— by Susan McBain, Orcas Issues Reporter —
On the obstacle course to getting their job done, the commissioners of the Orcas Island Health Care District cleared a hurdle this week: they passed a resolution finalizing their agreement with Washington Federal on long-term financing. Resolution 2018-16 provides for “the issuance and sale of … a limited tax general obligation bond of the district in the principal amount of not to exceed $800,000,” as well as a $250,000 line of credit.
They also inched closer to a final 2019 expense budget for presentation at the Nov. 6 public hearing. The draft budget they considered totals slightly under $2 million, based on a levy rate for 2019 of $0.65 per $1000 of assessed property value. After clarifying a few details with Superintendent Anne Presson, they moved into a discussion of reserve amounts and timing. They agreed to begin putting $50,000 every 6 months into a reserve account beginning in the second quarter of 2019, rather than the fourth quarter. The change will not increase the overall 2019–2023 budget forecasts but will allocate money to reserves earlier, when they feel that expenses not anticipated in the budget are most likely to arise.
The final draft budget for the public hearing is expected to be posted at the OIHCD website by next Wednesday, Oct. 24.
Negotiations on the 2019 contract between OIHCD and Orcas Family Health Center are nearing completion. Negotiations on the contract with UW Neighborhood Clinics continue to proceed more slowly. The commissioners hope that the direct involvement of Mark Bresnick, associate director of operations for UWNC’s northern region, will help the discussions move forward.
The next OIHCD regular meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m. at the Fire Hall.
