HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Joint Meeting of the Ames City Council and the Hospital Board of Trustees 11/20/1990MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING
OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
AND THE HOSPITAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
AMES, IOWA NOVEMBER 20, 1990
The Ames City Council met in joint session with the Mary Greeley Medical Center Board of
Trustees on 7:30 p.m. on November 20, 1990, in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, 515 Clark
Avenue, pursuant to law. Mayor Larry Curtis and Board Chairman Cal Halliburton presided at the
meeting and the following members were present: City Council - Brown, Campbell, Hertz,
Hoffman, Parks, and Wirth; Hospital Board - Clem, Dasher, and Flynn. Board Member Patterson
arrived late.
DISCUSSION OF DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP FOR OPERATION OF
INFORMATION SERVICES DIVISION: Mayor Curtis welcomed everyone present.
Chairperson Halliburton expressed his hope that the Hospital Staff and City Staff will be able
to present proposals concerning the operation of the Information Services Division that will be
for the best good of all in the future. Jeff Stevenson, President of Mary Greeley Medical Center,
summarized the work of the hospital staff during the last few months on the proposal for
dissolving the partnership between the hospital and the city for operation of the Information
Services Division. Doug Kell, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Mary Greeley
Medical Center, gave a presentation indicating a need for a change in the way the hospital
obtains its computer services. He said that the director of Information Services needs to become
an executive of the hospital and the handling of information needs to be placed at the center of
decisions. He listed several future needs of the hospital which will require increased computer
use. He said that he had no criticism of the past workings of the partnership, but that the
hospital's needs have changed in this area and this change needs to be addressed. He said that
there was no deadline that needs to be met for the proposed dissolution except that a price break
will be available through IBM if equipment is purchased before the end of 1990. Mr. Kell stated
that by operating their own information services division, the hospital will have greater control
and will have lower costs. He indicated that over time, costs will increase due to the purchasing
of more hardware and the hiring of additional personnel. Mayor Curtis informed the Hospital
Board Members that the Council needed a decision from the Board as to whether they want a
separation; otherwise the discussion was only hypothetical. Chairman Halliburton indicated that
he wanted more information from Staff before a decision is made. Mayor Curtis emphasized the
need for a decision on the part of the Board, and said that the Council could do nothing until a
decision was made. Board Member Clem said that she also needed more information before she
was willing to make a decision. Council Member Hertz stated that she would like to learn of
other options besides the extreme one of separating the services. Chairperson Halliburton
emphasized that the main focus needs to remain on serving the citizens of Ames and the clients
of the hospital. Council Member Hoffman stated that if the decision is arrived at to dissolve the
partnership, much more time would be needed to accomplish that task than between now and
January, 1991. She also stated that the cost to citizens will increase if a separation occurs. City
Manager Schainker asked for more direction from the Council and Board in order to develop
options. Council Member Wirth expressed confusion about what the Hospital Board wants.
Mayor Curtis pointed out that the main issue in the decision is one of who controls the
Information Services Division. City Manager Schainker expressed a need for increased
communication between the City and Hospital if the two entities continue to share the
Information Services Division. Chairperson Halliburton suggested that both Staffs get together
to explore the possibilities of both options, staying together or separating.
Board Member Patterson arrived.
DATE OF MEETING WITH HOSPITAL ARCHITECT: It was decided that the public meeting
with the hospital architect will still be held on the 27th of November. Since the Council
Members have a meeting that night and will not be able to attend, a separate session will be held
for them at 4:00 p.m. in Conference Room #235 in the City Hall on the same date.
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION/J-TEC: Moved by Parks, seconded by
Brown, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 90-410 approving a request from J-Tec and Associates,
Inc. for a partial release of certain collateral secured by the City of Ames in connection with
their CEBA contract.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and
hereby made a portion of these minutes.
COMMENTS: There were no comments.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
_____________________________________ ______________________________________
Nancy Dionigi, City Clerk Larry R. Curtis, Mayor