Calhoun County Commissioners Court had a short meeting but is still hard at work following a rescheduling that saw them not hold a session the week prior.
The court meeting started with a report from Memorial Medical Center’s CEO Roshanda Thomas, delivering the January financial overview for the healthcare provider. The report indicated that the hospital had remained in the black with a net income of $48,066.
“We’re going to take that $48,000 and build on it and start out the gate for next month even stronger,” Roshanda said. “I must say what contributed to staying in the black for this year is that we had a $450,000 grant as part of the government stimulus for hospitals during COVID. That came in and hit the books in January. We also had a pretty decent 340b of $126,000 for the month. It was a little bit down but steady. Our volumes across the board slightly increased.”
Also at the beginning of the meeting was a request by Larry Robinson, who asked the court to clarify their position on the dredging project currently ongoing in the Port of Port Lavaca-Point Comfort. No action was taken by the court at this time.
“The project, to me, is a safety issue. It’s not about economics or anything else. If the channel is deepened and widened, it’d be much safer,” Robinson said. “I have given [the court] a sample resolution telling them the dangers of the ship channel.”
Following that, the court also took action to approve an application for the FY2024 Texas Indigent Defense Commission Formula Grant, authorizing County Judge Richard Meyer to sign it. Court also authorized Commissioner Joel Behrens to contract with Smartt Grants to submit a CERPA application for Olivia Haterius Park for $300.
“The application is due in May or June this year, and it covers the area out there,” Commissioner Joel Behrens said.
The court also authorized signatories for GLO documents to receive funding from the Community Development Block Grant for the Calhoun County Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan is a comprehensive overview of the county’s ability to react to natural disasters.
Finally, Virginia Schmidt was reappointed to the Calhoun County Library Board, while Calhoun County Library Director Dina Sanchez was approved to sign a contract for Deborah Mouton to be paid for a performance by the Texas Commission on Arts.
