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County Commissioners: No Raises For Parkland Execs

By BJ Austin

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-987001.mp3

Dallas, TX – Dallas County Commissioners do not want top management at Parkland Hospital to get "merit raises" in the new budget. KERA's BJ Austin says Commissioners delayed today's vote, and sent the budget back to the Parkland Board for revision.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says bonuses for high-level Parkland administrators are out of the question after the hospital failed two critical federal inspections and is now under mandatory "outside" supervision.

Jenkins: Respecting that they're good people who are trying to do their best, we are in an extremely precarious bad situation because of their management decisions. And I'm sorry, they just don't deserve any more money.

Commissioner Maurine Dickey says freezing performance bonuses could have unintended, negative consequences.

Dickey: If you delete the possibility of higher level managers being able to get any kind of raise or bonus for performance, it has a chilling effect on being able to attract good leadership.

Jenkins: I appreciate what Maurine has said. And I do agree that you've got to pay good wages to leadership and you've got to recognize merit. But you don't get a bonus or a raise for driving a truck into a ditch.

Parkland CEO Dr. Ron Anderson has declined any raise or bonus. His contract as CEO expires December 31st. Judge Jenkins says the "bad management" decisions that got Parkland into its current mess do not rest solely on Anderson. Maurine Dickey says this is the time to work together to improve Parkland instead of adopting a punitive attitude.

The Parkland Board meets Friday to adjust the budget. More than nine million dollars is in the 2012 Parkland budget for merit raises averaging 2%. Commissioners will take the final budget vote next week.