Maverick County Hospital District Board hires Realtor and schedules CEO Interviews
By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors held a special meeting on Monday, April 7, 2014, at the District’s Second Floor Administration Conference Room located at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive in Eagle Pass, Texas, retaining the services of a real estate company to assist the Hospital District with the sale of its real property located at 744 South Bibb Street and scheduling interviews of candidates for the vacant Chief Executive Officer position.
The first item on the Agenda was the discussion and possible action “to approve the bid submitted by Realty Executives of Eagle Pass to market the property on 744 South Bibb Street by procuring a buyer and negotiating the sale.”
The Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors approved to place their 744 South Bibb Avenue property for sale or lease at their October 2013 deciding to handle the matter in-house through its Administration. The MCHD Administration placed a large for sale or lease sign on the property in November 2013, receiving many inquiries and offers to buy or lease the property from interested parties. The MCHD Administration showed the property to interested parties, fielded questions or offers from interested parties, and answered their questions since November 2013. At their January 22, 2014 Board meeting, the MCHD Board of Directors ordered their Administration to place public notices of sale of the 744 South Bibb Street property and request for bids be published in local and out-of-town newspapers with a March 21, 2014 deadline. The MCHD Board and Administration to date has failed to place the public notices of sale and request for bids to purchase in local and out-of-town newspapers for unknown reasons. At the February 26, 2014 Board meeting, the MCHD Administration notified the Board under the Building and Grounds Committee report that the Committee had met on February 4, 2014 and had decided to request the Board to hire a real estate person to assist the District sell the 744 South Bibb Avenue property and recommend that Jose A. “Pepe” Aranda, Jr. be hired because he was the only real estate person who approached the District to offer to sell the 744 South Bibb Avenue Property. Building and Grounds Committee members included Board President Juan Manuel Farias, Board member Joaquin L. Rodriguez, former CEO Elcira Bares, and Administrative Assistant Lupita Amaya. At a specially called meeting on March 6, 2014, the MCHD Board majority approved to advertise request for proposals for real estate services from realtors to assist the District sell the 744 South Bibb Avenue property with a March 31, 2014 deadline. Board President Farias noted that there were problems with Administration not being able to show the property such as on weekends or evenings requiring the need to hire a real estate firm. Only one real estate firm submitted a request for proposal, Realty Executives of Eagle Pass, where Jose A. Aranda, Jr. is a licensed real estate agent.
At the April 7th meeting, Board member Joaquin L. Rodriguez made a motion to approve Realty Executives of Eagle Pass request for proposal to assist the District sell the 744 South Bibb Avenue property and authorize Interim CEO William Worrell to negotiate a contract. United Medical Centers Clinic Manager and Board Secretary-Treasurer Humberto Duran seconded the motion. During discussion, Board member Ricardo Calderon recommended that Interim CEO William Worrell negotiate the 6% Commission fee requested because Realty Executives of Eagle Pass proposal expressly stated that “Brokers fees are negotiable,…” Calderon also noted that the Board and Administration had not yet advertised the request for bids to purchase the 744 South Bibb Avenue property ordered on January 22, 2014 by the Board and the March 21st deadline had already expired. Calderon further advised the Board that under the State of Texas statute which created the MCHD required that all sales of Hospital District property be conducted by public auction or bid. Calderon noted the 744 South Bibb Avenue property is appraised at $385,000. Board member Rodriguez replied to Calderon’s comments by amending his motion to approve Realty Executives of Eagle Pass proposal at the 6% broker commission fee requested, although the fee was negotiable. Board member Humberto Duran accepted Rodriguez’s amendment. After discussion, Board President Juan Manuel Farias, Board Secretary-Treasurer Humberto Duran, and Board member Joaquin L. Rodriguez approved Rodriguez’s motion while Board member Ricardo Calderon abstained. Absent at the April 7th meeting was Maverick County Treasurer and Board Vice-President Rito J. Valdez, III.
The second item on the Agenda was the “discussion with possible action on review of CEO applicants list,” The Board went into Executive Session. Upon returning into Open Session, Board member Ricardo Calderon made a motion to authorize Administrative Assistant Lupita Amaya to contact the list of CEO candidates selected for interviews and scheduled their interviews on April 16th and April 23rd at 5:30 P.M. and reschedule the April Board regular meeting to April 30th. Board member Joaquin L. Rodriguez seconded the motion. After discussion, the Board approved the motion.
