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Finance committee sets Bartlett ER appropriations ordinance for public hearing after state Certificate of Need
Summary
Committee members set an ordinance for public hearing contingent on the state granting a Certificate of Need (CON) for Bartlett Regional Hospital’s emergency department project and discussed hospital finances and project scope.
The Assembly Finance Committee voted on Jan. 8 to set ordinance 2024-01BI for public hearing upon receipt of a state Certificate of Need (CON) for Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department capital improvement project.
The motion, offered by Assembly member Smith and approved without objection, conditions the ordinance’s public hearing scheduling on the state’s issuance of the CON. City staff and hospital representatives told the committee staff that the state has indicated the CON would be acted on in mid-January; if the CON is delayed, the item could be bumped to a later assembly meeting such as March.
Hospital financial context: A Bartlett representative told the committee that, through November, the hospital had posted a year-to-date operating margin of $5.9 million, an improvement of $10.9 million compared with the same period last year. The representative said the change resulted from staffing and contract changes and closure of some services.
Project scope and timing: Presenters described the current plan as a narrowed-scope capital project focused on essential emergency-department infrastructure — “moderate ER” elements such as negative-pressure rooms, airway-protected rooms and safe spaces for staff handling pharmaceuticals — rather than a previously discussed, larger expansion that had a budget in excess of $20 million. Committee members asked about construction cost inflation and contingencies; hospital staff said the estimate includes a contingency and the project will be managed under a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) approach.
Legal and budgetary constraints: Staff advised the committee that once an assembly appropriation for a capital project is made it remains active until project completion; if appropriation is delayed until after a CON, the appropriation becomes active when appropriated. Committee members asked whether a late CON (for example after the fiscal year end) would affect project timing; staff replied that the capital appropriation would remain tied to the CIP project when made.
Next steps: The committee asked staff to set ordinance 2024-01BI for a public hearing after the state issues the CON and to return with any additional appropriation timing details the assembly requests.
