VGH Postpones Levy Lid Lift

Board listens to community, postpones levy vote

Monroe, WA –Providing patients with safe, quality care in a healing environment is the mission of Valley General Hospital. As a public district hospital, VGH is able to levy taxes to help cover the increasing operational costs of providing this excellent health care. The VGH Board of Commissioners have been considering going to the voters in fall of 2009 to increase its levy rate.

“We have not had an increase in the levy rate in over 20 years,” states Neil Watkins, Board Chair. “Currently we are at $0.08 per $1,000 assessed value. This is the lowest rate for a public district hospital in the state. Our community deserves better than that.”

Many community members have supported the idea of an increase in the hospital levy rate, but the Board of Commissioners made sure to listen to as many constituents of the hospital as possible. “As publicly-elected officials, our job is to listen to the community and to make decisions in their best interest,” says Alice Cabe, VGH Commissioner. “In this case it was very difficult, because we believe so strongly in the need to increase the levy lid. Even though we had great support, much of the community was telling us that in this economy they just couldn’t support another tax increase. We listened to them and are postponing the levy.” An independent levy committee, Partners for Progressive Health Care, also recommended postponing the levy vote.

The levy would have provided funding for much needed facility repair and maintenance, a potential medical clinic in the Cathcart area, and funding for hiring and stabilizing the physician base in Monroe. Routine maintenance is often deferred when there are other demands on capital, like the hospital’s increasing Emergency Department volume and Charity Care.

With the delay of the levy, the hospital is looking for alternative ways to perform routine maintenance that has been postponed too long. John Beltz, CFO says, “We were able to issue a bond and are looking at a few repairs and improvements; just enough to get us through until we are able to go to the public for a vote.”.

Valley General is re-evaluating when will be the right time to go to the voters for a levy lid lift. “It just isn’t realistic for the hospital to be able to grow and continue to serve the community in the best way possible with a tax rate that was set in 1991,” Watkins adds.