Board of Commissioners,
West Volusia Hospital Authority,
131 E. New York Ave.,
P.O. Box 509,
DeLand, FLA 32721.
Sirs:
I was most interested in the presentation made by Mr. James at the meeting the other night regarding the lease and the concerns of the employees thereunder. I take note also of certain representations made by the employees themselves.
The Authority has heard it many times, and will surely forgive me for adding yet another repetition. The employees are what makes the hospital work. They are like workers everywhere: distract them with worries about their future, and they won’t do as good a job as if they are free to concentrate. For good health care, we need our employees focusing on their jobs and not worrying about Ormond’s fiscal health.
Clearly, we must consider the future of
any employee pension plan under any of the proposed
futures for the hospital.
Our options are
If we sell the hospital, all bets are off. Employees get whatever the buyer has, which will not be F.R.S. (as a buyer will be private). It won’t be the ‘‘mirror’’ scheme, which is exclusively Ormond’s and does not include any portability as under F.R.S. There will be no accumulation of F.R.S. time if the hospital is sold. The employees who are fully vested in F.R.S. will of course receive their F.R.S. pension for that time.
If we lease the hospital to someone else, the employees will still not be under F.R.S.; a lessee, like a buyer, will necessarily be private. However, we could ask for implementation of a new ‘‘mirror’’ scheme, if a lessee were interested. Obviously, the pension would not be ‘‘portable’’ as is F.R.S.
If we keep the hospital under the Authority, ideally with a good manager for daily operations, then the employees will fall under F.R.S. There is no option: the Authority is obliged to participate in F.R.S. This will give the employees both portability and security. Additionally, as one of the Board members pointed out to me after the meeting, pursuant to §121.1122, F.S., the Authority could use the ‘‘mirror’’ money to buy the missing time in F.R.S. for when Ormond was in place.
Finally, if we stick with Ormond, the long-time employees will have at least the F.R.S. time accumulated up to December, 1994. The ‘‘mirror’’ money may be invested safely (books are closed, so we don’t know) or it may be at risk when Memorial’s operation goes under. The ‘‘mirror’’ money may be sufficient; again we don’t know. Even if the money is not safely sequestered and sufficient, at least the real F.R.S. through December, 1994 is safe.
As you know, Ormond is in financial straits; while the books are not open and we can not know for certain where the retirement money is, we certainly hope that it is present.
Yours,
Tanner Andrews
CC: Craig James / for certain MH-WV Employees
CC: Al Everson / DeLand Beacon
CC: Tom Berson / Daytona News-Journal
CC: Purvette Bryant / Orlando Sentinel
The current version of this letter, and other information about the management of the hospital which may interest those paying taxes in West Volusia, may be viewed at:
Posting of this letter is a paid political advertisement provided by Tanner Andrews, P.O. Box 1208, DeLand 32721, independent of any campaign or committee. This material is also on display at the offices of the West Volusia Hospital Authority. No candidate has approved this material.