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Show Committee Answers Questions on Plans for New Hospital Construction At a meeting Wednesday evening, members of the "hospital "hos-pital board" and officials of Beaver County Service Area No. 2, answered many questions ques-tions pertaining to the proposed pro-posed new hospital, the bond election, and taxation matters. Mrs. Virginia Davis, who previously had stated, in answer an-swer to a query, that after 1963 members of the Board of Trustees of the Service Area would be elected as are other county officials, stated she had been in error, and that one trustee is appointed by each city council of the communities of the service area, and three members at large are appointed appoint-ed by the county commissioners. commission-ers. The first members, under Utah statutes, are appointed for a term ending the first Monday Mon-day in January following the next general election for county coun-ty officers, andor until their successors are appointed; and thereafter members serve a four-year term, and vacancies as they occur are filled by the city council or county commission com-mission making the original appointment of the member whose term expires. Other questions and answers included: Do we need a new hospital hospit-al building in Milford?? Yes. Present hospital is operating op-erating on a provisional license granted only because of an active plan for a building program. pro-gram. How much longer this provisional license will be granted is not known. " State Board of Health has asked detailed de-tailed questions of plans for construction in 1962; Many patients have been released re-leased to their homes earlier than was desirable, to1 make room for a more critically ill patient; The environment of the present pres-ent hospital building is not conducive to the most rapid recovery of the patient due to crowding, poor ventilation and poor temperature control. Can the citizens afford a new hospital? Yes. A 4-mill levy for 20 years will build a functional, basic hospital adequate, but with no frills. ' A 4-mill levy will finance a bond issue of $160,000; this added to federal Hill-Burton funds otf $132,000 will make available $292,000 for the new building. Much of the equipment of the present hospital can be used, thereby making the cost lower than other new hospitals being planned plan-ned in Utah. We have slightly over $13,000 in the Milford Valley Memorial Hospital Association As-sociation Building Fund, which also can be matched with Hill-Burton funds. Will a hospital bond issue raise my taxes? No. The 1961 tax notices in the hands of property owners of Milford and South Milford now include a 4-mill levy for Beaver County Hospital Service Serv-ice Area No. 2. Property owners own-ers in the Minersville area will have the 4-mill levy added to the taxes they pay in 1962. Passing the bond Issue will not change the tax levy. The question is, shall we pledge this tax revenue in advance, by a bond issue, and have our hospital now, or shall we let it acumulate for 10 or 12 years before we build a new hospital. If we wait, we run the risk of higher building costs and higher interest rates, because of probable inflation, and the possibility that the 4-mill 4-mill levy will not do the job then as it will do now. A NO vote on the bond issue will not eliminate the present 4-mill levy. My tax increase was more than 4 mills, Was this all for the hospital? No. The total tax increase for 1961 was 7.2 mills, but ONLY 4 MILLS of this was for the hospital. Also, some ; property carried a higher as sessed valuation this year, which resulted in additional taxes. What is the position of the railroad? The Union Pacific Railroad co. was represented at the hearing 0n creation of the Service Ser-vice Area by Mr. Dolan of the Land and Tax Division, who sa'd in part: Recognizing our obligation to our employees, as We'l as our sincere desire to ld in worthwhile programs, our decision in this case has been not to object to the formation for-mation of this district. We offer of-fer our best wishes to the proponents pro-ponents of the hospital district in their endeavor to furnish the Milford area with a self-supporting, self-supporting, efficiently managed and dependabel hospital." What part of the total tax for the hospital will the utilties of the area pay? The 4-mill levy will raise about $13,622.65 each year. Union Pacific Railroad will pay about . . . .$3,660 Other utilities will pay about $1,840 Total for utilities, about $5,500., or 35. That means that for each dollar spent constructing the new hospital, the cost will be distributed as follows: 45c, Hill-Burton Funds XBcUtilitles of area 36c Local property owners The average home owner will pay no more than 12 c a week, or $6 per year. Can the bonds be sold if the bond election passes? Yes. Continental Bank and Lincoln Ure of Salt Lake City have agreed to purchase the bonds, for a net effective interest in-terest rate of 4.197. Bonding attorneys have checked every step of the legal proceedings to date. The bonds can be retired re-tired ahead of schedule if the money is available to do it. Can the hospital be self-supporting? self-supporting? YES. Since December, 1953, the hospital has been self-supporting. Financial reports are given at each annual meeting. |