially.

“Many times bigger is not always better,” he said.

Hartman said he didn't think Madison Township would be willing to reconsider “without having some different ideas or a different approach.”

Commissioner Ingold said there is room for improvement at the county health department.

“The sheer fact that the county health department is only working four days a week, if you're concerned about access to public health, I would think ought to concern folks,” Ingold said Tuesday. “That doesn't indicate to me that everything is running as a public health office should run.”

Ingold said he didn't know what the District Advisory Council members' reasons were for opposing the merger.

“It's difficult to have an opinion when you don't really know what the rejection ideas were, other than 'we don't need to combine, we don't need it any bigger,'” he said. “Why wouldn't the combined group do a better job and have better coverage?”

Dr. Greg A. Arnette, Hancock County health commissioner, said he too didn't understand why the merger contract was voted down.

“My understanding, all of the questions that were raised in both the November and February meetings were essentially answered by this current contract that was voted down 11 to 11,” Arnette said. “I think that contract that was presented was pretty similar to what had been discussed.”

“I think that there will not be a combination any time soon,” Arnette said Tuesday. “I think that it's pretty much over at this point.”

Findlay Health Commissioner Dr. Stephen D. Mills said he was both surprised and disappointed by Monday night's outcome.

“This is the furthest it's gone,” he said. “I thought it was going to pass for sure. I thought it was a done deal. I thought the meetings went well, there was good information to both sides, and it was going to go right through, so it's a mystery to me.”

“As the city health commissioner, I was disappointed that they couldn't come up with a (contract) draft that was acceptable” to the District Advisory Council,” Mills said.

However, Hartman said he was appalled by the difficulty the merger contract committee had in determining how members would be elected to a new, combined health board.

“It seemed like they couldn't even agree on who was going to appoint them,” he said. “In my mind that seemed trivial. They couldn't even decide on that, and I thought, gosh, with all the meetings they've had, you'd have thought they'd have all of that set in stone. I'm just not sure they had all their ducks in a row.”

The contract presented Monday called for nine board members, eight of whom would be appointed by the District Advisory Council, and one an appointee of the licensing council. The city would nominate people for four of the board positions, but the District Advisory Council would have final say in appointing them.

A second contract option was introduced last week by two members of the contract committee, but it was not approved by the majority.

That second option could have impacted voting results Monday, according to Bryan.

The second contract option called for a board of seven members, with two representing Findlay, three representing townships of Hancock County, one representing the county villages, and one representing the licensing council.

Bryan said, “I do feel it (the first contract option) would have passed if it hadn't been for the second option.”

Bryan thought some voters might have voted against the first contract under the assumption that they'd have the opportunity to vote in favor of the second one.

But after the tie vote on the first contract Monday night, the District Advisory Council voted 12 to 10 in favor of not discussing the second contract option.

Bryan said District Advisory Council members could request to bring up the merger again, and the council could hold a special meeting to vote again.

“I definitely hope it could be brought up again, and I know the city of Findlay does,” he said.

Maughan: 419-427-8417




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3 Comments

Latest comments listed first.
A citizen wrote:
Became political
“ It's not larger government! They were
MERGING 2 departments to become 1. That is smaller government. The purpose was to save money but they, the council, forgot that and it became political. That is why there isn't a merger. ”
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 4:51:55 PM
Citizen wrote:
What don't you understand ?
“ What don't you understand? They voted NO and now you want to try to get them to change their mind. They looked at the proposal for two years or more and said NO. If they would have said yes you wouldn't be complaining. Looks like the Townships didn't want bigger government, and I agree with them. Let it go, they voted and the answer was NO, so forget it. ”
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 11:41:41 AM
Larry Huffman wrote:
Health merger
“ I believe the final statements illustrate one problem: we'll bring up again and again. We won't let go despite what many people want. It is sort of like Obama, Reid and Pelosi have done. There is too much of a mindset that health care is above the laws of mere money. A county adjoining the one in which I live has mandated mound septic systems. When high cost was mentioned, the doctor heading the board said, "It's the public health. We shouldn't consider costs." An attitude adjustment is in order for most health officials. ”
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 8:38:37 AM
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