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Malvern voters OK hospital tax |
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008 |
It wasn’t even close.
MALVERN — It wasn’t even close.
Voters in Hot Spring County on Tuesday overwhelmingly app-roved a sales tax increase that will keep Hot Spring County Medical Center open.
The vote was 4,840 for and 633 against.
The five-year, half-cent tax will generate between $1.2 million to $1.4 million a year for the 72-bed hospital, officials said. Hospital officials had said the 85-year-old facility would have closed if the tax failed.
Sheila Williams, medical center chief executive officer, said only minutes after the final vote count that she wasn’t surprised the measure passed.
“I was more surprised about how many turned out,” Williams said. “We’re very, very appreciative of the people in the county.”
Malvern mayor Steve Northcutt called the sales tax campaign “a grassroots effort.”
“This will continue [to help] the economic growth in the city and the county,” Northcutt said.
One of the major concerns was that without a hospital in the county, industry would look elsewhere to locate. Another concern was that the nearest hospital to Malvern would be at least a 20-minute trip by ambulance.
The hospital is one of the major employers in the area with approximately 400 employees.
A watch party was at the Malvern/Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce directly across the street from the Hot Spring County Courthouse, where the votes were tabulated. A presentation was given featuring the hospital.
Attendees at the watch party seemed cautiously optimistic that the measure would pass.
The sales tax to help HSC Medical Center is for a half-cent on every dollar spent in Hot Spring County. It has a sunset clause and will expire in five years. At that time, if there is still a need for help, HSCMC will have to ask for another special election for an extension of the tax.
Since the Boys and Girls Club 1-cent city sales tax is expected to expire early in 2009, there may be a short overlap of that sales tax and the hospital sales tax, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2009.
By law, there are restrictions on how the money is used.
The tax dollars may only be used to assist in the operation, maintenance, improvement, renovation, expansion and equipping of the hospital and its related healthcare facilities. The money cannot be used for salaries. The hospital will be accountable to the county on how the tax money is spent.
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Razorbacks
