The list of things to do as part of a push to reorganize following the formation of UCHealth-Estes Valley Medical Center is getting shorter for Park Hospital District board members following Thursday’s special meeting of the board of directors.
While a final spending policy has yet to be approved, policies governing Colorado Open Records Act requests, code of ethics and conduct, and board meeting preparation and administrative process were approved on Thursday. Several changes to the proposed spending policy were agreed to, and that policy is expected to be approved when the board meets in special session again at 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 7.
Still on tap for future discussion is a review of the organization’s bylaws by a legal counsel specializing in special district representation, development of a mission and vision statement, website improvements, and selecting a bookkeeping or accounting service.
Verbiage surrounding the duties of the board chair in the district’s bylaws is at issue in the bylaws discussion.
Duties assigned to the board chair in the current document, “give the board chair authority that he or she should not have. It leads to confusion, ambiguity, and I think frustration, and I’d really like to get that description removed,” said board member Tom Leigh.
“It allows the chair to make decisions in place of the board, and sidelines the whole board,” Leigh said.
Leigh’s stance was disputed by David Snow, the Park Hospital District’s attorney, who said, “It’s a matter of course for governing boards, including district boards, to delegate authority to officers to implement the policies of the board. It’s correct that the board can’t delegate policy making and governance, but the board can, and I would say should, delegate operational implementation of those policies.”
In the end, the board voted 3-2 to employ an outside special district attorney to review the bylaws. At the same time, it was decided that duties outlined in other local special district documents will be used to compare those with the version currently used by PHD. Chairman Cory Workman, Treasurer Brigitte Foust, and Leigh voted in favor of the motion. Secretary Janet Zeschin and vice chair Steve Alper voted no.
The Colorado Open Records Act policy adopted by the board revises the version used for Estes Park Health requests. It outlines the process for responding to formal requests for records. The policy approved by the board removes references to Estes Park Health, updates the addresses to be used when requesting information, and clarifies the timelines for responding to requests.
Using documents from other local special districts and the Special District Association, a new Code of Ethics and Conduct policy for board members outlines board responsibilities, provides guidelines for dealing with others, delineates procedures to be used when dealing with district operations and information, and provides recourses that can be used to ensure conduct aligns with principles and values of the code.
The meeting preparation and administrative process policy outlines the responsibilities and deadlines for conducting district meetings. The approved policy notes that agendas and meeting packets will be distributed to board members on Friday prior to the board meeting and posted on the district’s website.
When they meet again, board members expect to review a second draft of a spending policy that incorporates spending thresholds, budgeted expenditures versus non-budgeted items, emergency expenditures, routine expenditures, and other details. The final version of the policy is expected to give the board chair and treasurer authority to issue payments up to $2,500 for unbudgeted expenditures without prior board approval.
In other business, the board approved payment of three invoices, including a $10,500 partial payment to Eide Bailly, a certified public accounting and business advisory firm, for work on the 2025 audit.
Also approved were payments for expenditures incurred during the transition period as agreed to in the affiliation definitive agreement — $5,936.50 for a retirement plan payment to Ascensus related to EPH employees who have yet to transfer to UCHealth’s benefit plan, and $6,665 to Oxford Consulting for outsourced payroll services. Future board work to be considered includes developing a mission and vision statement, website development, and a review of other policies the board may want to consider.