Hospital board approves November bond measure

Driven by financial urgency, the board of directors of the Sonoma Valley Hospital – after reviewing and approving their 2009 budget – voted Wednesday to place a bond measure on the November ballot.
In recognition of the absence of CEO Carl Gerlach and boardmember, Bill Boerum the board decided delay deciding the amount and the proceeds of the bond until the June meeting, when all could be present.
The consensus of the discussion was that the bond measure would be for infrastructure for the existing facility, and that no monies would be asked for or used to acquire land.
Before voting on the bond measure, the board heard a financial presentation by CFO Jim McSweeney in which he made it clear that without the bond measure the hospital’s future was doubtful. This echoed board chair Dick Kirk’s opening remarks in which he described the budget as either the “first of a series of the most important the Sonoma Valley Hospital will ever pass – or one of the last.”
He acknowledged the public’s demands for clarity and said, “There’s been great debate as to the size, the place, and the money that needs to be spent. That’s what we need to be clear about and to listen to the community. I call for patience as well as action.”
Time for both will run out on August 8, when they must file for the bond with the Registrar.