LSHA Berry's Lobbying Pays
Off
City Gives Hosp Auth and HMA free ride
Lake City, FL (Posted September 7, 2011 06:59 am)
LAKE
CITY, FL - Last night the Lake City Council, with City
Manager Wendell Johnson leading the way, put the
residents of Lake City on the hook for $148,000 plus
interest, as former Republican Chieftain and Hospital
Authority Manager "Jack" Jackson P. Berry's ex parte
lobbying paid off in a free ride for HMA and the LSHA,
who have gotten away without any contribution to a road
improvement project designed to benefit them. Only City
Councilman Jake Hill voted for the residents when he
voted against the project. (Observer file photo: City
Councilman Jake Hill)
On May 2, 2011, the City Council appropriated $21,800 from the CRA funds to pay GTC Design Group for design and engineering services for the Franklin Street Project.
Links:
City
Manager Johnson's report to the Council is here.
Related article:
•
Yesterday's article
More about the LSHA
• The LSHA
The cost to redo Franklin Street, which benefits Hospital Management Associates (HMA), a private for profit corporation that leases the hospital from the Lakeshore Hospital Authority, is $148,000 plus interest.
City Manager Johnson told the City Council, "This is a good project."
He explained that the project will provide enhanced road access to the hospital and it is designed to enhance ambulance service.
City Manager Johnson said, "My opposition to the project was the funding source."
In August, last month, CM Johnson said, "I am not comfortable with the funding perception that the Hospital Authority, particularly their executive director has that the City should fund all of it."
Last month, City Manager Johnson also mentioned that while Mr. Berry had met with all the City Council members, he had not come to speak with him. CM Johnson said that when he has the design and cost projections in hand his position would be that the Council needs to explain their communications that they had shared with Mr. Berry about the project.
Last night neither City Manager Johnson, nor any of the four council members that voted to fund the project without any financial contribution from the Hospital Authority mentioned one word about the prior communications they had with Authority Manager Berry.
One council member spoke for the people
Only one City Council member spoke up for the people of Lake City. City Councilman Jake Hill told CM Johnson that earlier when the project was discussed, he (Mr. Johnson) was in favor of splitting the cost of the project 50-50 with the hospital authority.
CM Johnson told Mr. Hill, "That's true." CM Johnson explained that the 50-50 split only concerned the use of CRA funds. "I would still feel that way if we were going to use CRA money," said CM Johnson.
City Manager Johnson did not attempt to explain why it was okay for the residents of Lake City to foot the entire bill when CRA funding was not involved, other than to say, "With the fact that we do have the sales tax money I don't see that that's significant."
Councilman Hill told the City Manager and the Council, "I still feel like the Hospital Authority should contribute something to this project. I don't feel like it's fair to the taxpayers to have to pay for this whole deal."
City Manager Johnson told Mr. Hill, "This road is just going to benefit the hospital... I'm looking to the benefit of the community and nothing more. If the council approves this tonight the taxpayers should be pleased with it. It's a good use of their money."
Epilogue
Last night, following City Manager Johnson's lead, all the City Council members, save one, voted to give the Lake Shore Hospital Authority and HMA a free pass and saddle Lake City's taxpayers with a $148,000 debt plus interest.
City Councilman Jake Hill, the only nay vote, had the last word. After the meeting he told the Observer, "It was obvious that this was a done deal before anyone walked into the Council Chambers. It would have been nice if Mr. Berry or someone from the Hospital Authority would have shown up to answer any questions and then thank the City for footing the entire bill."
