The Iowa Senate decided not to send a bill to remove city council control over municipal hospitals to committee. Instead, it opted to leave the bill open for reactivation in the fall.

The House approved the bill mid-March, but the Senate decided Monday not to do anything further with it.

Currently, Iowa municipal hospitals are run by an elected board of hospital trustees who work under the direction of the city council.

The bill would have removed all city control over 15 local hospitals, including Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames.

The Iowa Hospital Association is one of the groups that saw a need for legislation to remove city authority.

“To us, it just doesn’t make sense that a city council can step in and override a decision,” said Scott McIntyre, Iowa Hospital Association communications director.

McIntyre said the Iowa Hospital Association supported the bill because hospital boards possess the greatest knowledge of hospitals, and are therefore the best people to make decisions for the hospitals.

The Iowa League of Cities disagrees with McIntyre. “We certainly do understand that [hospital board trustees] are the most informed and best equipped to make decisions running the hospital on a day-to-day basis,” said Susan Judkins, director of governmental affairs for the league.

Judkins also said it is “perfectly reasonable” for city officials to be involved in decisions that would affect the city as well as the hospital, such as hospital privatization.

Judkins said the bill’s deferral “sends the message to us that we should work this issue out together.”

Rep. Barbara Finch, R-Ames, said she only heard from those in support of the bill before voting on it.

“I’m glad it deferred,” she said of the bill, which she said needs to be studied more extensively.

Karl Friederich, secretary for Ames’ hospital board, said the board and city council have a good relationship.

Mary Greeley Medical Center is different from most of the other 14 municipal hospitals in Iowa because it is already run mostly by the hospital board.

The city’s organizational chart on its Web site places both the city council and the hospital board only under Ames residents.

Mary Greeley administrators could not be reached for comment.

The only decision the board would need council approval for would be selling the hospital, and there is “no idea of selling,” Friederich said.

Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames, said the cities should be able to have some control over their local hospitals.

She sponsored an amendment to the bill that would allow city residents to vote on any proposed hospital sales.

Hammond said thinks the Ames hospital board and city council are working well together, but the bill relates to events from seven years ago when the hospital board was holding its open meetings without the press’ knowledge.

“I believe this is standard practice in many small communities,” Hammond said.

Hammond and Judkins both said the bill originated to correct problems occurring at hospitals such as the one in Spencer, where there was a stalemate between the city council and hospital board over hospital employees’ retirement benefits.

“It was a more complex issue than it appeared to be,” Hammond said. “I think it will eventually need some legislation.”

Hammond said she hopes the opposing sides will resolve the issue without waiting for legislative action, especially since the current legislative session ends Friday.

“That’s the best way to handle things,” Hammond said.