BREWSTER—While the Three Rivers Hospital Board of Commissioners continues to evaluate options for constructing a new facility, the hospital will ask voters to approve the renewal of the one-year property tax levy on the November 5 general election ballot to help fund emergency room operations.
The ER levy, totaling about $1.34 million, is the same amount the hospital has requested every year since 2003. It amounts to about 33 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation. At that rate, a home valued at $300,000 would pay a tax of $99.
The ER levy requires a 60 percent supermajority and would be collected in 2025.
“We’re not asking for an increase over what property owners have already been providing for us,” said CEO Scott Graham. “Our district residents asked for physicians in our ER several years ago, and I think that change has overall been a benefit. We’re committed to doing as much as we can to meet the healthcare needs of our district.”
As with other hospitals in the area, Three Rivers contracts with ERx Group, a staffing agency that provides board-certified physicians. Three Rivers also hires mid-level providers from ERx to round on patients in acute care under the supervision of the ER physician. This allows providers to focus on the patients in their respective departments.
The one-year ER levy is not affiliated with the hospital’s plans to build a new facility. Last November, a $72 million bond proposition for a new hospital failed by about 15 percent. Three Rivers has gone back to the drawing board with Theorem Architecture and a financial advisor. A new proposal may not be introduced until 2025.
“This revenue has been so important to our hospital,” Graham said. “We are deeply grateful to voters for their support in previous years.”
For more information about the levy proposition on the Nov. 5 ballot, visit https://threerivershospital.net/2024-levy/.
Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media
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