No Clear Answer On Open Meetings Act Applying To Hospital

EL PASO, TX – County Attorney Jose Rodriguez was not able to give a clear answer on whether or not the board at the new children’s hospital will be subject to the Open Meetings Act.

Many voters who were in favor of the recently approved hospital have expressed desire to get a chance to listen in on how taxpayer funds will be used in relation to the hospital.

Tuesday, Rodriguez told ABC-7 the hospital is still in the planing stages and could not provide a definite, binding opinion on the matter.

However, Rodriguez did provide some speculation in a letter to the ABC-7 I-TEAM. “The Open Meetings Act does not apply to private, non-profit organizations and therefore would not apply to the children’s hospital,” he said.

Rodriguezdid saythat could change, depending on if and how the hospital receives public funding; for example,through the county’s Thomason Hospital.

That information will not be available to the public until all of the contracts are finalized; something that could take years.

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