As of March 31, only 11.4% of an allotted $200,000 currently remains to be spent during the next nine months of the Park Hospital District’s fiscal year.
Treasurer Brigitte Foust reached that conclusion after months of requesting invoice data from UCHealth’s finance department, which has been handling those records since the transition from Estes Park Health. How district board members address the issue—particularly in relation to the proposed spending policy—is expected to be a central topic at a special meeting set for Thursday morning, April 16.
The meeting is a follow-up to the April 9 meeting when Foust presented a financial report for the district’s first full quarter of work after EPH was transferred to the management UCHealth.
Her data was presented after the board discussed elements of a proposed spending policy for the district.
Last December the board approved a transition budget of $200,000, the amount allotted by the affiliation agreement. Foust’s report showed that the district currently has a documented budget shortfall of $175,464.
Legal fees totaling $163,182 are responsible for the shortfall. Only $50,000 in legal work had been budgeted.
“I still have a question about the legal fees,” said board member Tom Leigh. “I’m still trying to understand who authorized $160,000. How could that happen without the board agreeing to it ahead of time?” he asked.
The bills were issued by Hall Render, the district’s legal counsel, for consultations that were the result of services provided when conducting normal board business of the board, said chair Cory Workman.
In addition, when items, such as CORA requests are received, Workman said he forwards the information directly to Hall Rende. “Some of those legal fees…are affiliation related,” he added.
Determining the viability of such requests should be the responsibility of the board, Leigh countered. “The idea that every CORA request has to go to an attorney at a rate of $500 an hour when we set a budget for $50,000 for legal fees has just been exploded behind the scenes, without the awareness of the board.” Leigh said.
Itemized invoices from Hall Render will be made available to board members for review, but because some include confidential information, Workman said they would not be released to the public.
Other budgeted line items cover the audit, salary for the board’s administrative contractor, insurance, office rental, board member education, board travel and meals, supplies and office expenses, dues, and subscriptions. Other expenses itemized in Foust’s report include insurance fees, UMR administration and affiliation closing costs. UMR is the largest third-party administrator in the US, acting as a UnitedHealthcare company to manage employer-sponsored self-funded health plans.
Thursday’s board of directors special meeting will be at 8 a.m. in the conference room at Vert, Coworking, 1230 Big Thompson Ave. Interested individuals can also join the meeting through Microsoft Teams Meeting by clicking on the published website link.
Topics scheduled to be discussed at the meeting are a proposed adjustment of the 2026 board meeting dates, reviews of policies dealing with the PHD bylaws, CORA, and spending, and the district’s financial infrastructure.