Erlanger Health Systems

1 May, 2015

Times Free Press: Erlanger trustees to re-vote on bonus resolutions tonight

By |2015-05-01T10:19:18-05:00May 1, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press (reprinted with permission). By Kate Belz When Erlanger hospital's trustees take up the issue of executive bonuses at their board meeting tonight, the main reaction they want to avoid is surprise. They know all too well the effects of surprise. For nearly six months, the $1.7 million in bonuses Erlanger's board agreed to pay out in December has been the target of loud criticism from state and local officials. It triggered a high-profile rulingfrom Tennessee's attorney general, who found that the board violated open meetings law by discussing the incentives behind closed doors before the meeting. The bonuses even spurred a bill this legislative [...]

28 Apr, 2015

Lawmakers tweak public records law, but avoid new fees for now

By |2015-09-25T17:03:32-05:00April 28, 2015|Categories: fees, Legislature|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Sponsors delayed action on legislation that could have made accessing public records more expensive for citizens and news media, but lawmakers in the 109th General Assembly moved ahead on other changes to the state's public records law. A new exemption was added to make performance evaluations of more state employees confidential. Another was added to make sure student academic and health information remained private. And yet another reinforced already existing exemptions to protect credit card numbers and email addresses of citizens held by government. The most far-reaching public records bill was one that never made it to committee for discussion —  a proposal to impose new fees on citizens who asked to inspect public [...]

1 Feb, 2015

Erlanger Health System board plans new meeting on bonuses

By |2015-02-01T17:36:01-06:00February 1, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

The Times Free Press reports that the Erlanger Health System governing board in Chattanooga plans to hold a new meeting to reconsider $1.7 million in executive bonuses it approved last year. With little notice, the board voted to award the bonuses after discussing them in private session. The surprise decision rankled state lawmakers in Hamilton County because they came after support for funds for the hospital, and after cost-cutting that affected the hospital staff's rank-and-file. The Open Meetings Act, which applies to public hospital governing boards, requires deliberations to be in public. The Attorney General issued an opinion last week affirming that the board's deliberations about compensation would not fall [...]

30 Jan, 2015

Times Free Press: AG’s opinion gives Erlanger another bonus dilemma

By |2017-01-06T15:25:51-06:00January 30, 2015|Categories: Attorney General Opinions, Open Meetings|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Following is a reprint of today's Chattanooga Times Free Press story about the AG's opinion on requirements for public hospital boards under the Tennessee Open Meetings Act. The Times Free Press graciously gave TCOG permission to reprint the article: http://youtu.be/3aToD-eNx1k By Kate Belz The status of $1.7 million in bonuses paid out to Erlanger Health System's management has again been called into question, as a new opinion issued by the state's attorney general has local lawmakers calling for the money to be paid back. Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III's opinion, issued Wednesday, states that Tennessee law does not permit hospitals such as Erlanger to meet in a closed session [...]

29 Jan, 2015

AG opinion says public hospital boards can’t meet privately on compensation

By |2015-01-29T15:31:56-06:00January 29, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Attorney General Herbert Slatery issued an opinion yesterday that public hospital boards do not have an exemption to the Open Meetings Act that allows them to meet privately to discuss executive compensation or executive bonuses. The Chattanooga Times Free Press is following the story today, and has reported on the controversy that ensued after what appeared to be private meetings to discuss or decide to give executives $1.7 million in bonuses. The board held a public vote on the bonuses, but only after adding the item to the agenda at the last minute, after the private meetings, and without advance notice. State Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltwah, asked the AG for an opinion. [...]

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