Greene County council rejects hospital tax increase, approves lower courthouse and higher jail levies and adopts corrected ordinance

The Greene County Council on an administratively corrected ordinance on local income tax rates rejected a proposed 0.1% local income tax for Greene County General Hospital but approved a 0.1% tax for the county courthouse and increased the correctional-facility tax from 0.2% to 0.3%. The council then adopted an ordinance incorporating the corrected rate figures.

Council members debated how the levies could be spent and whether the county had a legal obligation under state law. Nathan (county staff) cited IC 16-22-14-7 when describing the appropriation process and said that funds levied under the chapter “must be appropriated as any other county funds are appropriated and may be used only for qualified expenses.” He said the county’s appropriation process would determine what uses are permitted.

The debate included concerns about directing tax revenue to a single private hospital. One council member noted the county had given Greene County General Hospital a $350,000…