The bottom line, financially, is the hospital continues to do better than budgeted, according to CFO Ken Kimsal.

The Russell County Hospital's Board of Directors meeting had been delayed until Monday this week, when they were given that good financial news.

The board went on to approve a $1.17 million capital improvement budget for the next year, and a $1,396,691 operations budget for the fiscal year that starts July first.

That capital budget includes $897,000 for the purchase of hardware and software to update the hospital's electronic records section, in preparation for the federally mandated electronic health records program.

The bulk of the meeting was spent discussing the first rough proposals for the hospital's expansion. Interim CEO George Walz stressed that the new addition and the modifications would mean the hospital would have 70,000 square feet at their main campus.

There would be 2 new surgical suites, as well as a new imaging area, and a new emergency room with twice the number of rooms.

The bulk of the expansion would be a building paralleling the present building west of it, toward US-127.

"It (the design) is still in a state of flux," Walz said. "I expect that by next month to have some more detailed plans and presentation."

An executive session was opened to discuss the two CEO candidates the board has been considering.