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Town hall set Sept. 11 on East Kern Healthcare District matter; LAFCO vote expected later
Summary
The council announced a town hall on Sept. 11 about notice of hearing from the East Kern Healthcare District regarding a potential hospital annexation; the mayor said LAFCO will consider an engineer’s report and the council will have further opportunities for public discussion.
Council members on Sept. 3 announced a town hall scheduled for Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a notice of hearing received from the East Kern Healthcare District regarding a proposed annexation relating to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital.
Councilmember Belides (LAFCO representative) said the town-hall time was selected to allow residents to ask questions before a candlelight vigil. He said he would take questions to LAFCO and to Bakersfield; he also noted that a LAFCO meeting in two weeks would include the hospital engineer’s report. The mayor and council said they expected representation at the town hall from hospital leadership and East Kern Healthcare District board members, and the council anticipated a Navy representative also would attend.
Public commenters raised concerns about potential taxation tied to the district annexation and urged the council to clarify its position in advance. Staff and council members said that LAFCO’s anticipated action would be to accept an engineering report and that any taxation or voter decision would occur later and would be subject to public process. Councilmembers agreed to continue public outreach and to hold further conversations before any formal vote by the electorate.
The city urged residents without Zoom access that IT staff would make arrangements for public viewing at City Hall so residents could attend the LAFCO proceedings or town hall in person if needed.
