The EHPAD Bethany Home is a medico-social publicly-owned establishment (owned by the Collectivité of St-Martin), managed by a Board of directors (CA). By law it is this body that lays down the general policy of the establishment and that deliberates in particular on:
- the budget and modifying decisions
- additional appropriations and the tariffing of the services,
- decisions affecting the organization or the activity of the establishment,
- loans,
- the table of employment, .....
As a reminder, pertaining to the functioning of the Board of directors, the regulation clearly specifies that:
- the Board of Directors (CA) meets on convocation of its Chairman
- the agenda points for the Board (CA) meetings are is determined by the Chairman
- the number of meetings of the Board of Directors (CA) cannot be less than four per annum .
However, it has been now close to eleven months that the Board of directors of Bethany Home has not been invited or convened in meeting. In fact, the last meeting of this body dates back to May 6th, 2010 when the Board of Directors met to review and decide on the approval of the administrative final accounts for 2009.
Is it normal and or acceptable, for the Chairman of the board Mr. Louis JEFFRY (who is also 4th vice-president of the Collectivité) to refuse and or deem it not necessary (for such a long time) to assume his mandate and carry out his responsibilities by organizing the meetings of the Board of directors?
Is it normal and or acceptable that on January 20th last, the Territorial Council met to hear and discuss the budgetary orientations for 2011, and that no indications were given by Mr. JEFFRY on the plans, programs and financing of the EHPAD Bethany Home (our only Senior Citizen’s establishment in the Collectivité), which is financed annually by the budget of the COM (nearly 3,2 M € in 2009)?
How can anyone see any coherency and or truthfulness in the report presented by President GUMBS to the Territorial Council on the budgetary orientations, when in its proposed axis of priority it is indicated wanting to “impulse a new dynamics of covering and caring for our seniors within Bethany Home”, when the Board of directors in charge of this establishment (because of the failures of its President Mr. Louis JEFFRY) has been prevented from being able to discuss and of make proposals to be put forward to the Territorial Council?
Worse yet, the Board of directors, was not held informed during the entire year 2010, on the implementation of the budget, on the rate of consumption of the funds allocated, and by this was not able to decide on any need of requesting supplementary fundings to cover any pending deficits (through a supplementary budget) or even as it is often needed to decide on transferring credits from one chapter to another (through Modifying Decisions), now it is too late because the legal deadline fixed for such procedures was January 21. In other words, it is too late to ask the COM for any budget extension and also to transfer funds from a chapter to the other.
Knowing, the budgetary and financial difficulties that this establishment has been experiencing over the years, it is inacceptable and incomprehensible that the Chairman of the board M. JEFFRY did not see it fit to carry out the due, useful and necessary diligences.
Taking into account the regulation as regards to absences to board meetings (compulsory resignation pronounced by the Chairman in the event of absence without valid reasons for 3 consecutive meetings), who must be considered as having resigned? The Chairman? The entire Board of directors?
Is this the way that the ex-majority UP-UMP members take care of our senior citizens? Is this all the consideration that the Chairman of the Board (M. JEFFRY) has for the difficulties, the problems and the future of our seniors?
Is this another sign of the dysfunctional government that we have, or is this just another sign of the 4th Vice-president wanting all positions, doing much gesticulations yet not assuming and fulfilling the tasks?
In conclusion just few words of wisdom:
1- It is well to pile up responsibilities and titles, but it is still better to assume them.
2- It is commonly said in the French setting, that no one ought to be unaware of the law; we will add, especially those who are in charge of guaranteeing that it is being respected. (To the Wise, hello!)
It is urgent for the President de la COM (F. GUMBS) to make his vice-presidents and all other Council Members in charge of the various portfolios accountable and that he verifies that they carry out their duties with all due diligences.
For the RRR Group
Council woman
Ramona CONNOR
