According to an article in the September 21 News-Herald, we are supposed to feel better about the 27 percent increase in the hospital’s 2019 levy for our property taxes because administrator Wraalstad said they haven’t raised the levy since 2011 and “We figured out the yearly average from then to now, using simple math was 4.066 percent.”
I for one don’t feel better and this is a rather ridiculous way to partially justify the increase.
If the hospital didn’t increase the levy during those years it was because they believed they didn’t need to.
Since the levy didn’t increase for the last seven years, the real question is why does it need a 27 percent increase for 2019? The article does little to answer this question. Losses in 2017 are mentioned. Why were there losses in 2017, and not before, which require an increased levy now? What business practices have been put in place so these losses don’t repeat or are we going to see levy increases every year?
Administrator Wraalstad goes on to say the increase is due to “operational changes that are occurring” and not due to the recent $24.5 million rebuild. The implication is that the rebuild has nothing to do with the huge levy increase. I believe it has a lot to do with it.
The reality is if you increase the physical size and scope of an organization, the operational expenses go up accordingly. Even though this increase supposedly isn’t paying off the cost of the rebuild, this levy and our resulting property taxes are helping to pay for all the increases the rebuild incurs.
Be honest about this and don’t just blow smoke.
The seasonal residents, who pay more than 50 percent of the county’s residential property taxes and rarely use the hospital, and permanent residents of Cook County, are smarter than that. We deserve more details about this levy increase and what administrative and cost saving measures are being implemented to prevent this from happening every year.
Jim Peterson
Lutsen
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