The COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions are still echoing for the Platte County Health Department.
At the Monday, Feb. 6 meeting of the Platte County Commission, commissioners tabled – on a split vote – the authorization of a special warranty deed to the Platte County Health Department Board of Trustees.
In 2020, the health department purchased a building near the KCI Airport area to convert into a centralized health department facility. The Platte City and Parkville facilities are up for sale, and during the sale process the health department and county officials became aware that the Platte City building is actually owned by the county. The warranty deed would transfer ownership of the facility – which the health department has occupied since 1960 – to the health board.
Presiding commissioner Scott Fricker said he had concerns about the health department’s motivation in purchasing its new building “at the height of a global pandemic” in April 2020. The building cost approximately $2 million and was purchased with reserve funds, he said.
“Without that deed, this speculative real estate deal is in deep trouble,” Fricker said. “Complex commercial real estate deals like this are risky. I know, it’s what I do for a living. Many things could and still might go wrong.”
He questioned why the health department chose the first months of the pandemic to make this deal to purchase the property “at the height of a very hot real estate market” using funds that could be used for the pandemic and assumed they could sell the other two properties later.
“As we now know, the office market tanked and the health department is now forced to sell two properties in a far worse real estate market,” he said.
He criticized the possible diversion of tax funds from pandemic response into the real estate deal. Additionally, he criticized the health department’s application for federal COVID relief funds, which Fricker says were better used to support small businesses impacted by the pandemic and its lockdowns.
Fricker called for the health department to “open their books and meeting minutes” to find out how and why the plan was formulated and who advised the board to make this decision.
Resident Sharen Hunt noted that federal CARES funds requested by the health department were delayed and minimized during a global pandemic.
Fricker responded that he hoped to look into CARES funds given to the health department and whether the health department could have used money directed to its new facility to cover pandemic-related costs.
District commissioner Dagmar Wood accused the health department of seeking to profit off the pandemic.
“The application for CARES Act monies from the health department included reimbursement for staff who were already paid out of levies and fees, so they were essentially trying to make money off a pandemic to make a windfall,” Wood said. “A pandemic should not be the reason they get a windfall.”
Platte County auditor Kevin Robinson said the county was completely unaware the county owned this building and had done nothing to support the ongoing maintenance or upkeep of that building since 1960.
The commission voted 2-1 to table the warranty deed, with district commissioner Joe Vanover voting no.
The Platte County Health Department issued a brief statement later in the day.
“We are aware of the comments made during the Platte County Commissioner’s meeting,” said director Andrew Warlen. “We are hopeful to work with our county partners to resolve this issue in a timely manner. Because there are legal and property issues involved, we have no further comment at this time.”