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Voters will have the final say

Hot Springs County Commissioners approved the Specific Purpose Tax Imposition Ballot Initiative and the Formation of a Hospital District and Board of Directors Ballot Initiative on Tuesday after a public hearing was held regarding both issues.

Residents on both sides of the issue were allowed to speak for two minutes on the issue before the County Commissioners made their decision.

Joseph Casciato shared his reasons for not wanting the Specific Purpose Tax Imposition on the Nov. 8 ballot.

“I think it’s premature to be on the ballot because the scope that we have seen, in my opinion, is setting our county up for a competitive model instead of a collaborative model,” he said. “We’re going to double the square footage over here and I think the scope is way too large for what Hot Springs County needs. You want to get a tax on a hospital that we’re going to expand to double the size of what it is now. I think that’s not warranted at this time because we haven’t managed what we have now. I’m asking us to think with some common sense.”

Fourteen-year resident of Thermopolis Stephanie Richert said this decision should be up to the people of Hot Springs County.

“The thing I’ve liked most about living in Thermopolis is that we take care of ourselves,” she said. “If you don’t at least put the initiatives on the ballot, you’re taking away our ability to take care of ourselves and to make that decision for ourselves.”

Chairman of the Citizens for Common Sense Healthcare PAC Harry Hughes said that now is not the right time for the special tax to be put on the ballot.

“We can certainly support a tax in the future when there’s a collaborative effort to analyze all of the business alternatives,” he said. “We’d like to be involved in a collaborative effort to look at all of the potential business models which includes cooperation with other healthcare providers. Once those findings are done, we would report that to the public. I think we should defer the vote until that is accomplished.”

Hospital Board member Breez Daniels said the board has offered many opportunities for public input and has done a lot of research regarding the sales tax.

“I feel like they’ve [the hospital board] explored many, many options,” she said. “They’ve offered meetings and opportunities for people to get involved and developed special committees. I feel like the homework has been done. The issue has thoroughly been explored and many opportunities have been given for public input. I feel now it’s time to go back to the vote. I do think that having the sales tax is the best solution at this time.”

Next on the agenda was the Formation of a Hospital District and Board of Directors Ballot Initiative.

Again, residents had differences of opinion as to whether or not the issue should be on the ballot in November.

Casciato said the County Commissioners “probably” did right by putting the Specific Sales Tax on the ballot for the people to vote, but, he said, districts are a little bit different.

“People can vote for a district and pay no sales tax at all or no levy,” he said. “To me, that is a form of taxation without representation because there are a lot of people that will vote for it but not pay for it. I don’t agree with that. The other thing is that a district is forever. I think districts are one of the most commonly misused forms of government. I think you guys [commissioners] will lose control. You will have no oversight over the board. It’s a permanent liability on every property in the county. When considering giving a permanent stream of revenue to this place, I want you to consider that this hospital, in my opinion, needs to be managed differently and more collaboratively with other entities without a district. I oppose this and ask that you do not put it on the ballot.”

Phillip Scheel said that before the public hearings he was Chairing a Fire District meeting.

“The Fire Department is run through funding of a district,” he said. “The idea that districts don’t work is very untrue because I think we have a very efficient fire department. Certain funding like SLIB funding, state grant funding and all of those other revenue streams open up when we are taxing ourselves here through that district model. It’s apparent they [districts] work well. I think a district works well for our fire department and I think it would work well for our hospital.”

Hughes said he agreed with Phillip Scheel’s statement.

“I’d like to say that I agree with Phil that the fire district is well-funded with their district and their mil levy,” he said. “They have a ladder truck that costs three-quarters of a million dollars and it is used once a year to hang a Christmas wreath on a stoplight. That’s an example of abuse of special district tax money. There’s been a lot of scare tactics in the newspapers and in campaigning saying that we will lose the hospital without the formation of a district. I don’t believe that is true at all.”

Former hospital CEO Robin Roling said districts provide opportunities for hospitals.

“A district provides opportunities for hospitals to help further develop and grow the services,” she said. “That allows people to have services right here in town. I strongly encourage you to put this on the ballot.”

After the Hot Springs County Commissioners made their decision to put both initiatives on the November ballot, Chairman John Lumley made a final statement.

“I appreciate everyone and their passion and I understand both sides of the story,” he said. “I strongly feel that it is the power of the people and they have the right to make this choice. Whatever happens will be the intelligent choice of the people.”

 

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