Hospital tax explanation prompts questions

Last week’s letter to the editor from Bill Williams about the “Special Use Tax” or “1% Additional Sales Tax” was informative, yet it raises a few further questions. At one percent of taxable sales in this county, how many years can we expect to have this tax in effect before the 1.64 BILLION dollars is spent within our county to raise this amount?

Bear in mind that not all money spent is subject to sales tax. Minerals and petroleum, as well as livestock, which are our greatest products, leave the county for resale and as such are not subject to sales tax.

How much interest will accrue on these loans in the meantime? Will the tax have to be continued to pay said interest? What assurance do we have that there will not be some other “special purpose” arise at the end of this time which will cause a push for continuation of this tax?

Also, the hospital is buying up land in East Thermopolis which is currently private residences and rental homes. If the hospital owns these properties, do they not become county property and fall off the tax rolls? There are residents who fear being told they will have to vacate and find new places to set up their mobile homes. They have already turned an apartment complex into a parking lot and are in the process of doing the same with one mobile home lot.

This removes permanent residents from the town, so there is nobody there to be counted for the next census. If these homes are used to house traveling medical staff, they would be counted on the census of their place of permanent residence, not here. The census count is largely what our local revenues are based on from property tax revenues which are distributed by the State of Wyoming.

It seems to me rather counter-productive to shoot oneself in the foot by spending more money to expand government owned facilities while eroding the tax base upon which they depend for support.

Sincerely, Danny A. Lewis