Public comments at Monday’s city council meeting commenced with Planning Commission Chair Ferguson Stewart addressing utility rates, then expressing support for the Hospital Commission. Stewart said when he arrived in 2012, his city service bills were $40, and they’re $110 today. With just two in the household on social security incomes, he urged council to “just think about that.”
Stewart then cautioned aldermen on the prospect of removing Hospital commissioners, saying that he knows many of them, and they are “the ones to get the job done,” emphasizing they are also volunteers.
CAPC commissioner Heather Wilson-Vinson followed, saying, “On June 23rd, council voted for review and reconciliation of hospital finances. It has repeatedly been referred to as an audit since then – conflating the two is confusing the public and it’s stalling progress – no reconciliation, no clarity, no tangible action.
“I’m asking that during tonight’s meeting you please clarify what path you intend to pursue, and I strongly urge council to consider engaging a forensic accountant… I would recommend an independent one.
“My doctoral work, which I’m extremely passionate about, and as faculty at the U of A, I study and design curricula on systems thinking, a concept that seems simple on the surface. When one part of the system fails it strains the entire structure. You ignore it and then you have problems. Proactive systems stay healthier.
“You schedule checkups before your body breaks down, you change the oil in your car before your engine runs dry. When breakdowns become catastrophic, whether a car, whether a medical situation, or your business, you bring in the right expert — a mechanic, a doctor, a systems’ leader. Our town is well past this point.
“It’s time to bring in a city manager who truly understands how every part of this community fits together. And who has the professional skill to rebuild the structures that are failing us. If this hasn’t yet been fully considered, I urge you to do so, if it has, I ask you to reconsider it with fresh perspective. A quick review of Arkansas code shows that the responsibility for this decision lies squarely on the city council.
“While it may not be possible to immediately address every failing aspect of city leadership, it is within your reach to make meaningful action happen. This means removing those who are not serving the community effectively and placing capable leaders where they are needed most— even when it’s uncomfortable or opposed to personal alliance.
“There has been talk that making these types of changes to leadership would cause failure particularly where the hospital is concerned. That is not how resilient systems operate. Healthy systems, they withstand change. In fact, it’s often required to grow stronger. We have seen this in other parts of city government. We’ve adapted, we’ve improved, when we’ve changed and embraced those implementations. Despite statements and innuendos to the contrary, you do have the authority to repair and rebuild this system. Use it.”