The story of the MidCoast Health System here in Llano continues to evolve. Current timeline of events:
- Nov. 4 Llano City Council approves budget and payment of $400,000 from LEDC reserves to fund the hospital.
- Nov. 6 Mayor Bishop explains the $400,000 is an “investment” in the hospital system to bring 12-14 new jobs to Llano in early 2025.
- Nov 26 Llano County Commissions meet to allocate $450,000 to help pay potential staffing losses and for legal representation for ongoing negotiations with Mid Coast Health System.
- Dec 13 Mid Coast Health system issues a press release that they have furloughed 12 people (25% of the Llano jobs) at a savings of $30,000 per payroll cycle (upwards of $780,000 annually).
We spoke with Mayor Bishop again on Dec 19th to follow up on the latest news from Mid Coast Health and the effects on the City’s allocation of $400,000 that was intended to bring 12 to 14 jobs to the area. Bishop told us the situation has changed and is no longer necessarily an investment but providing support for the hospital. Bishop was uncertain how long the city’s $400,000 funding could support the hospital nor if the $400,000 had been released to the hospital. He explained that City Council approved funding of the $400,000 by tapping into the reserves of the Llano Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) and referred us to the LEDC which controls those funds.
