Erlanger Health System’s chairman of the board is asking trustees to put off a revote of their controversial decision to award $1.7 million in bonuses until a later meeting.
The board had planned to revisit its Dec. 4 decision to award the bonuses at its upcoming meeting Thursday, following a public outcry over the bonuses being planned in closed meetings, and after the state attorney general concluded that such closed-door discussions were not lawful.
But Chairman Donnie Hutcherson, who had originally called for the revote after the attorney general’s opinion, said in a letter to trustees Monday that he wanted to delay the vote after he met with former Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey and House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga.
“Additional time is needed to provide more opportunity to share different perspectives as well as facts,” Hutcherson said in the letter.
“With that said and with my support, [lawmakers] have requested that the board continue with the meeting scheduled for this coming Thursday evening, but defer any vote relating to these issues until a future board meeting. This will allow time for the trustees and legislators to consider the information shared at the meeting and to continue our dialogue to find the much-desired common ground needed for a successful Erlanger.”