Travis County Commissioners Court
September 8, 2009,
Item A2
>> A-2 is to consider and take appropriate action from the Travis County health care district for support and an intergovernmental transfer for draw non-federal funds in the upper payment limit program.
>> good morning, judge Biscoe.
i'm john stevens with the Travis County health care district.
i'm the acting chief financial officer and I'm here with the chief financial officer carolyn kanetikini.
we're here as the agenda item says to request that Travis County lend its intergovernmental transfer capacity, essentially tax dollar capacity to the Travis County health care district as was done before in 2005.
this transaction is similar, other than that the amount is different.
we're asking for you to lend us your taxing capacity in the amount of 12 million, which we will repay virtually immediately, but we do need you to disburse the funds to us so that we can show that we have constructed receipt of that intergovernmental transfer.
this is essentially good news for the region.
we -- when we put together our original estimate of how much we would be transferring for this disproportionate share program and upper payment limit program, some of which comes to the Travis County health care district and some of which goes to seton, and other hospitals in the area, including st.
david's.
when we originally put that schedule together, we did not estimate -- we did not know some of the thiptionz that were going to happen this year.
for example, it was more money ultimately available in the federal pot of dollars that are being distributed down to the state of Texas, and in addition the stimulus package that was passed including some bump to the dish revenue.
so this is good news for the region, it's good news for the district and for the local hospitals.
but it does mean that we do need to borrow this additional taxing capacity from the county.
again, this was done in 2005.
i believe john hilly from your law department distributed a memo to you and an opinion from david escamilla saying that in fact this was lawful under state law.
>> what amount was involved in 2005?
>> 41 million.
>> do you remember what the total that was just from the county?
>> 41 million.
>> was it that much?
okay.
>> we want to make sure this is not an intergovernmental transfer, but a loan.
i believe you said overrule.
i want to make sure that was in the record.
>> we have this much available to loan?
>>
>> [inaudible - no mic].
>> okay.
>> move approval.
>> second.
>> we're concerned about -- dolores ortega with the county treasurer.
there was a problem with this type of igt last time that we did it.
we would like in the treasury to have an order from the court directing us to transfer the funds to them so that the health district can do that.
as this addendum is written, it does not direct us to transfer those funds or to do what you want to do as far as loaning the mup.
we would like to have that in there.
and also within that order saying that it is a loan should anything happen, like it did the last time.
>> I can prepare an order for you over the lunch hour.
>> okay.
last time we did get our money back, though, right?
>> yes.
and although we worried quite a few days before we got it back, yes, sir.
>> [ laughter ] and that's why we're trying to make sure that should anything happen -- so it's not -- it's not exactly as it was last time.
we're going to have a lot more stops in order -- checks and balances in order there so that we're all protected and we will get the money back.
>> okay.
then why don't we -- can we withdraw the motion and indicate our intention to approve it this afternoon when we have an order before us?
We might as well have a short chat with legal in executive session.
but we do plan to do that today and we'll have an order.
>> I have that opinion and I can explain the essence of that opinion that our office provided back in 2005 for a similar venture.
no need to have the district people to come back this afternoon?
>> I don't think so.
so the county will be repaid when?
>> we can repay the county very quickly if we receive the money.
for example, later this week we can repay it the first of next week.
>> if we receive the money.
what are the constraints on that?
>> there are really no constraints on it.
we can turn it around.
the only constraints are again that we have to show that we received the money from the county and then we'll turn around and pay it back to you.
>> we don't need the county sheriff to close off all avenues to mexico, do we?
>> [ laughter ] we'll call this item up this afternoon.
>> thank you very much.
>> john will have a simple order for us to execute.
thank y'all very much.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 2:14 PM
