Board approves budget

Abraham Torres asked the question many people were thinking.

"Jason hasn't shown up yet?" he said.

But Jason Moore, the community activist known for his rants before taxing entities was nowhere to be found. And, for that matter, neither was anyone else to speak at the public hearing scheduled before Thursday's vote on Medical Center Hospital's 2008-2009 fiscal year budget.

"We're not raising taxes," MCH chief executive officer Bill Webster responded to Torres' question.

Torres and the other members of the Ector County Hospital District Board of Directors went on to approve the recommended property tax rate of 5.77 cents per $100 valuation. Though the rate is lower than last year's 6.95 cents, it is expected to bring in $5.445 million, $35,000 more than last year.

The board also approved the recommended operating and capital budget, which is projected to have positive change in net assets of $7.6775 million. MCH chief financial officer Robert Abernethy said the hospital will have to hire a seventh hospitalist next year, which will add an additional $212,000 to the budget that wasn't originally anticipated, but that will be offset by a change in UPL funding.

Hospitalists are doctors who don't have their own practices, but instead see other doctors' patients when they aren't available.

Torres raised concerns over the amount of employee raises. In the 2009 budget, all employees will receive up to a 4 percent merit increase based on annual evaluations, some bedside registered nurses will receive a staggered market adjustment averaging 6 percent along with a 2 percent market adjustment for all other employees.

"I can understand it's somewhat frustrating when they're building a $50 to $75 million expansion in the northeast," he said. "If we have that kind of money, why can't we take care of them?"

But Harvey Hudspeth, MCH human resources director, said pay for nurses would be a "little bit ahead" of local competitors and make it more competitive in landing nurses from other areas.

In other action, the board approved:

>> A Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus testing system designed to reduce screening times from two to three days to less than four hours. The three-year program will cost $126,576 annually.

>> The fiscal year 2009 Team Share incentive plan, which compensates employees based on quality of patient care, readiness, patient satisfaction and financial measures.

>> The fiscal year 2009 district assistance program.