Junction City Commissioners did not vote Tuesday night to authorize operational funding to help Geary Community Hospital reach the end of the year. It means no funds are forthcoming to grant a request from the hospital for $6.5 million to help GCH make it to Jan. 1. At that time an agreement will kick in with Stormont Vail Health to oversee the facility.
Commissioner Pat Landes stated, "Fact of the matter is we just don't have the money." Mayor Jeff Underhill noted that the city doesn't have $6.5 million to give. "We just don't. And even if we can give the ARPA ( American Recovery Program Act ) funds of our $2.6 million we have left that's no guarantee that the hospital's going to be open on Dec. 31, which means we just set that money on fire, and that's not us being good stewards for the community." City Manager Allen Dinkel echoed a similar sentiment on lack of available city funding.
There was discussion on whether the City could use American Recovery Program Act money to help with some of the expenses but that was not recommended by staff.
Attorney Peter Rombold, representing the hospital and county, explained that if the $6.5 million is not enough the County would make sure the City's money is not burned but it will cost more ( in interest costs ).
Rombold explained the County provided up to $3.5 million in ARPA funding of their own to the hospital, and found $1.7 million to make emergency repairs to Geary Community this year. Other future facility repairs required in the future combined with the lack of city funding could run the total for the county to $31 million in bond proceeds including $13.9 million in interest costs.
The next step for the county remains to be determined.