TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 7, 2015

A backlash over Erlanger’s Health System’s generous bonuses to top managers is ramping up as Hamilton County lawmakers ready for the legislative session, the Times Free Press reports. State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, said the payouts, which came just months after the hospital froze vacation time, tightened benefits and phased out pensions and retiree insurance, “could be the most expensive bonuses anybody has ever gotten.” Also at issue is whether hospital trustees violated the open meetings law when they discussed the bonuses at two closed meetings. Area lawmakers say they plan to ask the state attorney general to rule on whether the law was violated and several say they plan to introduce legislation to modify a 2008 law that allows public hospitals to discuss strategic plans in private meetings.