Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants Essentia Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City to accept $34,000 county pass-through for Essentia hospital rehab; library to apply for Essentia community grant
Summary
The Committee of the Whole approved accepting $34,000 from St. Louis County to be passed through the City to the Essentia Health Foundation for an emergency-department rehabilitation grant; the council also authorized a library application for up to $20,000 from an Essentia Health community grant program.
The City of Virginia’s Committee of the Whole voted July 11 to accept $34,000 from St. Louis County and pass the funds to the Essentia Health Foundation to support rehabilitation work in the Essentia Health Virginia emergency department. The committee also approved a separate action for the Virginia Public Library to apply for up to $20,000 in Essentia Health community grant funds for a private “telehealth” pod.
The funding transfer was presented by Brad Gustafson of St. Louis County and Nick Bakhtari of the Essentia Health Foundation. Gustafson summarized the request as a county allocation of $34,000 to go “towards the Essentia Health Emergency Department Rehabilitation.” He said the county’s agenda will include the item next week contingent on the city accepting the funds.
City legal counsel explained why the county proposes routing the payment through the city. According to the attorney, state public-expenditure rules permit a city to provide funds to medical facilities serving its community while the cited statute does not expressly authorize a county to pay a medical facility directly. As the attorney put it, routing the money “through the city” ensures the transfer is treated as an accepted public expenditure under the cited statute.
Councilor Bach Schneider moved to approve accepting the county funds; Councilor Motley seconded. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Separately, the committee approved a city resolution authorizing the library to apply for and accept an Essentia Health community grant of up to $20,000 for a privacy pod in the library’s lower-level media center. Library staff said the pod would be used for telehealth appointments, job interviews, test proctoring and similar private uses.
The county’s payment to the city remains contingent on the county board’s action next week, and the city will execute a contract and issue a check to the Essentia Health Foundation if both governing bodies approve the transfer.
Councilors asked about staff workload from routing the funds through the city; the county and city legal counsel said staff impact should be “very minimal” because the city will receive the funds and then cut a check to the foundation under a contract. The legal counsel reiterated that the pass-through structure is intended to align the transfer with applicable public-expenditure statutes.
The items will move forward to the council agenda for final consideration, and city staff said contracts and paperwork would be prepared if the county board approves next week.
