Hospital board rescinds tax rate, sets new one

The Donley County Hospital Board rescinded the proposed tax rate set at its July meeting and proposed a new rate last Tuesday.

Board President Alan Fletcher said the board had adopted the rate of $0.1946 based on information, which turned out to be only estimations. The new proposed rate of $0.189448 is based on actual data and is the maximum allowable without triggering a potential rollback petition.

The hospital district has been operating with a tax rate of $0.18022 for the last seven years. The higher rate would raise the tax on a $75,000 home by $6.92.

In other hospital district business, the board voted to no longer provide phone service for the dentist’s office in the Community Service Building. The board also approved a new one-year lease with the State Department of Health Services for space in that same building.

The board accepted bids on tax delinquent property at Howardwick as presented by the Donley Appraisal District.

Administrator In-Training Vicky Robertson reported that MCNH had 53 residents in its care. She said the state completed a desk review of the facility and approved it to be Medicare certified, pending the appropriate signatures.

Robertson also reported that she has completed three courses and had 500 hours of training waived in her quest to become a certified nursing home administrator. She expects to graduate in November and take her boards in January.

Ambulance director Anita Aaron reported the Associated Ambulance Authority had 66 calls for July. She also presented a revised set of policies and job descriptions, which she said hadn’t been updated in five years.