Rohrer steps down
KVH hires new head
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
Klickitat Valley Health (KVH) administrators have hired a new interim C.E.O. to replace John Rohrer, who announced earlier in December he would be stepping down. Philip Hanna, who will take over the top hospital management position Jan. 5, comes most recently from Wisconsin and has spent most of his career in the midwest.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the people,” Hanna told The Sentinel Monday by phone from Ohio. “I have always really enjoyed communities and rural healthcare. That’s the environment I grew up in. That’s always been my passion, my first love.” He said he anticipates being in Goldendale “at least six months.”
Rohrer has served as interim CEO since early spring. He said the decision to move on is due to obligations back home. He had always planned on it being a temporary position, he said. “When I accepted this position in March I expected to be here about three to six months, and it has now been 10 months. Simply put, I have commitments at home and I cannot stay until KVH can hire a permanent C.E.O.”
Hanna is expected to act as hospital head until the administration recruits a permanent C.E.O, which development director Jeff Teal estimated will be early July, or until the end of its contract with Brim Healthcare. Hanna said part of his management philosophy is to listen to people and familiarize himself with the community before adopting broad policies.
“I don’t have a set agenda,” said Hanna. “I want to get to know people and just start to understand what their objectives are.” He added he thinks it is important, “particularly in a rural community,” for the administration to be part of the community in all respects, including things like attending ball games and town events.
Hanna has more than 30 years in healthcare administration including about 10 years as C.E.O of a 40-bed rural hospital. He was in a senior healthcare management position in Seattle from 2005 to 2007. Hanna has a Master’s degree in Health Science and Public Health Administration.
Goldendale city council passes budget for 2009
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
After weeks of the debate, the Goldendale City Council has approved its final budget for 2009. Top among discussions was how to reduce a $136,000 deficit shown in November’s preliminary budget.
“We knew that this deficit had to be eliminated,” said city administrator Larry Bellamy. “We had a couple public hearings. There were very few comments. “The debate was more at the staff meetings about how we were going to do this...that was really the focus of our discussion.”
“It seems like that happens every year,” he added. “The requests for spending come in higher than our expected revenue and we have to pare that down.” The city staff came up with a four-tiered plan to bring the figures together. First, the estimated cash carry-over from 2008 was increased by $70,000. Secondly, the amount of money coming from property taxes was increased by $25,000. The latter, Bellamy said, was based primarily on the estimated value of the Puget Sound Energy center.
Third, administrators opted to not immediately rehire a police officer position recently vacated. Bellamy said they will re-evaluate the law enforcement situation mid-year. If they choose not to make the hire, it would free up a total of about $60,000 for the year.
The first three elements brought an additional $165,000 of savings to the table. The staff then factored in a software upgrade that was not done in 2008, which will cost about $18,000 for 2009. That number brought the total down to $137,000, creating a balanced budget.
The figures were presented to city council on Monday, Dec. 15 and approved in a unanimous vote. “I think the reality was we had to come up with a balanced budget and this was the best way to do it,” said Bellamy.
The net budget for the year is $6.9 million, which the administrator said is “pretty average.” Grand total revenues are estimated at about $8.77 million and expenditures at $8.62 million.
Those figures are up significantly from 2008 when they were $6.96 million and $6.94 million, respectively. However, much of that is attributed to one capital project to replace water main distribution throughout the city, Bellamy said. An additional public works position has also been created.
PUD hires GM
The Klickitat PUD has announced it has found a new general manager.
Winston Gregory Low will take over the position being vacated by Tom Svendsen in January.
The decision ends an eight-month-long search.
The utility district's board of commissioners interviewed candidates nationwide.
This week, board president Dan Gunkel said it is confident in Low’s “wide array of skills and how they would benefit the PUD.”
Low is a graduate of Texas A&M University with 24 years of electric utility management experience.
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